To ask the truth about your drug use?

I tried weed probably around 15/16 and just didn't like it. Tried it again about 19/20 (in Amsterdam) confirmed I didn't like it.

Did coke probably around 5 times - if that. Again, didn't do much for me apart from make me talk non stop.

A lot of my friends (prestigious private school if relevant, probably not) we're doing speed and ket on a Thursday night at an awful underground club whilst in 6th form. I had an older bf out of school so I think that's how I escaped that. But I never was one for peer pressure but probably would have tried out of curiosity at the time.

I'm 28 now and only ever drink (too much).

*applies to cartridges

That applies top cartridges rather than a dry herb vape, some of them are considerably less stealthy

Much more discreet than a spliff but if you were sat in a room with someone puffing away on one you'd smell it. Out and about, not so much as it only creates a tiny amount of actual vapour

Thanks @easyandy101, that's really interesting. Does it smell like cannabis (as in, would it be obvious to those around that you were vaping it) or is it discreet?

is the effect of this the same as smoking a spliff

Vapeable thc is a different high from a spliff.

Hard to explain but to me it's the difference between being high and being stoned.

The maois that naturally exist in tobacco also effects how your receptors deal with the thc (and are also the reason that nicotine in tobacco is super addictive, whilst in gum or vape it's a pretty poor addictive chemical)

Side note: I do think ppl completely minimise the impact of alcohol, you should probably worry more about your teens drinking excessively as this is the most likely scenario. Most ppl do grow out of it but I have known a few friends get into some bad situations through drink, plus with my DSis I think it exacerbated her depression. My DM always talked to me a lot about moderating alcohol and it's something I keep an eye on in myself as it's so easy to slide into a gradual increase.

I and most of my friends have boomer parents and they've all done way more drugs than we ever did MDMA is amazing though.

i smoke weed every day pretty much, well I say smoke I actually have a vape pen with Thc oil.
@Tantruminateacup is the effect of this the same as smoking a spliff?

No further input from the op?

Y'all just got daily mailed

"Should acid be used in a truely safe place with truly good people incase it kills you?... are the truly good people using it too?
If so and I have never taken it but would they be able to do what is needed to stop you dying or am I being dramatic?I am not taking the piss when I ask this, I genuinely don't know... I'm a bit naive to most drugs and what they do to you?"

Because taking drugs alters your state of mind and the way you think and perceive things. In a bad way you could feel paranoid and anxious but with a good, relaxed happy, supportive vibe this altered state can be a great thing - and you can have creative, silly, fun or deep conversations and experiences.

Say you did acid with a group of people you'd only met two or three times and you started to feel bad. Maybe everyone else is laughing and you start to wonder 'are they laughing at me?' Or maybe you have an altered perception and you think the light on the ceiling is spiraling down on you but you're too scared to say anything - and if you do say something, they might tease you. There's all the makings of a bad trip.

Whereas take the same situation but you're with old or trusted, kind and positive friends: they will help you turn that experience around. So if you say 'I can see the light coming down from the ceiling at me, is it just me guys?' Someone else might say 'Oh but the light is beautiful, SkaterGrrrrl, it's just a fairy coming to give you a kiss. Let's put on our favourite song and get up and dance with the fairies!" Suddenly your trippy experience is turned into this awesome, playful, fun experience. Or whatever. You get stoned and wonder if love is real and the human condition is to be truly alone. Your mates listen respectfully but keep you positive and make sure you have some jelly babies so you don't whitey.

It's looking out for each other when you are potentially vulnerable. Some of the best nights of my life have been taking E at festivals with close friends. It's made our friendships better.

@mystar why do you feel that what you earn is a reflection of your competence as a parent?

Weed and hash as a teenager, pretty regularly. Tried acid, mushrooms, ecstasy a few times. Not too many, mostly wanted to experiment. Cocaine for a brief while in late 20’s/ early 30’s. Loved it, knew I had to be careful. Alcohol steady constant for many years but much less now than in the past. My hangovers are too horrific these days.

Prescription drugs don’t really have the same effect on you when you take them for pain management, and when you take them for fun. Not exactly sure why.

I think its very common to see a separation of prescription/non-prescription drugs when really there isn't any difference.

Methamphetamine (aka crystal meth) is available on prescription in the USA, but only for children, not adults (seriously!)

Cocaine is available on prescription in most countries including the UK as is amphetamine and GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate)

In the early years even the word Coca from the drink Coca-cola was due to it containing high amounts of cocaine and to this day its the only company in the world with a licence to grow the coca plant for the leaves that give the drink its 'coca' (cocaine) flavouring.

Most of the drugs everyone takes now are only illegal because of widespread abuse in the past when widely available rather than any specific danger and just because they are illegal and controlled, most are still available on prescription. Even diamorphine (heroin) is often given (slightly less than pethidene) to women during childbirth so theres a few more tried heroin on here than would like to admit me thinks.

mystar

I do agree that drugs can enhance certain experiences and I know kids are lied to by schools nowadays as to how bad the effects are but;

I'd think it would depend on the age and how responsible a daughter was before I encouraged it though. As enhanced sexual feelings isn't much good for a curious 13 year old girl who ends up pregnant because of some daft night on pills when she'd of been better off studying on her schoolwork. College age then OK they need less guidance but would rarely condone less encourage drug use amongst younger kids. Research shows kids who use drugs usually end up with lower grades, suffer more mental health problems and struggle to form meaningful relationships in later life in general.

