'reality relief'

Geoff, a 20-year-old undergraduate, talks about drugs, their effects and the dangers of ignorance

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'I smoke about 20 cigarettes per day, smoke marijuana on a daily basis and drink very little alcohol. I take cocaine very infrequently (recently only a few times a year) and smoke crack very occasionally (perhaps once a year). I took ecstasy on a regular basis for about six months about a year and a half ago. I have also taken other random drugs on a couple of occasions over the past five years, including speed, ketamine, acid, opium and yaba [methamphetamine].

'I've been a heavy marijuana smoker since the age of 14, and this has always been my drug of preference, way above alcohol, given its ability to make you relax and the smaller impact it has the following day! I smoke it at home (by myself and with friends) and at friends' houses. I'm quite unusual in that I generally also indulge in other drugs at home or at other people's houses. I've always preferred this to going out to clubs – even with ecstasy.

'I'm addicted to nicotine and I'd say that I'm psychologically addicted to cannabis. I have gone through periods of high use of more addictive substances, such as cocaine, but thankfully not over a long enough period to result in a proper addiction. Aside from marijuana, drugs have generally been a weekend indulgence for me.

'I've given up cigarettes numerous times, but sadly have not managed to sustain it for more than a few months. I'm currently trying to cut down on the amount of marijuana that I smoke, which I have done in the last year, although I still smoke almost every day. My intake of other drugs has reduced to virtually nothing in the past year, but this has been more due to my lack of desire to take them than to any conscious effort to stop.

time off

'I take drugs as a relief from reality and boredom, in a nutshell. It seems to me they allow you to be less introspective in many ways. I personally find it quite difficult to really relax (which to be honest I find disturbing in itself). Drugs allow you to forget about any current problems that you may have. That's not to say I've had dreadful events in my life which I need to 'hide' from, but everyone has issues.

side-effects

'I think drugs have a lot of negative side-effects, but what doesn't? The financial one is obvious, and this can become even more serious if one gets involved with seriously addictive drugs. Come-downs are another, but a lot of this is the result of drugs being illegal, so many of them are cut. The two drugs that I would say have the worst side-effects (and which I personally believe to be the most dangerous drugs) are acid and ecstasy. I know a lot of people who have had a very bad time on both ecstasy and acid, and I feel that if people were better informed on the importance of caution about your own state of mind, then perhaps this could be improved. This is the reason I have only ever taken acid once and magic mushrooms once, as I have very rarely felt myself to be in a sufficiently stable state of mind to do them. One of the most appropriate statements that I have ever heard about acid (which I think also relates to ecstasy to a lesser extent) is by Robert Pirsig in his cult book Lila, where he says that acid allows you to walk through the door to an alternate reality, but most people have no idea how to walk back through.

'I once met a Canadian guy whose aim was to try as many drugs as possible during his life. He had gone way beyond the realms of standard drugs and moved onto designer drugs. He believed that the only way to take powerful drugs without causing yourself serious mental damage was to truly understand the chemical and physical effects, so should anything bad happen you can talk yourself out of it. Never have I met anyone who knew more about the exact chemical structures of numerous drugs, their chemical and physical effects and their potential pitfalls. Having said that, this guy was physically in a poor state, but in my mind he is a good example (albeit an excessive one) of someone who truly understands exactly what drugs are doing to him and hence can use them with a smaller risk to himself.

ecstasy and information

'I'm greatly concerned about suggestions that ecstasy may damage serotonin systems in the brain, and this is one of the reasons why I haven't taken ecstasy in more than a year. What really concerns me is the lack of research into ecstasy and the media's slant on the dangers of the drug, which seems to be that you will die. If you take into account the number of pills taken every week, the number of related deaths is tiny. I really believe that the way to benefit users and potential users is to truly inform them of the effects. While false ideas are continually expressed to the public and proper research is not really going on (or the results are not well publicised), how are people expected to make an informed choice as to whether they should take drugs like ecstasy and, if they are going to, what is the best environment for doing so?

the maddest moment

'One example of the wrong answer to that question of the right environment is when I took acid and two ecstasy tablets and flew to Spain. This certainly was one of the craziest drug experiences I have ever had, and I was very close to totally freaking out numerous times in the airport. Thankfully I spent the whole time on my mobile to some very close friends who kept me calm. I did however manage to lose it in WH Smith, when I found myself at the counter with about £100 worth of videos, which I proceeded to put back, but when I attempted to buy some headphones on my Switch card I realised that I couldn't actually write and I freaked out in front of about 10 people in the shop.

attitude problems

'Perhaps the biggest drug-related problem for me, or rather for those around me, involved being expelled from school for smoking cannabis. This had a very bad impact on my family. Ironically the problems were not due to my addiction or anything directly related to taking the drug, but to the repercussions of my expulsion and other people's responses. I'm not excusing my actions, but I do feel that most of the problems that occurred were caused by people's naive views about cannabis. If they were properly informed, then people would have realised that the problems were a lot less than they thought and, in some cases, non-existent.

