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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are you Generation X? Come here a minute...

125 replies

HennyPennyHorror · 19/09/2019 10:29

Do you find that a lot of our generation are still taking drugs at our age?

Or not?

I was part of the rave scene...got out of it aged 23. Left all that behind...but a LOT of people I know of my age or thereabouts (late 40s) are still taking drugs on a regular basis.

I emigrated 4 years ago but have friends in the UK still and see and hear what they get up to on the phone and social media. Here in Oz, my Aussie DH's mates are all still at it too.

We have numerous acquaintances (not mates) who even take things like meth...these are professional people!

AIBU to think it's all going to come to a head at some point? Like...tonnes of them will die young...people back home still taking coke and Es and all that.

It's not right is it?

OP posts:
MsRinky · 19/09/2019 12:57

I'm 46, and my experience is that most of the people who took drugs in the 90s still take them, but that the frequency has dropped way down - so a few times a year at a festival or a big party rather than routine weekends.

Nat6999 · 19/09/2019 12:58

I'm 53 & know a few people who still do drugs, but more surprisingly the number of people my age & older that have had to go to rehab for alcohol, most of them if you had asked me I would not have imagined having an addiction problem, mostly married with kids.

Leafyhouse · 19/09/2019 12:59

Begs an interesting question: For your typical high-flying cocaine snorting professional, would it be better for their health to give up the Cocaine or the stressful job?

Although the two seem to work hand-in-hand from my observations...

AudacityOfHope · 19/09/2019 13:01

I don't know anyone who takes drugs, but then I never really did.

What I do see though, is lots of my friends from my 20s are still really quite heavy drinkers; I would say some of them are alcoholics really, and I'd say as we head through our 40s and into our 50s that will really come home to roost.

MontyBowJangles · 19/09/2019 13:01

I was born early 80's. Tried weed when I was 15 (hated it, and have never smoked) then went onto base, ecstasy and coke. Only ever when on a big night out, so once a month or so, but sometimes went three months without anything. Used to double-drop E's and dance for 8hrs.

Gave it all up gradually, the lows outweighed the highs, by the age of 23. Never looked back, esp now I'm married with kids. None of my mates touch them either and haven't don't for 10-15 years.

I find it weird that successful, professional, parents would use them tbh. How sad.

tvdinnertracks · 19/09/2019 13:09

There's a very high profile crowd in London who are bang on the coke at least three times a week.

I hung out with them for a year but it was too much for me. The final wake up call was one of them (an actress most of you will have heard of) getting off her face on a Tuesday, with her month old baby at the party. She was breastfeeding too.

Grim as fuck.

I try not to judge other's lifestyles but it was hard not to with that lot.

hazell42 · 19/09/2019 13:19

I did then
I don't now
You grow up.
Apparently some people don't
Must be really boring to be them

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 19/09/2019 13:25

Nope, I don't believe I have any friends that take drugs. Well they certainly don't advertise it or behave like it if they do.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 19/09/2019 13:27

I would agree with others that I know quite a few heavy drinkers, although I don't think they would acknowledge that...

AnnPerkins · 19/09/2019 13:28

An old friend of ours died of a heart attack this year, he was 51. At his funeral there were loads of people I used to know in my late teens/early 20s. I was shocked at how some of them looked. I remember many of them being very into pot, acid, ecstasy, cocaine etc when we were young and clearly they have never stopped. One guy I have seen on and off over the years has developed a strange, pursed-lipped way of talking to cover his rotten teeth.

A couple of other women confided later that they too were shocked at how badly some had aged; and we all said it was the more enthusiastic drug-takers from our youth who looked the worst.

At a PR agency I worked at in the 00s almost everyone took cocaine and smoking pot was as regular as smoking cigarettes. The agency eventually went under because the owner was in such a mess with coke. I see old colleagues around and they are still doing their thing, some of them are nearing 60 now. It's such a normal part of life for this age group, like drinking or smoking cigarettes.

People tell me that millennials are worse though. They don't drink or smoke cigarettes like we Gen-Xers did/do. But they take plenty of Class A drugs instead.

ThatCurlyGirl · 19/09/2019 13:31

A couple of years ago before I became clean, I'd say 75% of my friends regularly took cocaine.

To get clean I had to give those friends up because it was too tempting.

But it turns out once I stopped bankrolling them for stuff on nights out, they weren't that interested in staying friends.

