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.

Yes, many of us took recreational drugs and it was fun. And most are functioning members of society. But some of us acknowledge that they might have had a negative effect on their mental health, are mature enough to realise that it was a stage in their life for experimenting that should stay in the past and are not childish enough to brag about it!

I wasn't trying to comfort your friend's children, Broken. What a silly thing to say.

*in Manchester

CarelessWispas I missed the good days of the hacienda, it was dodgy by the time I was old enough to go!

I live with one of the E taking ravers. I never did it. But he did and says I'd be amazed at the amount of people who took (& still take) recreational drugs.

He tells me stories about the raves he went to and what a great time it was!

Up until about two years ago when me and a few other friends settled down we used to go out on a Friday and Saturday night, buy some coke and a few 'bombs' of MDMA, recover on a Sunday and go back to work on Monday absolutely fine. We were not/aren't addicts, we just enjoyed ourselves and we never got into debt/trouble with it. We made some good memories. It was the done thing.

I'm very boring now

Take this mug to work with you and see who comments.

waves!!!!!

Love that mug Desolate

I was a 90's raver! Those were great times, I know some people who did the same but a lot of people I didn't. I think is all about the people you mixed with. At the time it felt like everyone was doing it, but actually it was probably just a small percentage, we just mixed with like minded people.

Also OP I had to raise an eyebrow at your rather superior comment that you didn't drink or have one night stands. They weren't illegal....and were also a lot of fun. The BIGGEST bores were always the recreational drug users.

Cote, I only mentioned the friends where drugs were thought to be somehow implicated in their deaths. Not the friend who also took a few puffs of weed and then died, totally unconnectedly, from breast cancer.

In other words, friends who might well have been alive today if they had not taken drugs.

If we had been discussing smoking, I would have mentioned the friend who died from COPD, but not my FIL who died from old age at 92.

It was fun, the way we literally danced all night off our tits, and as ppl said we didn't drink much bar for water

I really enjoyed it

and I was THIN !!! used to wear cat suits and hot pants , and shit loads of fake tan so come 5am at least you had a tan when you make up had sweated off

I actually took speed mainly as E made me a bit funny

I often listen to "old school" mixes at work on my headset all day

go back to work on Monday absolutely fine

Lies! I used to hate terrible Tuesdays!

One of my most raver friends from back then is now a very high flyer in criminal justice. She's a pompous ass who seems to have retconned her past and absolutely hates anyone mentioning her being coked/e'd off her tits in Ibiza in 1990, which is of course exactly why they mention it 😬

I didn't take drugs as was too scared (maybe just slightly younger- leah betts died when I was 14, scared the crap out of us) BUT I am/ was a huge boozer and often wonder why people are so judgy about that. All socialising from 16-30 was in the pub and I had many extremely drunken fun nights.

Oh so you are all out there! Just have to tap in to the special codes . I won't be mentioning it to the school mums again after the last time though. I apologise if I sounded like i thought I was superior. Was just feeling defensive about the way people judge I suppose. Just sometimes it's nice to reminisce.

Well I did have a foggy head and the occasional nosebleed stormina

Early 90s raver here! Those were the days. I met my partner of 24 years in a field in Sheffield at a free party. Couldn't do it now though. Never go out, bed by 9.30pm.

Here!
Totally get what you mean - live in a straight laced area now and a lot of mums grew up around here. Was great though, was out with one mum who I thought was very straight laced and we were talking about a concert that had happened about 20 years ago and she admitted she was 'stoned as' there.
Also (now remembering) at playgroup one day we were talking about working in hospitality, and I said how I was shocked when i was a teenager on the first day of my first job when chefs were openly dealing pot in the kitchen didn't mention I bought some on my second day there and it was bloody good stuff and one mum who i thought was totally straight and would be disapproving told a tale of flying a helicopter with a heap of cocaine in it !
i think there are people out there, i guess they don't want to admit they've been anything but pristine in their past for fear of judgement?

LOL I never took drugs OP but I did drink a lot in my student days so I feel unable to take the moral high ground.

TBH they sound tight and judgy and not people I'd want as friends, so it's no great loss. Today it's judging over a couple of E's tomorrow it's for cooking non organic fishfingers when Tarquin comes over for a playdate

I'm here! Sweaty hugs for all you old ravers

Drugs were around before the 90s but it was late 80s early 90s when suddenly rave culture exploded and Es were on the market and massively popular.

I'm laughing at your awkward school gate conversation, OP . Maybe start off by asking what kind of music they used to like first? You'll soon suss out if they're on your wavelength.

I was young in the 90s. Didn't take drugs, neither did most of my friends. A few maybe tried it, but not in front of the rest of us (except the wacky backy). It was quite a social divide, if someone in my group of acquaintances asked about drugs, they would learn straight away that our groups/s didn't do that. I don't think I'm morally superior, but I do find it annoying when people assume everyone takes drugs. I'd say it's about 50-50.