'Though I feel bad about the problems this incident caused my family, I don't feel that I have ever directly hurt anyone as a result of my drug taking and do not see it as something to feel guilty about.

cut drugs and the law

'Over the years I have had numerous cut drugs (as pretty much every drug user in this country has) and I believe this to be one of the major dangers that users face. I have read of people overdosing on pure heroin because they have only ever taken cut heroin before. The main thing that I have had, which is quite common, is cocaine cut with speed, which I find changes the high to something that others find quite unpleasant when around you.

'Thankfully neither I nor anyone I know have had any really bad physical effects as a result of cut drugs, but I have heard of numerous people that have. This would be one of the major benefits of legalisation: all drugs would be monitored and hence people would always know what they're getting.

'I have severe problems with the drug laws. I think without a doubt cannabis should be legalised immediately and the government should stop wasting so much time and money on prosecuting people who have been involved with it. With regard to other drugs, I think that the penalties should be reduced and extensive research should be done to see what the effects really are. Having said this, I think that other drugs should also be legalised as ultimately it should be people's own responsibility and freedom to decide whether or not they want to take drugs.'

help and info

If you think someone you know may have a problem with drugs, families and friends has advice about what you can do, or you could contact one of the organisations below.

If you think you may have a problem yourself and you want advice or help, check out problems and services or contact one of the organisations below.

Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.

organisations

FRANK
Helpline: 0800 77 66 00 (24 hours)
Textphone: 0800 917 8765
E-mail: frank@talktofrank.com
Website: www.talktofrank.com
Provides free confidential drugs information and advice 24 hours a day. All calls are confidential. Use the website's search facility to get the contact details of organisations offering practical help and support in your area.

Lifeline
101-103 Oldham Street
Manchester M4 1LW
Tel: 0161 834 7160
E-mail: mail@lifeline.org.uk
Website: www.lifeline.org.uk
Confidential advice, information and support for drug users, their family and friends. Lifeline have offices in Manchester, East Lancashire, West Yorkshire and Calderdale providing a range of services.

Release
388 Old Street
London EC1V 9LT
Legal Helpline: 0845 4500 215 (Mon-Fri 10am-5.30pm)
Heroin Helpline: 0845 4500 215 (Mon-Fri 10am-5.30pm)
E-mail: ask@release.org.uk
Website: www.release.org.uk
Offers confidential and professional legal, health and welfare advice for those who come into contact with drugs. Can refer you to local drug agencies and specialist lawyers. The website features drug facts, information on the law, and advice for dealing with the police.

websites

Centre for Recovery
www.recovery.org.uk
Comprehensive website containing information and advice on drug and alcohol abuse.

Crew 2000
www.crew2000.co.uk
Crew 2000 is a coalition of young people, clubgoers and others who have come together to produce real & relevant info about how to reduce the risks involved in using drugs.

DanceSafe.org
www.dancesafe.org
Lots of information about safe clubbing. Includes a slideshow with information about ecstasy and neurotoxicity.

DIY Ecstasy Information
www.sorted.org/diy/Druginfo/Ecstasy.htm
A realisitic site that offers tips for safe use of ecstasy and outlines those who are most likely to be damaged by the drug.

Making Waves
www.drug-abuse-us.ru.com/effects_of_cannabis.htm
Outlines the common effects of cannabis, both good and bad.

The Site
www.thesite.org.uk
General site for young people with extensive drug information and drug first aid, plus pages on other issues including sex, relationships, money and housing.

Urban75 E-zine
www.urban75.com/Drugs
Impartial information on individual drugs and their effects.

Youth Information: getting legal help
www.youthinformation.com/infopage.asp?snID=259
Describes the options available for young people needing assistance with legal matters.

reading

HIT
HIT produce a wide range of publications for young people and adults including drug cards and leaflets on alcohol health, cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methadone, safer injecting, overdose prevention and sexual health.
www.hit.org.uk/ ...

(February 2002, resources updated February 2005)