I went from life and soul naughty girl to calm and respectful of my body. Once my "brand" changed I lost a lot of friends and very few of their friendships are real, they would bitch about each other constantly but stayed friends so that they could continue to feel that there's no problem doing it 3/4 nights a week for years.

So I lost a huge friendship group but if I hadn't done so I'm not sure I'd still be around tbh.

RabbityMcRabbit · 19/09/2019 13:41

Never seen any drugs around my friends except the occasional joint at parties during student days. I think the biggest threat to many Gen Xers' health is alcohol. Many people I know drink too much but won't admit it, including me at one point. I am now teetotal, but I know some still having a drink or 3 after work to smooth out the rough edges of the day.

jennymanara · 19/09/2019 14:01

I have worked with a few people in this age group who I have later realised are functional alcoholics.
It does annoy me though that GPs allegedly double the amount of alcohol you say you drink. I used to be totally honest, I am very regular in my drinking habits. Nowdays I halve it so it is accurate to the GPs habit of doubling it.

flyingspaghettimonster · 19/09/2019 14:32

I guess technically I am gen x, but since I am a few weeks shy of the cut off and my husband 3 months younger is millennial, I see myself as more of a Xennial.

I never did drugs and knew few people who did them. Mostly just weed. My sister did a few raves etc, but stopped all that before having kids.

SellmeyourMLMcrap · 19/09/2019 14:37

I'm young Gen X and see quite a few of my Gen X and older Millennial friends (on social media) still taking a lot of drugs. Some of them are just starting to show tell tale signs of their use. I also know quite a lot from my age group that are already dead but most of them had moved on to harder stuff like Crack, Meth and Heroin.

I fully support anyone living their life however they choose and suspect that these people dying off a bit younger will not be a problem for the Country or for them, they live for now more often than not and fully appreciate that they are likely limiting the length of their lives. The world has a massive overpopulation problem and people should be applauded for not wanting to carry on into their 80s and 90s.

Personally I use Cannabis products but apart from my partner, people do not know about it. I think it's better for me than drinking which many people my age do whereas I might have a pint every fortnight.

I can't imagine for a second why it would bother anyone else what people choose to do with their bodies, like you say these people are holding down jobs and contributing to society so let them get on with it.

LaurieMarlow · 19/09/2019 14:47

Bit of weed smoking, but nothing major.

Cocaine use seems to be pretty widespread amongst 20/early 30 somethings in law/finance type jobs where i am though.

LaurieMarlow · 19/09/2019 14:50

Actually yeah, I agree alcohol is more of a problem. Not so much binging but constant, night after night drinking.

gwenneh · 19/09/2019 14:50

YANBU. I have some friends that appear to be stuck in a kind of perpetual adolescence and it can only end badly.

dudsville · 19/09/2019 14:52

I'm smack dab in the middle of gen x. I've never understood the drugs. I'm not judgemental about it, if anything I'm curious and feel I missed out, but I just never really saw it. Every now and then id hear that sonso had taken something, I don't even know what, and I was always surprised. I'm too innocent for my generation.

spoonwoman · 19/09/2019 16:22

Gen X here. Used to smoke weed most weekends in my late teens and early twenties. Haven't smoked weed for at least 15 years now and have no desire to as I don't like smoking (I never really did as I've always been a non-smoker; I just enjoyed the effects of cannabis).

I do drink, but have never taken any other drugs. They hold no appeal for me. I drink mostly at weekends or on holiday; rarely during the week. At Christmas it tends to be a bit too much, but I'm sure that's not unusual!

Drabarni · 19/09/2019 16:32

Some of my friends smoke weed, they are all ages though, not just Gen x, some later, some Baby boomers.

I think anyone still taking the heavier stuff would be in a mess now as surely they'd have increased the amount as they became accustomed to it.

JorisBonson · 19/09/2019 16:37

Yes. Almost all of my friends. We all used to rave together; I tend to go home early now and leave them to it.

Cornettoninja · 19/09/2019 20:30

Grange Hill didn’t work then?

HeadLikeAFuckinOrange · 19/09/2019 21:47

Gen X here, spent my teens & Uni enjoying copious amounts of MDMA and speed. Funnily enough, the most active crowd on the drug scene were the medical students, most will be doctors now.

Yes, most of my circle of friends still take them recreationally.

I couldn't bring myself to be seen in public with rolling eyes and a swinging jaw these days. It wouldn't be an attractive look at my age Grin

Officewhere · 19/09/2019 22:47

Yep... and very very occasionally (like once a year or less) indulge myself. But do now worry acout a hear attack