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.

Well some people sadly do get addicted, or have unfortunate consequences from drug taking (both illegal and legal). Most people don't, but it doesn't stop some people having problems.

I'm sure some people find drugs / alcohol fun, but again, not everybody.

We took lots of recreational drugs in the 90s.

We are now fairly boring parents, partial to only the odd binge drink. We look back fondly on nights lost to laughing or raving.

We are typical of our friendship group - we all dabbled with drugs and not one of us has gone on to have a problem.

Oblomov the biggest dealer on our campus (weed, coke, Es) got a first in politics and economics. My best friend wrote an essay for 25% of her first year English Literature grade in the final two hours of our ferry journey back from Amsterdam on an acid come down. She's completely forgotten it was due in. She didn't get a first, but I was nonetheless impressed by her resilience. I'm fairly certain she wouldn't advocate doing it though as I seem to remember she was very stressed by the situation!

Yep. Ridiculous amount of E. A short burst of having quite a serious problem with speed. Then just a few times tripping. Did take a line of coke on NYE 2015 but that was the last time i did drugs and the first time i had done drugs since 2003.
I know loads of other people who did too tho no one seems to keep quiet about it in my experience.

I don't do drugs any more except the v occasional spliff, I had a bit of a speed problem in the mid 90s which was cured by my doing about one and a half grams, not moving much and then feeling like I was going to collapse for a while. It was pretty scary. One thing you do get from that sort of experience is an excellent mental arithmetic ability as you calculate how much you've taken and how long it'll be before you come down...

I was the only one if my uni housemates to do drugs (pretty much everything available in the early 90s) and they tolerated it really, the only time any of them had words was when I did some coke in front of one of them and she was upset because it was a class A. I kept the class As out of the house after that.

TBH most of my other friends did drugs to a greater or lesser extent. Even those who didn't, didn't really see it as much of an issue. Well, maybe they did, but they didn't say anything.

Ruprecthepanbasher - I've met the Tidy Boys! My mate lived with them in Ibiza 😃

Another ex raver here. Loved it.
The closest I get to it now is listening to drum and bass on the treadmill!

I'm not actually anti drugs at all and probably agree that they should be legalised, regulated and taxed. They're fun. I am anti people bragging about using "back in the day" and not ackniwkedung they can be misused easily.

Acknowledging !!

And responded to the charming Klaphat who said I was taking out my arse. Although when people are reduced to personal attacks I assume they have run out of logical Arguements.

You didn't respond to me, there is no post from you after my post. Unless you're sockpuppeting?

And my argument was that it is hypocritical to attempt to criticise people for extrapolating from experience while producing a counter-argument which consists of 'no that is not correct, but I will produce no evidence to support my claim'. Whose logic is at fault here, exactly?

Picking apart your argument is not a personal attack. For all your talk of logical arguments, you'd think you'd be able to recognise that and not whine about personal attacks because someone doesn't accept your argument without question.

What claim do you wish me to suport with evidence ? That drugs are not great for for everyone ?

In that case why don't you read up thread for personal accounts of people who didn't find it all fun? Or are they all liars because they don't agree with you?

Or here's some government statistics for you ( may be they are talking out of their arses as well ? ) . In 2015, 3674 people died of drug overdoses in England and Wales. Of these, 2,479 involved illegal drugs only.

I suggest to you that drugs were not a lot of fun for these people and their families.

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales/2015registrations

Though as many people have pointed out up thread, they are not " people like us " - university graduates in professional jobs, they are disturbed people with existential crises therefore they don't count.

I know many real people who real lives are just shit because of drug, so forgive me if I don't continue to have fun " banter " on MN with you about people I care about .

So your can joke all you like and debate about logic. But it won't make any difference to my life this week and the people I will meet whose lives are screwed up by addiction.

IME:
Some are respectable professionals.
Two died of overdoses, so young
One has severe mental health problems, directly related to ilegal drugs
One died of a heart attack, early 20s, again drugs related (so said the post-mortem).
One killed himself after many attempts.
One cannot approach his family- they got a restraining order due to all the abuse / violence / entourage.
A couple are functioning addicts and doing very well in the City in investment banking.
The skunk addicts just about function, in very menial jobs. They think they are so clever and nobody knows what they do

I had health problems in my teens - I was too freaked out about what my body was doing to consider drugs. I don't discriminate, I do judge all drug-taking... alcohol, smoking etc.

I don't know anyone who went onto to have problems due to mild recreational use in the 90s, myself included. I do know a couple of serious alcoholics whose addiction started during their 'party years'.

" I am anti people bragging about using "back in the day" and not ackniwkedung they can be misused easily."

