Professional people and drug use

[Beebee6]

I work in banking and moved to London a year ago for a career opportunity. I’m in my early 30s and have never thought of myself as particularly naive but I’m genuinely shocked by how many of my colleagues regularly use drugs. By drugs, I'm mostly referring to cocaine. They all talk about this very openly as if it’s a perfectly normal and acceptable thing to do at the weekend, after work or when they have spare time without the kids. On the rare occasions when I have been along to social events after work, it’s always offered around and I appear to be the only one not partaking. None of these people are particularly ‘young’ either (most 30s-40s) and are all very successful professional people, who in my (perhaps judgemental) opinion, aren’t the typical drug using types. Some are single but many have families. I mentioned this to a friend of mine who seemed to think that this is now commonplace amongst many working professionals, particularly in the city. I’m curious as to whether this sort of thing really has become more normal and accepted now?

*When I hear that someone's a drug-user particularly an adult who thinks it's just a bit of fun on par with a drink at a party I lose all respect for them (and their intelligence).

It's a spectacularly stupid and selfish indulgence.*

This

Our city is awash with drugs and the middle classes are prodigious drug takers. And yes it is the same people who will lecture others about plastic bags and eating organic. Awful bunch of fucking hypocrites, the lot of them - eh, that’s the same as saying that people who drink too much on a Friday night aren’t allowed to be interested in conservation and organic food?

It's a spectacularly stupid and selfish indulgence.

Why is it though?

Crazy thing is my dd told me lots of kids in her year (age 14/15) are taking mdma at the weekend by mixing it in their drinks and taking cocaine. She said that the kids from the local private school take it most as they have more disposable cash. It's not just professionals. I know people from a guy really high up in fiance to someone high up in Clydesdale bank, to hairdressers etc that take it. It's prolific.

Sovereign no it’s not. Drugs, their production and distribution ruins people’s lives and is a major player in organised crime. Children are recruited in county lines operations because the market is there. Drug money is linked to prostitution and people trafficking plus it fucks up the environment. So yes, I would question the ethics of these fucking hypocrites.

I think a lot of people would stop buying/using if the ethical aspect was more widely discussed. Society tends to treat drug use as a health issue.

I’m undecided about legalised drugs. There is something counter-intuitive about it. Alcohol is legal and does an enormous amount of harm.

I agree with Fiddlesticks - humans wanting to experiment with consciousness altering substances is as old as humanity itself, and the current drug laws need total reform imo.

I've known many doctors and psychiatrists who use coke and over class As. Maybe, in moderation, it's just not that big of a deal 🤷🏻‍♀️

Cocaine is and has always been a wankers drug though. I like a bit of organic homegrown myself and am a 'professional'. Agree the drugs trade is awful, which is why we need the reform so badly. When will politicians understand that the 'war on drugs' was lost many years ago, yet they continue blindly on flogging the dead horse 🙄

@Sovereignindividual are you for real? Why is it a stupid selfish indulgence. For a start it tears families apart our family is shattered after losing a cocaine addict last month in their mid 30s. The crime that surrounds cocaine as well. The disadvantage who end up involved in the supply and become involved in drug wars and die. Open your eyes.

Drugs, their production and distribution ruins people’s lives and is a major player in organised crime. Children are recruited in county lines operations because the market is there. Drug money is linked to prostitution and people trafficking plus it fucks up the environment. So yes, I would question the ethics of these fucking hypocrites. - Most of the problems you’ve listed are down to criminalisation, and if when legislation happene will disappear, from an international perspective this would mean the countries where the raw ingredients grow (coca Leaf, opium poppies, etc) Would finally be able to benefit from their greatest cash crops. Of course their is an impact on the environment but no greater than importantly anything else from the other side of the globe, unless you’re advocating banning pineapples?

It’s simple, if you support criminalisation then you too have blood on your hands.

But you’re talking about a situation that has never existed ... it’s easy to say that decriminalisation will bring about a state of nirvana but difficult to see what the long term effects of that might be. And, you know, what about people’s physical and mental health?

I have two close family members that are known for taking cocaine, both fairly professional, and do it also at home whilst their children are there, a high up police officer friend of theirs regularly joins them in taking cocaine.
This isn't a surprise to me as when I was around 15 one of my friends dad was in the drugs squad with the police, he was also a drug dealer. This kind of thing has been going on for years.

I don't, have never and definitely wouldn't take any drugs, I've been around too many people, including my own mother, to see how it wrecks lives and turns people into utter arseholes.

