The decline of ecstasy, the rise of ‘binge’ drinking and the persistence of pleasure

Abstract

Recreational drug use has changed rapidly over the last 15 years in the UK. This article considers access, availability and desirability in relation to contemporary recreational drug use, current trends and future indicators, drawing on a range of academic and official studies. The relationship between the decline in self-reported use of cocaine powder and particularly ecstasy pills and an increase in sessional consumption of alcohol is explored. Changes in specific legal and illicit drugs favoured by British young adults reflect not only the ebbs and flows of fashion and taste, but government, local authority and beverage alcohol industry policy. The longer term significance of contemporary patterns of consumption lies in the broader context of socio-economic and cultural change relating to the pursuit of pleasure, the boundaries of leisure, and physical transgression in early 21st century leisure time/space.

‘Kiddie drugs’ and controlled pleasure: Recreational use of dexamphetamine in a social network of young Australians

“…Measham, 2004Measham, , 2006Measham & Brain, 2005;Szmigin et al, 2008). According to these studies, aggressive alcohol marketing, the cultural normalisation of alcohol and other drug intoxication, and changes in night-time leisure economies have meant that young adults must negotiate complex contradictions between a market-driven society that emphasises excessive consumption and the increasing social regulation of such consumption.…”

Estudio preliminar de los determinantes cognitivos que influyen en los jóvenes argentinos para realizar un consumo intensivo de alcohol, o binge drinking*

“…La importancia a largo plazo de los patrones contemporáneos de consumo radica en el amplio contexto de los cambios socioeconómicos y culturales relacionados con la bús-queda del placer, y de los límites del tiempo libre, la transgresión y el ocio en los jóvenes del siglo XXI (37).…”

Where is the pleasure?

“…Lack of data on the safety or danger of NPS has led governments to make decisions that are not based on scientific evidence [1]. The paper by Wilkins [2] identifies important questions about this new approach, although additional issues were also noted.…”

“…As noted by Wilkins, some important aspects, such as high consumption episodes, polydrug use, use by vulnerable populations, high-risk modes of administration and long-term adverse effects, will most probably not be assessed by these studies [2]. Moreover, as a therapeutic effect is not the aim, the dosage of the product tested may be the lowest possible in an attempt to mask potential side effects.…”

“…This is fundamentally at odds with the way in which drug use is understood and how drugs are used (see [2], for example). While some people who consume drugs do so in order to suppress or resolve physical or psychological pain, in the main drug use is undertaken for pleasure.…”