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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

Teens and hard drugs

66 replies

jellyfish70 · 28/04/2019 09:28

I've name changed for this. My DD has recently told me that some of her fellow 6th formers are taking cocaine, ketamine, MDMA.
I knew many of them smoked weed but I am quite shocked at the prevalence of these hard drugs at that age. I thought they were expensive for a start. Luckily my DD isn't in to it, she likes to drink on nights out but doesn't smoke and is working really hard at school. So while I don't have personal worries, should I do something about this information or will the school not be interested?

OP posts:

Baloon · 28/04/2019 11:14

Are you worried that your daughter may be involved or just the situation?
If you are see if there is a young adaction service in your area. They provide advice and counselling in a non judgemental way.

Unfortunately these types of drugs work out much cheaper than alcohol especially if they pool their money. And no I.D needed either.
Experimentation in this area is fairly common. Luckily for most it doesn't go much further than that. It is very worrying as a parent though.

ASauvignonADay · 28/04/2019 11:14

@jellyfish70 I imagine they do for students, but I agree it would be good for parents. That said from experience the turnout to things like that is generally pretty poor (we've run them on social media, bullying etc and you might get 5 parents out of 900..!)

Prequelle · 28/04/2019 11:15

Yeah it's common

At my school year tens were regularly taking pills at the weekend. Some even did it in school 'for a laugh'

nannyplummyarse · 28/04/2019 11:15

Most of my DD's and Ds's friends sell drugs ie coke, crack, pills but none of them use drugs themselves. The odd one smokes weed but there mostly dead against drug use themselves.
Dd stopped being friends with a couple of girls because they were doing ket and mdma, she said those girls weren't for her anymore.

troppibambini · 28/04/2019 11:18

No it was just something I grew out of as did all of my friends. I remember one boy getting counselling.
I know it sounds bad but it was just what everyone did.
With my own daughter I will just be as informative as I can be and just keep my eyes open.
I suppose one good thing is she will never get anything past me.

Original poster

jellyfish70 · 28/04/2019 11:22

I’m not concerned about my DD taking drugs. I’m not expecting that she would never try weed and probably already has but she’s quite level headed and has high ambition so it’s not something that appeals. She says she’s quite happy with cider! Obviously that’s not risk free but we’ve only had one drunken/ vomit night so far. That we’ve witnessed anyway!
The thing is that those awareness talks are NOT happening for students like they used to when they had phse.

OP posts:

Original poster

jellyfish70 · 28/04/2019 11:24

I’m glad you got through that period unscathed. It sounds so risky to me. In my head cocaine is what rich stockbrokers do and people like that actress who burnt her nose out!
How much does this stuff cost?

OP posts:

Original poster

jellyfish70 · 28/04/2019 11:25

That was in reply to tropp

OP posts:

ASauvignonADay · 28/04/2019 11:36

@jellyfish70 this is a bit out of date but gives you an idea: www.drugwise.org.uk/how-much-do-drugs-cost/

On a night out, it can work out cheaper for them to buy a pill and a bottle to water than be buying drinks all night!

ASauvignonADay · 28/04/2019 11:37

MDMA is around £40 a gram but one person might only half 1/4 a gram for one night out - again, cheaper than drinking heavily.

scarecrowhead · 28/04/2019 11:51

For some drugs are easier to get hold of than alcohol if they're underage.

Original poster

jellyfish70 · 28/04/2019 11:52

Right. Had no idea it could work out cheaper. I think that many parents my age(late 40s) would think those drugs would be out of their DC’s reach. Thanks for everyone’s input. I think I’ll ring the school, without naming names. Won’t give mine either as DD wouldn’t be so open with me in future.

OP posts:

Alone1971 · 29/04/2019 07:46

I don't think if ever read anything so depressing. What is happening to our kids?

MorelikeCalzone · 29/04/2019 15:35

@nannyplummyarse
Most of my DD's and Ds's friends sell drugs ie coke, crack, pills but none of them use drugs themselves. The odd one smokes weed but there mostly dead against drug use themselves.
Dd stopped being friends with a couple of girls because they were doing ket and mdma, she said those girls weren't for her anymore.

You seem very nonchalant about this.. how very sad that drug taking is so normalised

TapasForTwo · 29/04/2019 15:42

And how sad that they are funding crime

Oblomov19 · 29/04/2019 16:06

It's cheaper and easier to get hold of than alcohol, that's the thing.

I think parents panic and think their child is going to turn into some addicted druggie just because they try a couple of things. Highly likely they won't. Unless they Have an addictive personality in which case they'll probably be tempted all their lives and attracted towards allsorts of things : possibly Self harming, alcohol, other drugs.

many people tried a few things at school and university and then never continued it and got very good jobs and are now hi flyers : highly paid IT workers and barristers and lawyers etc.

expatinspain · 29/04/2019 16:18

This was normal when I was in sixth form at the end of the 90's (I was at boarding school). We didn't consider the drugs you are talking about as hard drugs, more party drugs. Heroin & crack were 'hard drugs' to us and nobody touched them. Everyone I know who did them have grown up to be normal functioning members of society. It was definitely a phase, as it is for most young people that age, but there are always exceptions to this. I would just keep an open dialogue with your DD and don't go to the school. I'm sure they have an idea this goes on. The most important thing is that your DD can be open with you and trust you.

nannyplummyarse · 29/04/2019 16:30

@MorelikeCalzone it is what it is. Most kids today are either selling or doing drugs. I'm not shocked by anything these days.

Ds's friend was running for someone the other day. He got £500 to take crack on the train to a big city over a hundred miles away. His mum reported him missing on fb I had to tell her what he was doing because she was going out of her mind and I didnt even know the woman.

Thing is kids want what all the instagrammers and people they follow have. Nice clothes/watches/shoes/diamonds ect. And they will do whatever it takes to get it. It's so sad 😞

MorelikeCalzone · 29/04/2019 16:36

so sad

how has it got to be this way though?

Eve · 29/04/2019 16:40

Not just prevalent in the chavvy state schools.

The very high achieving 6th form college near me has sniffer dogs in regularly.

TapasForTwo · 29/04/2019 16:42

"Most kids today are either selling or doing drugs. I'm not shocked by anything these days."

Most kids? Really?

I have just asked 18 year old DD, and she says that while she knows some that do drugs, most don't. I don't know anyone in my circles who do them either.

stucknoue · 29/04/2019 16:44

DD's school, best ranked state sixth form, was regularly raided by the drugs squad - the arts department generally was the most fertile ground for hard drugs.

It's not right but it's what happens

OddBoots · 29/04/2019 16:56

"Most kids today are either selling or doing drugs."

No, not most kids, not even many kids, some are but don't make out like it is all of them.

County lines and drug taking are big concerns and we can't pretend they don't happen but it's also wrong if we were to talk about it as if it is just something we should accept as normal.

nannyplummyarse · 29/04/2019 17:05

I'd say it depends we're you live.

Oblomov19 · 29/04/2019 17:27

I think it doesn't depend where you live, pp. I think it goes on in most places. Not most kids. But a lot.

Many of the top state schools in Surrey and Berkshire have very top grades, naice ham parents , and still kids are trying, experimenting. Wanting to try a spliff.

Do you honestly think it doesn't go on at most schools?

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