Of course, it doesn't mean all kids will fair badly. But it doesn't mean either that just because you took drugs and ended up doing reasonably well in later life that will be the same for them as the evidence shows otherwise.

I do alcohol a few times a week, not to excess though

That entire post is odd for a solicitor earning 90k. If that's how they write or argue in court, I doubt they're competent solicitors, let alone parents.

"We earn 90k plus a year so we are competent parents."

Hahahahahhahahahahahahhaha! 😂😂

Smoked a bit of 1980s cannabis resin and some grass. So not like skunk. Magic mushrooms. They were really freaky. In my late teens and early 20s only. I had an interesting boyfriend or 2 and every second person at uni smoked dope.

I never took anything chemical. Couldn’t be sure what it was. I guess you could say the same about cannabis but I didn’t realise that. Had some acquaintances who took speed but it never appealed. I’m too old for ecstasy.

OP how to you want the conversation to go? I mean, are you trying to put them off ever doing drugs or giving advice on how to stay safe if they do?

I took a shit load of pretty much everything when I was younger, and less regularly since then. When I was a teen my parents tried to come down really heavily and ‘ban’ me from doing it, but it had the opposite effect. Teenagers can be quite determined like that.

Do you have reason to think your teenager is taking drugs? If so, I would advise telling them to be moderate, always let friends know what they’ve taken, sip water, don’t drink booze and make sure they are in a safe place when they do it. And that they can always call you if things have gone a bit sideways for them. A lot of clubs/festivals have places where you can take drugs to have them tested, without any risk of getting handcuffed, so that’s a way of staying safe and finding out if you’re about to take anything dodgy.

Do they have friends who seem like druggies? If not, you probably don’t even need to have a conversation about drugs - it’s very unlikely your kid will do them if their mates aren’t. And a lot of young people today really aren’t interested at all. So could be a non issue.

Anecdotally, over 20 years on from our ‘hay day’, me and the majority of friends I have who took a lot of drugs back then turned out just fine - careers, families etc. For some that’s all completely in the past, others still dabble occasionally. The odds are very good that it won’t wreck their lives, so try not to freak out if they have been experimenting. Of course, it would be better if they didn’t do drugs but it’s not necessarily a huge deal. If you can, be non judgemental with them, and let them know they can always be honest with you about their drug use. That way you’ll know if things are getting out of control.

Having witnessed drug-induced psychosis first hand, I have not the slightest desire ever to take something that could fuck with my mental health. Plus the issue of wondering how many Columbian farmers have to die so a Westerner can have a line of coke (and the smell of weed makes me feel sick anyway).

I was completely irresponsible with alcohol in my teens though. I’m kind of glad it’s harder for young teenagers to get hold of it now (we were never ever ID’ed, I’ve been asked for ID more after turning 18 when the rules changed).

Was off my face on gas and air for about 24hrs after my son was born and ended up in a hospital room for one with free access to it. That was fun, but not fun enough to make up for the postnatal complications that got me there.

The Loop is a brilliant charity that test drugs at festivals.

Check them out on FB and Insta

They save lives. They also put out plenty of info on safe drug use.

I can't stop my DS from taking them when he's older. But I can at least arm him with knowledge to minimise the risks.

I’ve tried almost everything and I still take coke, pills and MDMA occasionally. My husband has tried crack and heroin in his youth.

I’m a solicitor and husband is a high earning manager. We earn 90k plus a year so we are competent parents.

I am also a mum so I’ll probably get banished for this.

I don’t take things regularly but I’m not overly bothered about my daughter taking them. I think it’s a right of passage.

She will try them.

Everyone I know has and I’d rather her be able to come to me if she freaked out. Drugs enhance certain things; I’ve had many a good night off my head.

I have used mushrooms, coke, ecstasy, poppers and weed, all while young (13-15), all because it was available at various house parties and I was a massive twat who wanted to look cool. Stopped originally because I found out I was pregnant, then my friend bought some E's off a different guy to usual, ended up in A&E having stopped breathing, scared the hell out of me (this was a guy who knew what he was doing, they had just been cut with God knows what) so I've always said no since, apart from one shared joint at a party when I was 25 and reminiscing with old friends, I was drunk and puked quite spectacularly made a fool of myself and felt the roughest I have ever felt, friends wonderful wife propped me up with a bucket while I sat crying and apologising, it was not a pretty sight.

I smoked weed a handful of times from the age of 17-26, mainly because I didn't consider it hugely risky. I drank alcohol from the age of 14 ish but never to enough excess I required medical help, again because I didn't think it was socially unacceptable. I was brought up to consider drug taking to be extremely risky and just not really worth it.

Now, after 15 years in frontline emergency work I can tell you I am of the same opinion. It really isn't worth the risk.