“Drugs are just a normal part of the London lifestyle”

[Pollstrox]

DD is single, in her early 30s and has been living in various professional house shares in London for the last 10 years or so. She’s got a fantastic job and social life; in fact (outside of Lockdown!) she’s barely ever at home. She’s often out for drinks after work during the week and the weekend will almost always consist of trips to bars and restaurants with friends accompanied by nights of heavy drinking. DD and I are very close and she chooses to share a lot of information with me about her life, which I love.

Lately she mentioned her drug use which I now find out has been a regular occurrence throughout her time living in London. She tells me that her and her friends will spend a weekend at least monthly, staying up all night using cocaine and occasionally they will have a night in using MDMA. Having met DD’s friends and housemates, I’m absolutely shocked. They are all lovely, have very successful careers (mostly in creative industries) and have clearly been raised well. I would never ever think they’d spend most weekends using drugs without a thought for the consequences. In fact, ironically DD and a number of her friends very health conscious and most are vegan!

DD is completely blasé about her habits and tells me it’s a completely normal part of the London lifestyle for single professional people. In fact, according to DD, she doesn’t know anyone else who DOESN'T partake! AIBU in thinking that this cant be true?!

oh yeah and the poor man Vs rich man thing is very true. You should see the difference in views and opinions on cocaine and crack users. I once saw a posh girl trying to buy cocaine offered crack and turned it down with a 'thats for junkies'. Its basically the same bloody substance.

It's not healthy, legal or good but it's true.

They are all doing it at uni anyway (though I know no one on mumsnet is willing to believe it of their little darlings). Not really surprising they will get even mote into it when they have jobs and more money.

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Wow, it's a lifestyle I've clearly missed out on, as have all my friends, but we're all middle-aged. But YANBU. I think it must be an age thing that she will hopefully grow out of.

I correct myself actually - I do know of someone my age in London who regularly did cocaine. He gave it up though after suffering a stroke - I don't know whether it was connected.

I'm not surprised at all, middle class cocaine use is a massive problem at the moment. Perhaps more employers should introduce random testing. I've worked for several employers who take urine samples and breathalyser tests, not just for staff who operate machinery but for everyone down to cleaners and catering staff.

apart from being no-life saddos, your daughter and her oh-so-right-on pals are funding knife crime, gang violence, cuckooing and county lines. And all that crime and misery falls disproportionately on the BAME community. You only hear about 'tragic drug death' when it is some rich white kid who ODs at an expensive festival.

she needs a long, hard look in the mirror. She supports scum. What does that make her?

TheVanGuardSix....Crack Cocaine is extremely easy to find in the States. Even in my little neck of the woods. Heroin is EVEYWHERE Crystal Meth not so much. Easy to make but harder to buy. The paranoia is real. The drug trade especially cocaine is more often dangerous for the children and women of Central and South America who import this shit. Our African American community is more heavily damaged by the addiction rates and imprisonment due to archaic war on drugs that definitely punishes our African American communities unfairly

In other words, same story, same location, different decade. It's sad that nothing.ever.changes.

I'm from Los Angeles. There was a meth lab in the backyard adjacent to my brother's office in Burbank... my brother who just got out of prison last year for possession and assault with a deadly weapon. So yep. I know what you're talking about. Believe me. Meth labs are everywhere, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley- it's like a meth hub around there. San Jaoquin. Where they grow the nation's carrots, broccoli, and meth! All organic.
I came to London in my 20s and the cokehead thing, imo, is a rich, white kids' (of the tender age of 35) lark. Just commenting on the coke... crack, meth, heroin have their own added dimensions. I think people see cocaine as fun, harmless, a drinker's best friend. It gets the party started.
It also turns people into a-holes and feeds the beast of human exploitation.

@Pollstrox you must be very naive. Why are you so shocked? Drugs is a world wide problem and it brings in a lot of money they are usually exported from Country to Country and this happens because “professional” people allow this. It won’t ever die out the drugs trade.

Lots of people in high powered jobs who look “respectable” take drugs from all walks of life.

I think I was very sheltered as never saw it 😂 but then I didn't go out much or very late as spent most of my time with dh.

@mencken your so right and especially about the community part it’s so sad.

@Cam2020

I lived in London for many years and had a similar lifestyle but neither my close friends or I ever did drugs. It was way more prevalent than you might think from the outside though. It's worse in certain industries, as is alcohol abuse. I always, thought I punished my body enough through drinking without adding other toxins into the mix. I also detest drug dealers with a passion and think they're the scum of the earth.

This is a very harsh statement to make. Drug dealers well some of them aren’t scum on earth often they come from difficult and impoverished backgrounds and I’m sure if you watch documentaries such as Ross Kemp you will see the other side. At least they have a reason for doing it which is earning a living. It’s a vicious circle because people who are keeping drug dealers in business are people such as OPs daughter.

There’s definitely a class opinion on this topic. Shocked that one poster wrote “she will probably grow out of it” as though it’s a dummy.

Drugs - mainly dope, speed, ecstasy and LSD (not cocaine as it was a lot more expensive then) were used by everyone I knew and shared houses with as a young adult in London in the 80s and 90s. I probably had a fairly limited social circle (in terms of demographic) but we all had average jobs and average amounts of money. We were not rolling in cash and we went out a lot.

Shocked that one poster wrote “she will probably grow out of it” as though it’s a dummy

True though. “Age out of it” if you prefer. Lots of people in their 20s take drugs, far fewer people in their 40s and 50s do. They grow up, stop partying, have kids etc and stop using. Regardless of whether it’s weed, coke, pills or even heroin. Binge drinking is similar - I certainly don’t drink like I drank in my 20s (I’m basically teetotal), but not because I ever had a problem with alcohol, just because my friendship groups started focusing on different things.

I was shocked at the way they poster dismissed it mainly. In this generation I disagree a lot of people’s casual “fun” on a weekend will spiral out of control. It’s unacceptable to dismiss it all because you may be in a well paid job.

I met an alcoholic who you wouldn’t of known and he didn’t make it sadly. I also see a lot of young people with poor health and I often wonder what has lead them to take drugs in the first place.

Depending on what you do for a job you won’t necessarily see the aftermath of drugs and the long term affects especially in this current climate it’s seen as glamours more so.

@tempnamechange98765

What Vamoosh said and to be honest it sickens me more when the drug takers are middle class, "naice", vegan, planet conscious etc, as exactly where do they think the drugs come from?

I don't think it's unusual though; drug taking is a lot more common than you'd think among well off public school students, and these children often become young adults who work in the city.

I have acquaintances who are currently clutching their pearls on social media about the new suspect in Madeleine McCann's case. It's all an act - know for a fact that they've taken cocaine in the past. No one who truly opposes child sexual abuse takes cocaine, given the industry's links to child trafficking.

Hmm... I feel people who do those sort of drugs are not happy in their lives.

It isn't abnormal? It depends on your social circle though. I am prob the same demographic as your daughter but the furthest i've ever gone with drugs is weed a few times at uni.