Suburban mums taking ecstasy - The Courier Mail 14/09/2008

[baysieguy1]

Oh absolutely, I really only had saturdaynight club-culture in mind. From what I've apprehended the bush doof scene seems to be way more of an intergenerational community, as apposed to an aggregate of young people just trying to get away from the rest of the world for one night a week.

Yeah you are right, I couldn't see myself running around Melbourne's CBD clubs too much, maybe one on the fringe every now and again, but that scene is definitely a younger person's playground (was it George Bernard Shaw who said "youth is wasted on the young" ?)

 

[WILDSTRAWBERRIES]

Is it just me, or does it frustrate anyone else about the amount of propaganda and events taken out of context by the media and govt. fueling so much prejudice hate towards the drug using community?? Grr.

 

[maddyboy]

i know heaps of people in their late 30's...early 40's takin' ecstasy....including myself.

age does not discriminate when it comes to having a good time on ecstasy.

instead of taking ecstasy and then going clubbing....some of us older users perfer to stay at home, or go to mates place...have a good feed...take some ecstasy and then talk some shit!

I'm in my early 40s and I still love rolling and do it quite often , my teenage kids always tell me to grow up Its also a great way of keeping a marriage of 20+ years interesting, my wife like it more than me.

I don't go out clubbing though, and I'm not balding either thankyou

 

[BongoBongo]

Yay....Maddyboy.

Well, this news article doesn't suprise me. E's were rather popular in the 1980's with people in their 20's....

Do the math.

I'd bet that it will remain popular with people in their 60's 70's and beyond..

Watch and see...

 

[Tronica]

My concern about ecstasy use as everyone gets older is health. We all react differently to different drugs - some symptoms being present or problematic for some people and not for others. I worry a bit about what ecstasy use is doing to people's minds when taken over long periods or when people are a bit older - eg. epidemics of dementia or degenerative brain disorders in decades to come, as well as dental & other physical effects on the body.

Media and researchers tend to focus on the young - why drug use is bad for them, etc etc... I have this hunch that it is less to do with age, and more to do with everyone's individual profiles as to what problems you will face.

I hope that all the 30s and 40s and beyond folk can handle it physically and mentally - I'm sure most of them adjust their use to suit what they can handle. But some risks we actually can't know at the time; the damage only emerges later. Don't have any actual evidence for this but it is just my hunch... we'll see I guess, in time!

On the flip side, I don't see why older people who weren't involved in the scene in their youth (or were past their youth when the scene started) should be left out of experiencing something incredible - just because they are older! It would, however, be good if we had more evidence on exactly what the specific risks would be for the ageing body and brain.

 

[phlegm69]

My concern about ecstasy use as everyone gets older is health. We all react differently to different drugs - some symptoms being present or problematic for some people and not for others. I worry a bit about what ecstasy use is doing to people's minds when taken over long periods or when people are a bit older - eg. epidemics of dementia or degenerative brain disorders in decades to come, as well as dental & other physical effects on the body.

Media and researchers tend to focus on the young - why drug use is bad for them, etc etc... I have this hunch that it is less to do with age, and more to do with everyone's individual profiles as to what problems you will face.

I hope that all the 30s and 40s and beyond folk can handle it physically and mentally - I'm sure most of them adjust their use to suit what they can handle. But some risks we actually can't know at the time; the damage only emerges later. Don't have any actual evidence for this but it is just my hunch... we'll see I guess, in time!

On the flip side, I don't see why older people who weren't involved in the scene in their youth (or were past their youth when the scene started) should be left out of experiencing something incredible - just because they are older! It would, however, be good if we had more evidence on exactly what the specific risks would be for the ageing body and brain.

moderation..... is the key my friend. i've been using for over twenty years now. i own my own home...run my own business...blah blah blah.

again, i know healthy non-drug using people who have had strokes (or some other affliction in their early/late thirties)...so it probably is a case of genetics. luck of the draw?

but as you say....time will be the judge.

 

[sinbad]

[..]
I hope that all the 30s and 40s and beyond folk can handle it physically and mentally - I'm sure most of them adjust their use to suit what they can handle. But some risks we actually can't know at the time; the damage only emerges later. Don't have any actual evidence for this but it is just my hunch... we'll see I guess, in time!

