Many, many people took recreational drugs in the 90s. Where are they now?

[perhapsiwill]

I'm not a drug addict and none of my friends were at the time, we just took Es at the weekend, sometimes other drugs. We all went to work or college, seemed like everyone else did this too. We had a great time, weekends were for dancing and hugging, I didn't get on with drunk people and one night stands and it suited me much better.
I moved away from where I grew up, nice area to another nice area.
When I mention partying in my youth to other mums where I live now, they look at me as if I'm an addict who needs help .
Are they all pretending? There were thousands of us doing this so where are they now? And why do people who never took drugs appear to feel so morally superior? One of the women where I live openly talks about cheating the system financially yet looks at me like I'm scum because I went out and had fun 20 years ago. (And probably once a year now!) I feel that because I mentioned this one evening in a pub I have alienated myself from the local mums.

Maybe you should reword then, Strongmummy.

What makes 'addicts' separate and distinct from other users is that they are addicted.

Which drugs and depression? That's why I was asking about SSRI prescriptions, because I thought it might be linked to particular drugs.

May also have spent some of the 90s taking, er, medicines not prescribed by my doctor...

Strong - You are not... what? Try constructing full sentences.

Reading your posts again are not likely to make them more rational.

"dealers sell to addicts and well as naice middle class professionals popping in between their shop at Waitrose and their dinner parties."

Yes, and so?

I'm sure MC professionals would prefer to get their drugs from Waitrose.

Whose fault it is that the only suppliers are shady criminals?

Young people of today still take drugs in the masses. You just need to look in the right places. Nights have moved away from the super clubs of the 90s but still happen and at a lot of festivals more people take drugs than don't. It was really good to see that last year Secret Garden Party introduced on site drug testing help people be more safe. Harm reduction initiatives like this are so much more useful than prohibition. People are always going to take drugs - why not make it safer?

Well I'm more of a late 80s party girl and our lot ended up doing all sorts.

1 guy is a welder and travels all over the world on some big contracts another has just gone back to uni for a career change after leaving fiancial services. One woman is a mental health practioner and delivers courses to other health care practioners, I work in children's residential and one guy is a semi famous musician.

I loved the party scene and we did live like we were in an episode of The Young Ones but we grew up eventually.

"at the club and you needed vodka and red bull to keep you awake past 5am"

You clearly weren't doing the right drugs, if you needed help staying awake

I think that I left part of my brain in the Hacienda, but I think it's all flats now.
Yeah, expensive ones !

Row nine, of course many young people still take drugs, and harm reduction policies are a good thing, but is it not also the case that there has been a substantial decrease in the last ten years of drug and alcohol consumption amongst young people?

All i drank was perhaps a can of Red Stripe when i got in and then a bottle of water in my back pocket, which I shared with anybody who looked like they needed it. I shared it with anybody. And got lots of hugs.

Most of my friends did at university. I never did. Not a judgemental thing but something about it scared me (and also bored me- they became so tedious and weirdly self absorbed and only ever wanted to talk about drugs and drug experiences- not saying this applies to you or more generally- maybe just this group)

But this group had a really shockingly high rate of serious mental health problems- very severe depression was almost the norm. I don't know if it's related ir which way causation goes- but it was v noticeable and many still feeling after effects now.

I do wonder though if there is a link between taking E in the last and SSRI prescriptions now, if there's been research into that?

This just reminded me back in our days of raves, and drugs then (90s). One of our group would stop her SSRI tablets a few days before a rave, as due to the artificially raised levels of serotonin, she said it interfered with the high of an E at the weekend, they didn't work on her so she chose to stop Anti-Ds beforehand, rather than just not take the drug that didn't 'work'.
We fell out about 5 years ago, following a conversation that those drugs ruined her mental health and caused her depression .
Except choosing to forget she was taking SSRIs throughout her teens, and didn't touch E until years after.
I expect if you have a pre-existing MH condition, then pissing around with your prescribed Medication (stopping and re-starting after the weekend) had a far greater bearing on present MH issues than a few disco biscuits on a night out did 20 years ago.

Tartan not seen any study that has said that but that's not to say it isn't the case!

From what I see pills dropped in popularity from the early '00s but a new generation have taken up MDMA (crystals/powder) in their droves.

Yoo hoo! (Waves glow stick)

Of all my druggy friends, some of us are now professionals, good jobs, families etc. Some of us are still weekend party animals muddling along. A few have gone awol. Sadly, a few have died. I was very into the party scene for several years and even was quite addicted to certain things at one point. Luckily I stopped when I had my first child and I've not really done anything since (except one joint on a hen weekend that literally knocked me sideways, and I swore never again). I hate to say it though, but I really do judge parents who take drugs. We all have history and that's cool, but if you still take drugs it's your present and it's your children's present too. And yes I know, alcohol and cigarettes are drugs and can be just as dangerous- but I can stop after 2 glasses of wine and I don't think it has a detrimental effect on my children. There's no way that I personally could be as good a parent if I was smoking weed regularly, or using class a drugs, simply because of the hangovers or suicide Tuesdays. It was fun at the time but it isn't for me anymore.

**I don't distinguish drugs from alcohol or tobacco personally as it's just a social construct which makes one illegal and the other not. ?!!

Apart from the fact no one knows what they're actually taking? You could have been popping compressed baking soda or rat poison for all you know?

RowNine I'm sure I've read that drug use has risen, don't know where if I did though! Baby brain!

I'm 19 and almost everyone I socialise with has or does use drugs, my bf's 23 and his group of friends are the same. It's abundant at festivals, but even on a regular night out it's common for a lot of people to do a few lines of coke or pills, its generally cheaper than drinks while out too!

Yep we're out here, and I'm currently supervising a mock A'level exam The sympathy I feel for one of my students who has just found out her last exam date is the Monday AFTER the Glastonbury weekend is huge. About 60% of our (very large) year group toked when we were in the 6th form @ 1990ish (we worked it out one night ) We are now teachers/ doctors/ lawyers/ physios/ professors/ managers etc

Never got into the rave/ E scene myself - I hated the music but I was very much on the peripheries and surrounded by friends that did - all very tolerant of those who didn't - and we all went to work on Monday

i don't distinguish drugs from alcohol or tobacco personally as it's just a social construct which makes one illegal and the other not.

I was trying to bold the above text. My husbands friends that did drugs alongside their private education still spend a long time smoking weed. Can't stand them. They think they're so cool still. Does my head in. Threw away their educations and spend forever stoned

How does anyone know they're snorting coke and not baby talc? Just not worth it.

I don't use it Greta but they can test by tasting, often rub it on their gums, I think it numbs your mouth a bit. Honestly don't do it myself though.

You could be right tartan. I understood that Speed and Coke are depressants. I don't think they've done enough texting on MDMA to know.

I'm here - had a bloody marvellous time - I was back in the Gatecrasher and Cream days so late 90s.

Professional, 2 kids 1 dog stereotype now. We all grew up and had to get into real life.

They're stimulants, but that doesn't mean they couldn't be linked to depression.

Speed has a link to psychotic episodes, although it isn't particularly common.

Addiction is an interesting word as well actually because there's being physically dependent on something and then enjoying the ritual/habit. I was reprimanded by my son's doctor about saying he was born being addicted to heroin as his birth mum was an addict. He was born dependent on it, but he was obviously not craving the ritual of using. I think the difference between a drug addict and a recreational user is a very fine line. its the same as drinking a lot, being a functioning alcoholic and being a non functioning alcoholic