So what happened that night? Well, according to my flat-mate, it was a pretty
normal evening with just a slightly unexpected ending. Everyone (about 40
students from Manchester University) had gone out to a downtown project that
runs on Fridays and Saturday, to see whichever big-name DJ was playing.
The night started at about 9pm with drinks in the student bar: vodka Red Bull
for some, beer for others. The drinks are subsidised – £2 for a double – so
most downed three or more. At about 11pm people left to catch the bus into
town, first stopping at an off-licence to grab a bottle of vodka for the
journey. At the venue, each of them easily smuggled in their personal stash
of drugs and the “fun” began.
First, an Ecstasy pill (£2 a pop) washed down with a vodka and tonic. It takes
20 minutes for the effect to kick in, so plenty of time for another drink.
Half an hour later and most were on the dancefloor, bottles of water in
their hands. Time for a top-up: perhaps another pill, or a dab of MDMA.
There was cocaine around, too, but it’s pricier, so only the lucky ones were
offered a line. Meanwhile, the hardcore got busy. Out came the ketamine, and
there was acid (LSD), too, both very popular with the blokes – bad dancers
anyway but now unable to move.
It was time for a break: out to the smoking area for a spliff, or maybe a
popper (amyl nitrate). The hit is short but instant. It makes you dizzy and
your head pound. Then it was back to the dancefloor: another pill, another
dab, before heading home a couple of hours later. Everyone agreed that it
had been “a good night” but “nothing special”.
A group of about 15 went back to the house of a third-year student to continue
the party with laughing gas – using an empty whipped-cream canister to fill
a balloon, then inhaling it to produce a fleeting trip – laughter for some,
near-black-outs for a few. More drinks and some spliffs to wind down: it was
weed that night but sometimes it’s skunk, depending on what the dealer has.
And ketamine, too – at least a snort for the hardcore. At which point a
student whipped out some Rohypnol (the so-called date-rape drug). Five
people proceeded to spike their own drinks. What does it feel like? Just
what you would imagine: it renders you incapable of much thought or movement.
Thirty minutes later, two girls went to the toilet but someone was in there.
They waited for five minutes, then knocked. No response. They returned to
the main room and it was noticed that one girl was missing. Back they went,
with two guys. Still no response. So it was “stand back, everyone” as one
guy broke down the door.
Sarah (not her real name), the missing girl, had passed out and was lying in a
heap with a ready-prepared line of cocaine next to her. After a few moments
of panic and confusion, someone called an ambulance. The girl was having
fits and blurting out nonsense. The ambulance took her to hospital, where
she was put in an induced coma.
The next morning, the story was on everybody’s lips. Friends were shocked –
until word got out that Sarah was clinically allergic to one of the drugs,
hence her collapse. Sweet relief! So it wasn’t as if everyone had been
really stupid and put themselves in extreme danger.
But wait. The girl woke up. She started to recover. She started to talk. The
truth began to emerge. A few days later, the story changed. In fact it was
the cocktail of class-A and other illegal drugs she had taken that had
endangered her life. By this stage, however, interest among other students
had subsided. Most never got to hear the true story. They didn’t really want
to know that they, too, were playing with fire.
As a contemporary and friend of many of those involved, a student at the same
university and a normal undergraduate who struggles to get organised and do
enough work and spends too much time partying and loafing around, I could
easily have followed the same route and let the story blow over. After all,
it wasn’t that unusual.
But somehow I couldn’t get the question out of my head: what drives an
attractive, well-educated, popular girl to end up lying in a self-induced
drug coma in hospital? Whatever it is, I’m sure she is not unusual. She did
no more than thousands of university students up and down the country do
every night. The fact is, a parallel universe exists among students where
this type of behaviour has become “normal”. That is why her friends loved
the “allergy” explanation – it didn’t burst their little bubble.
I wish it had. We all know that drugs are bad for you, and illegal. But those
facts alone won’t change the amount of drugs that students take. To them,
the phrases “It’s bad for you” and “It’s illegal” have probably not meant
much for decades.
But I can’t help feeling that something needs to be done. Young people come to
university to meet friends and learn new things. Once they arrive, though, a
great many put their bodies and minds at risk with excessive drug-taking.
Many fall behind in their studies, or suffer from depression, or both. I have
seen people transformed from sociable characters into sluggish drug-fiends
with nothing to say about anything. Yet the collective student voice labels
them merely “jokers” who can be counted on to be “hilarious” on a night out.
What drives students to get themselves in this state? The clichéd explanation
is that it is pressure. What a fantasy! I would argue the opposite. Students
are in a safe, comfortable position. Most have an enormous amount of free
time, and a disposable income that they don’t have to earn – so they feel
little responsibility for anything or anyone, including themselves.
One answer would be to give us more work (am I really saying this?). The
average student attends the university only for between four and eight hours
a week. This leaves 104 hours (not including eight hours’ sleep a night) of
free time. Of course, a lot of this time should be spent on our studies. In
reality, though, many students do the bare minimum – perhaps a couple of
days a week, sometimes none.
