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.

"Magic mushroom chemical psilocybin is also being used to depression, OCD and anxiety."

Back when you could order magic mushrooms online I made a smoothie with far too many, and had an epic experience which nearly went very bad and wrong but turned into some sort of shamanic journey into my own consciousness (in a duvet, in front of Question of Sport). Afterwards it seemed to me that I'd grasped some sort of fundamental truth about existence and I felt absolutely at peace for the first time in my life - that feeling of calm acceptance lingered for several weeks. It was amazing. Long gone now though, sadly.

Lol Findo

To the comments about e being made in European labs as if that makes things somehow socially acceptable, you are aware that the main players behind these Dutch and Belgian labs are highly dangerous organised criminals within international mafias involved in murders, assassinations and money laundering just for starters?:

archives.fbi.gov/archives/losangeles/press-releases/2012/israeli-organized-crime-figure-pleads-guilty-in-u.s.-to-narcotics-and-racketeering-offenses-including-murder
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abergil_crime_family

Putting money into these people's pockets is immoral.

I didn't take drugs at all, never have done.Not al lie, not hiding any hidden secrets, no superior feelings over it.

I didn't really drink to excess either but definitely wouldn't have done drugs. My uncle died of a drug overdose when I was a toddler - it was drilled into me from a young age not to go down the illegal drugs road. Most of my friends didn't either though I knew people who did at university. It just wasn't for me. It was up to others what they did, no feeling superior then or now.

I now take a whole load of legal drugs for arthritis and related pain etc. I know some (friend of friends) who self medicate for the pain with illegal options who swear by it.

Alcohol accounts more deaths, social costs and victim impacts than most drugs.

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Well, those stats are probably down to the fact that less people take illegal drugs than take alcohol - so yes, the number of incidents will be less.

I'd guess that many former ravers are now in the sorts of professions where a drugs habit would be either very much frowned upon, or deemed professional misconduct. So even if it's very much in the past, it's easier to just keep schtum about the disco biscuits

I'm here and so is my high flying boss who I 'knew' back then. We both recognise each other but never once has it been mentioned. We just get on with work and our respectable families, lol

Interesting reading! But can I ask all the ex-recreational drug users- how do you feel about your kids doing the same thing as you did? Does it scare you? Will you try and stop them? Do you worry they'll become addicts even though you didn't?

The vast vast vast majority settled down in their late twenties - mid thirties and pretty much gave it up. One core group I know just kept partying and of the nine of them there has been one death (heart attack) and one hepatitis diagnosis. Over the years I've occasionally been tempted to go out with them, but my old times sake is their reality, so I bottle it.

I took a lot of drugs in the 90s which unfortunately turned into a chronic heroin addiction which I was lucky not to die from and left me with a lot of health issues for years after.

For a while I worked with teenagers educating them about drugs and alcohol (which IMO/IME is the worst drug of all especially when I worked with adult with substance misuse issues). I came across a study that showed brain scans from people then who did and did take MDMA.

In the ones who had used MDMA, the PET images showed significant reductions in the number of serotonin transporters. The lasting reduction of serotonin transporters occurred throughout the brain, and people who had used MDMA more often lost more serotonin transporters than those who hadn't used the drug or had used it minimally causing bouts of depression in the people who had used it a lot.

*did not sorry - I quoted a bit from the study which I forgot to put in commas

It's a really old one anyway (1999) but interesting to know if those who did use large amounts now get bouts of depression now.

I'm up for the masked rave :D

I did a good ten years of heavy drug use, from (very early) teens to early twentys. Huge smile on my face when I think about my wonderfully mis-spent youth. My rather large social group all took anything we could get our hands on, except heroin. ALL work in solid trades or professional jobs, unless at home with young dc.

Anyone else have GHB? I bloody loved that stuff.
{toddles off to you tube to listen to songs of yore}

"To the comments about e being made in European labs as if that makes things somehow socially acceptable... Putting money into these people's pockets is immoral."

Do you really think that we care about what you find 'socially acceptable'? I mean, really?

I direct you to this post from downthread:

CoteDAzur Thu 02-Feb-17 13:27:19
I haven't touched any drugs in over a decade but don't have a shiny shit to give about "Ooh what about funding the drug industry" bullshit. Legalise it and let drug use fund the state through taxes. If you insist on keeping it illegal, don't be so fucking surprised that illegal operations supply the market and don't be ridiculous trying to guilt users for "funding drug industry". It's not the users' fault that criminals are allowed to operate the industry. It's the legislators'.

Love this thread! I'm here too! 👋🏻

From mid teens, and occasionally but regularly in adulthood. Am a professional. But none in last few years and wouldn't share with mummy friends as have heard judgey comments about others. Not sure I could deal with self imposed sleep deprivation these days, but I too have such fond friendships and memories from it all.

Oh and no to the person asked if it was more of a city thing. I actually found the opposite to be true! From a small boring town - boredom, perhaps!

"Anyone else have GHB? I bloody loved that stuff"

I have fond memories of mixing GHB with Es on a few occasions. It gives a particularly interesting bounce to one's step!

However, that taste! I don't remember what my lunch tasted like but OMG do I remember GHB's terrible assault on the taste buds.

Well, those stats are probably down to the fact that less people take illegal drugs than take alcohol - so yes, the number of incidents will be less

No, each category of drug was rated on a 16 point scale of harm (self / others; social costs, etc.,) by a panel and scored out of 100. You can read more about it here from the original publication.

🙋

Wobble, money penny's, bakers, stoodi's, the steering wheel omg happy days ☺

Mushrooms and acid were so much fun.
Picked the mushrooms myself so surely I wasn't supporting those bad boy crime.

Crims

Findo I had a similar afternoon of enlightenment! I decided I would never live in a house because it was too beautiful outside

I often wonder about what will happen when DS hits the whole drug phase.

TBH if I knew what he was taking was safe and he was a relatively smart kid, I'd be tempted to turn a blind eye. Both DH and I had plenty of fun in the nineties without getting ourselves into any sort of trouble, there are loads and loads of 'dangerous' things teenagers get up to, getting into a car with a load of over excited mates and crashing into a tree for example.

I'm always surprised when people say they've never used drugs but then I mostly move in incredibly constrained middle class circles lefty liberal University going circles.

I do find the 50 somethings I know still having a cheeky line of coke at the weekend pretty sad, I will admit.

Despite my regular consumption of E, I hated the throwing up and overwhelming feeling before "coming up". Wasn't keen on the come downs either. Bit in between was good though. Not taken anything for so many years now but always feel a nostalgic pang when remembering.

Yes it did taste rank. I remember we used to shot it in warmed up red wine (no idea why we did this, but it became a habit :D )
We used to crush and snort Es so they would word quicker

I used to love Wobble, and Money pennys! Or the civic in Wolves...

I really want to go to Blast Off now!