At one point Pablo Escobar had enough wealth personally to pay off Colombia’s national debt. That money didn’t come from homeless poor people living on the street. It came, overwhelmingly, from middle class professional white people.

The UN estimates that 1% of total global trade is drugs. The UN estimated in 1997 that the global drug market to be around 4 trillion dollars. The world currently spends around 7 trillion dollars/year. With inflation adjusted we probably spend about as much on drugs as we do on healthcare globally.

That sort of money definitely doesn’t come from the poor. It comes from the middle classes.

7 trillion dollars/year on healthcare*

I managed a well-known in the 90s wine bar, part of a City-wide chain, and it was common place, not just among the clientele, but amongst everyone in hospitality, too. And they're not the most loaded people! I was a clubber at the time, and so yes, it was rife.

Clubbing seems to have more or less died a death, but professionals getting on it clearly hasn't.

I haven't touched the stuff in a long, long time - partly due to parental responsibilities, but also due to discomfort at the drug trade.

I don’t care about the legalities of a drug but I do care about the brain re-wiring that happens from taking any drug regularly. Not something I’d be into.

Professional 30-40 year old bankers, the typical drug user in my opinion

No it's not normal and acceptable OP - don't worry. But in your particular industry it is unfortunately.

Cocaine has turned so many of my old friends and acquaintances into socially unacceptable a-holes. It's now a completely soul-destroying drug and I would distance myself from anyone doing it. It's just not worth it

They are driving the stabbings. I despise them.

I'm surprised so many on mn don't know anyone who takes or has taken drugs. Ecstasy and cocaine were huge in the uk and Ireland in the 90's. It was unusual to meet someone who didn't take drugs in their teens. Cocaine really took hold and as pps said it was huge amongst bankers and professionals. I took a lot of drugs as a teenager.. when I went to college I met friends who had never touched anything but alcohol. I didn't tell them I did ecstasy, mdma or coke. pps who say they are openly anti drugs, your colleagues/friends would not openly take drugs around you or offer them.

It’s totally commonplace, not just in the city. I grew up fairly rural and it was prevalent there too. Cocaine is a horrible drug. Turns people into arseholes and it’s the source of much crime and murder in the world.

I knew a few who experiemented at medical school, but practicing doctors ? No

How many surgeons do you know on a social basis? I worked in A&E for over twenty years and it was not common among us but I would estimate over 50% of surgeons I know would use it recreationally. That’s including friends from uni, relatives and a wide group of people worked with over the years so it’s not limited to one hospital but is systemic. They also have a few other interesting habits. It is not prevalent in the age group above us though (currently retiring) so from 50yo down I would say.

It’s also something that people my age were not into as students/younger doctors purely due to finances. As people climbed up the ladder and had spare $$ no one would miss it came in. That’s seems to have changed now with the young ones, it’s just standard for many. I don’t partake but if you really think it doesn’t occur you are naive.

Everyone knows but it’s not exactly advertised on posters, people are sensible and it doesn’t affect their work so there is no ‘getting caught’. Occasionally someone does but they are the ones who go overboard, develop addictions that do affect their work or are caught in salubrious circumstances.

Pretty standard among bankers I would say. I mean - i know a lot of bankers and 98% do recreational coke.-

This is utter bollocks. I have worked on bank trading floors for nearly 25 years. Up until the financial crisis I would agree, a standard night out was brokers paying for never ending champagne and lines of coke. Post 2007 1) everyone lost their jobs 2) brokers expense accounts were curtailed 3) banks introduced random drugs tests 4) everyone who still had a job was so shit scared of losing it, they did not put a foot out of line

Unless your mates are retail bankers, in which case I’d agree. But nobody much cares if Johnny mortgage salesman is off his tits on a Friday night.

I think this thread is interesting in that it has attractedd those who do use from the title.

Also those who do use have normalised it as its normal in their circle,and probably have no idea how shocking that is to the half of mumsnet who dont use.

I am pretty shocked. Particularly as im quite aware of county lines, the lives it devistates and the whole gang/crazy dealing set up. Kids. So many kids.

As a 24 yo i can tell you it's v normal. More so than getting messy drunk. Tbh

Traders are renowned for it. It's high pressure, so they have a sniff to give them the arrogance they need to make the trade. I would say that banking is probably the industry that has most of it. You can see it in the arrogance of them all out after work. I worked beside Liverpool Street and the amount of arrogant arseholes was a sight to behold.