Addiction
July 1, 2001
Sarah Riley, Charlotte James, Danielle Gregory et al.
172 citations
Over 80% of drug users at dance events in Edinburgh had used ecstasy and amphetamine, often weekly and in combination, with over 30% using cocaine and LSD, and over 10% using nitrites, psilocybin, and ketamine. Poly-drug and mixing-drug behaviors were significantly more common than single-drug use. Drugs were primarily accessed through friends. 85% reported mixing drugs and/or alcohol, 35% driving on drugs, 36% having a bad experience, 30% unprotected sex, and 0.9% injecting drugs. Women reported higher consumption than men. The pattern suggests implications for health promotion and criminal policy.
Drugs Education Prevention and Policy
June 1, 2004
Sarah Riley, Emma Hayward
52 citations
Among 124 clubbers aged 14–44, past-year drug use was widespread: over 80% used alcohol, cannabis, and ecstasy; 63% used cocaine and 53% amphetamine. Most bought drugs through friends or family, and main reasons were relaxing, socializing, and dancing. Risk behaviors included drug driving (19%), unprotected sex (39%), and taking too many drugs (44%). At least 40% reported anxiety, nausea, and paranoia. Focus groups revealed strategic drug use across a night and that negative experiences may alter but not stop use. Cocaine and alcohol use have increased, and older participants had more cocaine experience and fewer negative experiences.
Substance Use & Misuse
January 1, 2008
Sarah Riley, Graham Blackman
36 citations
A 2004 survey of 174 magic mushroom users in Edinburgh and Bristol, UK, found that consumption was infrequent but intense: 47% used 4-12 times per year, with an average dose of 12 g per session. Users reported laughter, hallucinations, altered perspective (41-74%), and feeling closer to nature (49%). Negative experiences included paranoia (35%) and anxiety (32%). Use occurred within a wider recreational drug and alcohol culture. Focus groups aided interpretation. The authors recommend future research into negative experiences and discuss implications for policy and harm reduction.
The International journal on drug policy
November 1, 2010
Sarah Riley, James Thompson, Christine Griffin
27 citations
During a period when psilocin-based magic mushrooms were legal in the UK (2002–2005), commercial sales revealed a substantial market for the drug. A critical discourse analysis of focus groups with 20 users (13 male, 7 female, mean age 25) identified two overarching discourses in their talk. One drew on neo-liberal rhetoric, portraying users as rational, risk-managing individuals engaged in calculated hedonism justified as personal freedom and consumer choice. The other, termed 'post-psychedelic', both celebrated and problematized a collective, spiritual 'hippy' identity. The analysis argues that neo-liberal rhetoric constrains people's ability to imagine collectivist or interconnected social worlds.