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

[HennyPennyHorror]

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?

“As a 24 year old I can confirm this. Lots of 40+ at raves. It's weird”

I saw that in my 20s. I found it reassuring rather than weird and still have mates who go, in their 50s. I can’t cope with crowds any more sadly.

My best mate is practically an alcoholic. We seem to know a lot of people who drink, take drugs, still look great, have big careers and do stuff like go running every day. I’m jealous! I can still run every day but I’m the one not taking drugs and just battle to cope with daily life.

So to some extent, it’s helping them with their lives.

As a 24 year old I can confirm this. Lots of 40+ at raves. It's weird

I'm clutching my dusty glowsticks in horror at this. Who do you think INVENTED raves, young whippersnapper?

No. I have a son with ASD. I need to live and be healthy to 120 at least

I’m a Xennial, I believe (36), and lots of people older than me in our friendship circles (I suppose in their forties) are doing coke, MDMA and edibles. I don’t go to parties with them anymore.

I also work in A&E where we are seeing a huge spike in drug related issues for those aged 44-60.

Glow sticks!

Old raver can’t resist posting this

m.youtube.com/watch?v=uR3Vw8J8vUo

And going back to the point about people not letting go of youth....I was on the bus home from my mum’s and I thought even more - why should they let go? All the ones I know aren’t looking after kids - bar one - but sometimes I feel sad for her too as having a DC was such a mistake fir her.....and also when I was young I had no sympathy for people who did that due to society telling you it was the best thing ever...but then I got older and realised how much the message was pushed.

Enjoy life. This might involve drugs. I might try them myself if I manage to outlive my mum. I’ve already told my sister I plan to pack in work and drink a lot when mum’s gone 😂

Oh, back in the day, I also met people who’d say “I’m going to take drugs now because one day I’ll have kids and life will be dull”. I wonder what happened to those people? I never understood why they saw having kids as an inevitability.

My experience is the same as a couple of others in that I have never taken drugs, and neither has anyone that I’m aware of in my circle of friends (I’m the youngest at 44). However many of them are heavy drinkers and have been for years, and I know of a far few people in their 50s and 60s who have major health problems or have died relatively young because of alcohol related illness. That seems far more of a problem than drugs, certainly where I live anyway.

A couple of distant acquaintances my age died from drugs related causes.

I have never taken drugs - I grew up in a rough area seeing the devastation that heroine caused.

I should say I have never taken illegal drugs. I suffer from anxiety and it has been severe occassionally and treated with benzodiazepines (sp?). Just another perspective... I also took cyclizine during my pregnancies for hyperemesis - if that's not a mind altering drug I don't know what is!

Interestingly a couple of times when admitted to A&E with severe anxiety (I get life threatening physical symptoms) some professionals assumed I was on drugs. Their attitude to me was completely different after tests established I was drugs free.

The majority of my friends don't take drugs, even though most of us did when we were younger. The ones who do are childfree and tend to lead much more of a party lifestyle than the rest of us.

EVERYONE has given up smoking as well. Lots of heavy drinkers though.

Never done drugs, apart from alcohol. Brother died from drugs and smoking I have avoided at all cost, and has other brother. The people involved in drug supply are evil as far as I am concerned.

So many people have ‘mental health problems’ so do their kids, is this linked to illegal drug use?

@RosaWaiting ahhh, I'd completely forgotten that track! I must have a pair of ultra wide-leg jeans lying around here somewhere...

So many people have ‘mental health problems’ so do their kids, is this linked to illegal drug use?

Probably but it’s more likely to be a majority of people self-medicating rather than the drugs causing issues iyswim.

I started taking drugs at 15 and was well over them by 20. most people I knew gave up mid to late 20s.

I lost touch with the crowd I hung out with at 15-20, so I have no idea if they do or don't now.

I don't know anyone of gen X who still does take drugs, although I've heard an acquaintance still smokes joints every now and then.

They still occasionally have all night illegal raves round here.

Loads of my friends are still partying and most of them earn 70k+.

We have a fucking lot of fun.

@Cornettoninja yep they are gen z (I have also heard 'igeneration' etc.), because millenials were originally called gen y. Then the generation currently being born is gen alpha.

@BentNeckLady

Glad you’re all having fun

Always nice to see you on a thread

Except when I jump out of my skin 😂

This thread is making me nostalgic for the 90s when you’d leave the club at dawn and everyone in central London was off their face and just chatting en route home. Awww.

I'm Gen X but have never done coke or Es. I used to smoke a lot of hash and grass, though. I never hung out with cokeheads or ravers but a lot of mates drink quite heavily. I take CBD oil but if cannabis itself were legal I'd definitely smoke a spliff every week or so.

I know one person - the DH of a good friend of mine. He's a complete idiot IMO, is always going out on big benders with his mates. He goes to Ibiza, Miami and various other party places and he freely admits he isn't just drinking, he's doing drugs too. He's in his 40s with two kids.

The only other person I know of is a friend of a friend. She was always into drugs and lately she's got back into smoking weed and doing cocaine again, aged 45 and with two kids. She's divorced and it started while her ex had the kids, but apparently she's now doing it when they're around too

I am 50 and have never taken drugs (grew up with an alcoholic, chain smoking father, and that was enough to put me off forever). I have one friend from uni days who is still doing coke regularly. She is absolutely at the top of her game professionally and is often in the media. I'm sure no one around her guesses.
I can tell though.

Serin “I'm sure no one around her guesses.”

They prob do but don’t mind. We’ve certainly had a few private grins when the CEO turns up to things with super dilated pupils 😂

My late father was very shocked but he’d be 80 if he were still around.

47HeadLikeAFuckinOrange

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

Agreed! I could get away with it when I was a nymphlike 19 year old, but now I would frighten people and probably be put in a straight jacket.

I hung up my glowsticks and retired from hardcore raving at 22 years old. Those days were amazing, and I'll always remember them fondly, but I wouldn't want to reenact them now. Most of the fun was being young and reckless and going places for the first time; it wouldn't be the same now as a jaded middle aged professional. A few acquaintances in their late 30s/ early 40s still take coke, MDMA or the 'legal highs' that were going around a few years ago, but I think it's really dangerous and pretty sad, like the drugs are a crutch for life, instead of a youthful rite of passage.

Yep - the ones who take the most that I know are senior doctors!

I’m gen-x but dont know anyone who does this. I never hung around at raves or festivals though and was much more into health and fitness.

The cool kids from school who did do drugs are either dead, alcoholic or washed up and unemployed. I knew a few people who smoked weed when they were around thirty but theyve done very well fir themselves with international careers etc..

I wonder how rife it is? Ive heard of a town near me that’s awash with cocain and Ive also been told of a main car dealership that ... deals in more than just motors.

I gather the NCA can’t keep up.