The message that drugs can be misused is so widely accepted and understood as to not really be even worth discussing. Of course they can be misused. The whole premise of this thread though, is that plenty of people take drugs and are OK, and actually that is worth discussing, since we're all told every day by the government and mainstream media that all illegal drugs fuck you up and that's it forever.

Plenty of people manage to smoke and not die of lung cancer, or drink and drive without harm. However, increasing the numbers of people doing such activities has a tendency to increase the numbers of adverse effects suffered.
We often can't tell who will end up with a problem and if there is any level of ill health caused, it does fall on a overstretched NHS. Perhaps we should be mindful of this.

Same with alcohol surely so do you think no-one should ever jokingly mention drunk youthful escapades because it's disrespectful to those whose lives were ruined by alcoholism? It goes without saying that substances can cause harm to people and there but for the grace etc. I am sorry for those who have been affected but those of us talking about long past drug use -how do you know we haven't got our bad stories too? My father is an alcoholic but I'm not going to tell people to shut up talking about their boozy nights out.

"We often can't tell who will end up with a problem and if there is any level of ill health caused, it does fall on a overstretched NHS. Perhaps we should be mindful of this."

I think most people are mindful that there are risks to taking illegal drugs, as there are risk involved with most things. As well as the intermittent drug taking I did in my past, I now enjoy plenty of activities which happen not to be illegal but which are fairly dangerous - rock climbing, cycling to work in a city, weightlifting, open water swimming. I've placed far more of a burden on the NHS with those pursuits than I have doing the drugs I've taken in my liftetime. (fell off my bike on a roundabout, resulting in an x-ray of my ankle; tendonitis from climbing: physio and painkillers; shoulder injury from lifting; more painkillers... more drugs!!)

This thread is a space for people to talk about past experiences which didn't all go wrong, and I don't see a problem with allowing people to do that, given that we so often are fed the horror stories.

I find bragging about alcohol misadventures boring too. The difference is people who used drugs recreationally thought they were being cool as they are illegal. They also thought it was harmless and tried to justify why it's so much better than booze. I used to use. So did my husband. Do I brag about it? Do I bang on about "back in the day"? Do I try and justify what I did as totally harmless? No. it was boring talking about it then. It's even more dull talking about it now. And to be frank we both feel it's affected our mental health. will I be sharing kerazy stories with my son about how mummy and daddy were caners and did some fucking stupid/bloody dangerous things while having fun. No. it makes me sick thinking my child may (probably will) do the same. I just hope he has more sense than us.

If you find people talking about their drug experiences to be boring, then perhaps this isn't the thread for you? People often like to reminisce about the past: if you don't want to join in, fair enough. I'm sure you'll find some more interesting corners of the internet.

Thanks Find. I think I'm ok navigating my way around mumsnet. I think it called having a debate/difference of opinion.

You come across as a bit weird, complaining of people talking about past drug use while on a thread about past drug use.

If you find it so boring, other threads are this way >>>>>>>.

"Thanks Find. I think I'm ok navigating my way around mumsnet. I think it called having a debate/difference of opinion."

Alright, you might think I'm patronising, but you're the one who's busy telling the people who have enthusiastically participated on this thread how boring we all are. I mean, who does that? Bit rude.

*"we're the only ones who remember but nowadays it'd be on Instagram for all eternity"

Oh God, yes. I am grateful every day that there was no Facebook back when I was partying.*

I remember when camera phone first came out my mate thought thye would be great...I thought er no, you dont want too much evidence floating about. As it is I hid from the cameras so there are not too many of me.

Occasionally I will see a post of FB along the lines of...found some photos on an old PC camera etc, feel free to de-tag yourselves grin. And I reckon I am not the only one thinking shit.

Most of my old clubbing mates from the 2000's are now married, kids, decent jobs. There have been a few deaths along the way, but most of us have just got on with life

Now can we go back to reminiscing about the good old days

Here here! I had a brilliantly exciting and unforgettable time in my teens and early twenties. Freedom, nightclubs and dancing!
Never took any drugs though. My older brother's friend smoked some cannabis and jumped off the roof to prove he could fly. Broke both his legs and ended up in a psychiatric unit. Where there were more of the same.
Maybe an extreme example, but it certainly took away any glamour or even the slightest curiosity. It just makes me think that taking unnecessary drugs is stupid and dangerous.

There have been a few deaths along the way

!

I'm jealous, apart from my prescription slip up I've always been too scared to take things in case I like them too much. I include drink with that (although I smoke still)

If there is such a thing as an addictive personality I have it. I've heard that's quite common with bi-polar but I don't know if there is any truth in it.