Recreational drugs after 40

[Inthebathagain]

In the two years, I've become aware of several friends, family and acquaintances who take lines/pills/tabs regularly. Some once a month, some twice a year. And everything in-between.

All walks of life...WFH, SAH, office worker, mechanic, police, care worker, teacher, headteacher. My favourite is the high rolling city worker who gets his gear delivered to his office on an electric scooter under his deliveroo takeout sandwiches.

All these people are aged 40-55.

I had no idea so many people around me of my age were using until one person told me they were, and then it snowballed. I now feel like I'm the rarity not using!

Is this reflective of the people around you too?

Exactly. They judge the people who are spaced out on Spice in town centres, but it's fine for them to shove all sorts of shit up their noses or down their throats because it's all done behind closed doors which means it's fine 🙄

I’m shocked that people I know vape! I’d be having smelling salts put under my nose if I found out some of them were taking class As too!!

I don't know ANYbody personally who uses drugs, over 40 - or under 40. I certainly would not be associating with them or even speaking to them if I found out they did. It's grim as fuck - taking drugs/smoking weed. Totally unclassy, and done by people who are hard of thinking, easily led, and not very bright.

It would be bad enough if someone in their teens or 20s was a drug taker, but someone over 40, I would seriously judge, and question their intellect, their morals, their intelligence, and their integrity.

When I was young I remember various friends doing drugs. This was the days of acid house. I never touched them.

If I found out anyone I knew did drugs I would cut them off in a heartbeat.

If you do any illegal drugs at all you are supporting slavery, county lines, prostitution and the worst side of humanity.

Someone upthread said the gov need to do something and throw all the drug users in jail. Do they realise it would basically mean parliament was throwing itself in jail. No way do they want to really do anything that’ll throw either themselves or their Totty mates under the bus!

it’s definitely a London thing from my perspective. I have friends in my circle that do various drugs, I don’t have any desire to but equally don’t care that they do, that’s up to them. Like most vices that can have a serious effect on your health ignorance truly is bliss.

Comtesse I like your honesty.

coffee yes, I do prefer people do certain things behind closed doors. Like peeing. It makes for a nicer public realm. Keeping drinking and drug use at home makes public areas less unpleasant. I have never understood people who question that. It is unnerving to head to the shops through a load of people off their heads. If they are at home off their heads, that's better all round.

We are really puritan about weed in the UK it does have it uses for medical reasons. I wouldn't buy illegal drugs in the UK because its fuelled by the organised gangs which murder. The drugs aren't pure and could have been cut with anything. They aren't processed in a lab with strict controls it's a hard no for me.

If it’s illegal it’s unregulated ergo there’s no “quality control” and you’ve no idea what you’re taking.

If you’re lucky you’ve been overcharged for dog worming tablets -you’ll live.
If you’re unlucky it’s been cut with something dangerous -potentially you’ll be extremely ill and/or die.

…and then there’s the misery and exploitation that the whole illegal drugs trade engenders.

You know that they aren't at home because they don't have one, right? Theyd be chucked out of hostels for using there. Arguably they are the people who most need to be 'out of their head' as they are significantly more likely to have experienced trauma.

coffee yes, I do prefer people do certain things behind closed doors. Like peeing. It makes for a nicer public realm. Keeping drinking and drug use at home makes public areas less unpleasant. I have never understood people who question that. It is unnerving to head to the shops through a load of people off their heads. If they are at home off their heads, that's better all round

Right, but that's not the point I was making at all 🙈

I took my bodyweight in drugs every weekend in the 90s, stopped at maybe 18/19. Back then the police had tents set up outside of nightclubs to check your drugs were pure, it was a different time entirely.

There seems to be 2 groups in my circles, those who did them as teens and stopped before 20 and never looked back, and those that just carried on and still do them now we are in our 40s and 50s (there have also been quite a few deaths, someone went blind, others have severe mental health issues, quite a few are now junkies).

I've started weed again in the last few years, but I wouldn't touch anything else, I couldn't imagine wanting to anymore.

No one I know takes drugs and haven't since they were about 25 and grew up.

I would cut people out of my life for using drugs recreationally. The drugs trade is PURE EVIL and I would lose all respect for grown adults who prop it up.

At 40 plus they need to grow the fuck up and accept they have an issue.

Those who are saying it's a London thing, only one of my several friends work in London. A few live within an hour's commute of London. The rest live at least 2 hours away.

It's really not just a London thing IME.

Apart from the alcohol, I've know several mature adults who are addicted to skunk and smoke it every day. One of them works in a school.

Cocaine use is rife in the political and high business sector. Most of the users are well over 40.

Not, don’t know anyone who uses drugs (to my knowledge, anyway).

I think so. In my circle of friends 30-60 yes olds. Most take them

I think it's just more openly discussed now

The obvious answer is to legalise. That cuts down the criminal routes. Makes it safer for everyone

Drugs are less dangerous than alcohol

When I was a kiddo my peers were very judgemental about the boring straights who got drunk every weekend. Not much peace and love down the boozer.

But the etiquette of smoking dope changed. You'd see people smoking on their own - gasp. Sometimes not very peaceful people. And coke is the ultimate Thatcher city boy drug. So now everyone gets to be judgey.

Time and ageing take a toll. Thing about drink is it is legal and the effects predictable.

the person I know left behind a young wife and kids. Drugs ain’t worth it, the devastation across the family. It’s been an utterly tragic waste of life and so many lives impacted as a result.

I don't 'get' coke which means I've probably never had 'good' coke. The only drug I'd be interested in now is 🍄 but I'm too scared of a bad trip.

😆 me too! I’m sitting here thinking ‘I don’t know anyone who takes drugs any more’ but I’ll bet I do. I couldn’t be around it tbh

Not reflective of people I know, though I expect what the OP describes is not unusual.

People who by their actions are happy to see young black men stabbed and murders such as Olivia Pratt Korbel.

I wonder how long it will be until crime gangs figure out how to lace the drugs they are smuggling to the UK with fentanyl? Then we can have a full scale opioid epidemic like in the US.

I'm originally from the US and just travelled back a few weeks ago. I am stunned at the extent of the drugs (and therefore homelessness and crime) crisis. It was a truly dystopian experience which I used to educate my 2 DC about the risks of drugs. ODs are now the number 1 cause of death for adults under 50 there. Many of these poor souls got hooked after taking other drugs that were laced with fentanyl. I know people will say it's not like that here. Yeah, but for how long?

The hypocrisy. That the social worker will be penalising and criticising parents for their drug use whilst being bang on it themselves. Gross.