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.

I can always spot the people that have never taken drugs. Most of my friends dabbled, you can tell when we have parties and they get over excited about dancing to some old tunes (then realise they are in someone's front room ).

Op from your post you sound as if you think people who have never taken drugs should be in awe of your partying and drug taking.
You come across as if you are superior to the 'boring' mums who never tried drugs

Most of them are just ordinary settled people who stopped using. A couple of them are dead, one from MH-related suicide, possibly triggered by weed use. One or two went on to become addicts of one kind or another.

I'm not a stalwart of anything but I am sorry about the friend who killed himself; he was a very decent man.

storminabcup I have particularly fond memories of the Hacienda

I was one too. I do regret it to be honest and my memory is awful! Some good times were had, it was a small window though with the E thing, maybe these mums are too young to know about that time and how widespread it was?

drugs were around before the nineties

I never dis but many of my old friends were ravers and took pretty much anything they could get their hands on. All in our 40's now and all bar one have settled down with jobs, kids etc. Things didn't go well for the other one though and he spiralled out of control - more drink, more drugs and violence. He just never stopped.

What nowtabout said.

I've never taken any drugs and don't remember anyone I knew doing it either. Having said that, I couldn't care less what anyone else did back when they were young so no judgement here.

Absolutely, smae here. Mind you I have a real memory block around my 20's and 30's and I did not take drugs or drink much -couldn't afford to! No sniffing glue either!

People just love to judge especially if they're square

I've never done anything more than a joint but I'm deliberating growing my own to bake into cakes post-baby. I find alcohol a bit meh the less I drink it - hangovers intolerable. Some sort of 60s hippy style grass (no skunk!) might be a better relaxant?

Maybe 95% are fine, grew up, settled down.
Maybe 5% had psychotic breaks, or other MH issues, or died.

Where did you get it from? Even if you are fine, the network you supported when you bought it probably left casualties behind. They tend to be associated with other very nasty industries.

I'm not particularly anti drugs. I agree about alcohol being equally (more?) dangerous/antisocial. I would probably agree with legalising and controlling recreational drugs.

"Some of them are dead."

I know hundreds of people who have had fantastic fun on recreational chemicals of various sorts. None of them are dead.

On the other hand, I have lost the following friends to reasons having nothing to do with drugs:

Gay friend, early 20s: Jumped out of a window because his parents would not accept his sexuality

School friend, early 20s: Lung cancer, despite never having smoked

School friend, early 20s: Bus crash

Best friend from university, early 40s: Heart attack while watching TV with her family

Good friend, early 40s: Heart attack while riding his bike.

Moral of the story: Life kills. Drugs, Not so much.

Funny that you should say this. All the clubs I went to in Dublin when I took E were packed out, everyone lepping away and chewing gum, and being young I assumed that this was perfectly mainstream normal behaviour. I knew that not every single person was buying pills, but it was pretty widespread.

Yet I don't think I have met a single person in the UK who has admitted to ever taking E.

The only reason I never took anything was because I was a wuss!
I once went to Cream with this group of friends, I had a couple of drinks and that was it for the night. To say I was bored shitless for hours is an understatement...

Is this a city vs small town thing?

I was a young adult in London in the 1980s. It wasn't until I started work in a large company that I met people from outside London who hadn't ever taken soft drugs. All my London friends, mostly educated professionals, had!

I know lots of people who've seriously fucked up their lives due to alcohol, only one due to drugs (and he was a drinker too).

Oh no - I know one person. Senior academic in health and society.

Oh and another friend, early 30s: Committed suicide because he could cope with disability following car crash

I've found it's easy to find which fellow mums and dads hit the disco bickies back in the day. Somehow we end up talking about a particular trance music track or legendary bush doofs and then the knowing smile is exchanged, you know without having to go into the full details.

Oh those days another one over here :) I spent several years in the 90's dancing around fields in hot pants and a bra :) With my group of friends at the time we went to lots of illegal raves and loved the London club scene.

I also find it really strange when I have this conversation with people who are horrified and yet they'll happily tell me about nights out being so drunk they can't remember anything or how they ended up having one night stands.

As for where am I now? Still working in London, professional, middle management, respectable :)

I also had a baby in1993 so that was that they were all partying i was up to my eyes in bottles and shitty nappies

Moral of the story: Life kills. Drugs, Not so much.

I'm sure that will be a comfort to my friend's children.

carelesswispas Being from down south, didn't get to the Hacienda that much but, when we did, what a great night that used to be. Saw 808 State & Richie "Salsa House" Rich up there in 89. Epic night
Was so pleased I had a friend at uni in Manchester.

I took a lot of drugs in the 90s, a mix of speed and weed, I was hanging around on the metal scene in rock world and the like and it was pretty much par for the course.
I'm settled down with kids now and can't remember the last time I even has a drink.

We're everywhere! Most of my friends were partying hard (from 80s onwards).

"I once went to Cream with this group of friends, I had a couple of drinks and that was it for the night. To say I was bored shitless for hours is an understatement"

I remember my first time

Entered this club. Tried to get a drink. Got asked "Why? ". Then noticed that nobody was drinking anything that looked remotely alcoholic. And everyone was having a whale of a good time. On water.

About an hour later, I knew why Cue in me going to loads of strangers proclaiming "I can't believe I wasted my life drinking alcohol!"