On the flip side, I don't see why older people who weren't involved in the scene in their youth (or were past their youth when the scene started) should be left out of experiencing something incredible - just because they are older! It would, however, be good if we had more evidence on exactly what the specific risks would be for the ageing body and brain.

Haha! We are the scene young fella! I've been on Bluelight since before it had it's own domain (got in a flame war and stopped posting). I still go out, although less now as I think clubs have become so tame as to be rather boring. I know how to wring more out of my experiences than ever before and can afford to take the journey.

As an individual, you are responsible for ensuring your experience remains within your own boundaries - go past those and you will cause explicit damage.

Our pre-occupation with the long term effects of illicits is remarkable given the casual way we ignore the more significant environmental and lifestyle effects surrounding each and every one of us! I think it's a cover for not addressing the destructive short term problems with a rational approach to substance use.

 

[Modulus]

I'm in my early 40s and I still love rolling and do it quite often , my teenage kids always tell me to grow up Its also a great way of keeping a marriage of 20+ years interesting, my wife like it more than me.

I don't go out clubbing though, and I'm not balding either thankyou

Oh ffs why aren't my parents like you?



Seriously though, im neutral, i wouldn't care if they used drugs recreationally or not, but they are in the generation of "Reefer Madness" and "one pill can kill". It's hard to handle considering what i enjoy.

Meh, ill be the change when i have kids.

 

[Montay]

haha my dads 53 next year and he still gets on the shabs occasionally and still gets on the pills, good to see older people havent forgotten how to party.

 

[ballofowl]

me down to a tee. at first i read this and thought, omg how dare those people be into the pills? then split second later.... wait... i'm one of those people... mum...wrong side of 25...see it as a harmless alternative to alcohol...


i've really got to start remembering i'm not 18 anymore!

 

[baysieguy1]

^^^^ Sinbad - Phlegm -

See you Australia day weekend then???

PLUR
Still reckon - youth is wasted on the young . . . . . . .

 

[Tronica]

phlegm69 & sinbad:

I fully agree with you. I'm not suggesting older people can't party In fact I'm not that young myself anymore!

Yes it's all about moderation. Perhaps when the older folk are doing this, they are more likely not to go ultra-hard. As phlegm69 has illustrated, other important roles exist the older you get - like mortgages, families, businesses, etc etc, making it harder to just be out of action on a 48 hour bender (at least without significant planning!).

The other point made is that drug use is just one of many risks we negotiate all the time in our lives. Quitting drug use for example is not going to automatically protect us from health issues because of all the other risks - diet, chemicals, car/air travel, etc etc. and how are we expected to manage all those risks within the standard urban lifestyle?

 

[sinbad]

Hmm, not sure about moderation!!! I'm worse now than when I was younger, go harder, go longer, and with a better understanding of how far I can push myself (and avoiding the destructive drinking I did back then)

 

[sydkiwi]

come on, I'm 30, I started taking it in my early 20s so why should I give it up even if its reserved for special occasions like my birthday or nye?

 

[Tronica]

Research shows that more and more people are continuing into their 30s and 40s. There was a theory that it would be something more like a phase people go through when they don't have responsibility, and then it gets given up when the adult stuff of mortgages marriages kids important jobs, blah blah blah, kicks in. As you can see in this thread, this is a bit of a myth nowadays!

 

[phlegm69]

Research shows that more and more people are continuing into their 30s and 40s. There was a theory that it would be something more like a phase people go through when they don't have responsibility, and then it gets given up when the adult stuff of mortgages marriages kids important jobs, blah blah blah, kicks in. As you can see in this thread, this is a bit of a myth nowadays!

indeed.

ecstasy as a social lubricant rates better than alcohol amongst my circle of friends.

why? because, you are in control, you don't become belligerent, you are friendly and highly sociable.

what more could you ask for when socialising, every now and then, with friends?

 

[baysieguy1]

indeed.

ecstasy as a social lubricant rates better than alcohol amongst my circle of friends.

why? because, you are in control, you don't become belligerent, you are friendly and highly sociable.

what more could you ask for when socialising, every now and then, with friends?

Some of the closest moments I have had with people is whilst on e.

I consider I do have very good control, but to be able to tear down the walls of a high pressure senior managers role and be "real" with people is a blessing and a gift that I will continue to subject myself to, till I lose the magic, lets hope that never happens