This leaves a lot of time, the prevailing feature of which is boredom. A
typical day would be waking at midday, eating, watching TV, eating, surfing
the web, watching TV, thinking about work and perhaps getting a bit
stressed, then going out. The most stimulation that a student gets will come
from drugs.
Of course people work more when they face impending deadlines and exams. But
even then, a new coping system has developed. It’s called Modafinil, a
commonly prescribed narcolepsy drug.
You may wonder how students can afford to go out so often and consume so many
costly chemicals. Let me enlighten you. A non-income-assessed loan is £3,385
a year minimum. It is fairly safe to assume that many students also have
their rent and tuition fees paid, meaning that this money is theirs to spend
as they like. Even if they do struggle financially, drugs will be high on
their list of necessities – well ahead of books or healthy food.
Which brings me to peer pressure. Social groups at university are large, and
the only way to avoid being forgotten by your peers is to “be around”. This
involves a lot of nights out that often include drugs. The drugs are
increasingly vital because it is hard to get much beyond small talk if you
are in a group of 30 or so. Most of my friends admit that they couldn’t face
a “big night” without being on drugs.
The deeper problem, though, is that our student generation has nothing to care
about. The shrinking of the world into a “global village” has,
paradoxically, resulted in isolation and individualism. Once students were a
“community”. Today there are no causes that unite us. We have access to any
type of music or art we desire. We have no need for, and no interest in,
holding hands in the streets. We have no structure and no responsibilities,
just a lot of time and some money.
It is impossible to force people to care about things. That is why I believe
that the only solution is to enforce responsibility and discipline on
students, with more serious consequences if they fail to obey the rules. I
hasten to add that, were this already the case, I would have been expelled
from university. But if I had known it was the case, maybe I’d have acted
more responsibly.
A week later, and I’m happy to say that our friend had recovered – just. Had
the ambulance been called five minutes later, the doctors said, she would
have been lucky to have escaped without brain damage.
I was having dinner in a student house. One of the occupants worked part-time
“in the supply business”, selling a few drugs to his friends. Already that
evening there had been several callers. There was another knock on the door
and two girls walked in. Making light conversation, I asked if they were
going out that Monday night.
“Oh no. We’re knackered,” they replied. “We’re just picking up because Sarah’s
coming home tonight. So we thought we’d all celebrate”.
A University of Manchester spokesman said: “Any student with problems or
concerns about their health, including worries about alcohol or drugs, can
make an appointment with the student occupational health service, where they
will receive confidential advice and support. The university also provides a
confidential counselling service that offers help with any personal issues
affecting work, self-esteem, relationships, mental health or general
wellbeing.”
it is possible to go out without ending up in a coma every other week, I have had a very healthy social life as well as getting a first class degree. there will always be people who exploit the independence of uni life but for the rest of us it's frustrating to be labelled as a generation of wasters
Rowena , Leeds,
Christ! You had a crappy student life, didn't you!? Mine was NOT drug fuelled thank you very much. I had a normal, fun time at University. I got a drunk on occasions, played tennis, hung out with friends, went to balls, had bbqs and people over for dinner and I got a great law degree! NORMAL!!!
Amy Rose, Southampton, UK
Get a grip. Life is not a Hollyoaks storyline; one day you are smoking a joint, the next you have a heroin habit. It is true that people get themselves in situations by taking too much but the same can be said for booze, and there are a lot more cases of alcohol poisoning.
Iain, Glasgow,
As a student studying for a law degree at sheffield university i am deeply disapointed at this account of student life. This account is a sad tale of a few who choose a lifestyle involving drugs and too much time. I have encountered many students, Sheffield, a city with two universites has a hugh student population, but how they conduct themselves and their outlook on life is diverse. I for one am sick of student sterotypes putting those of us who go to uni to get a degree and into the same group who choose to waste their time is unfair.
I am unimpressed with this report of student life - its dissapointingly unoriginal.
Candice, Sheffield, England
This is one of the most fair and accurate accounts of the student drugs culture that I have read and as a student from another north-west based university I can empathised with much that has been written.
Why do we take drugs? A student with little money sees drugs a cheap and efficient way to get 'wasted' and dissolve the realities of the real world. And above all taking drugs is fun and can create a strong bond between a group of people (even those that have never met before).
My social group has continuously been surprised about people who have 'come out of the woodwork' as drug users, there are many more than you would think.
However, there were those who took it too far and who I have witnessed destroy their degrees and lives by taking too many substances and getting too deeply involved in the 'drugs scene'.
My friends and I know the risks and have cut down our intake dramatically, but we have no intention of stopping taking drugs all together.
Katie, North,
Sophie from Manchester and Henry from Bristol have the right idea. As a recent graduate from Manchester University, I can confirm that drug taking was rife amongst the student population.
However, the idea of peer pressure from other students is rubbish. At university, my friends respected my decisions and I did the same for theirs. Those that chose to experiment did so, and those that chose otherwise were respected for their decision.
Similarly, I take issue with the idea of students needing drugs to survive a night out. Although amongst my group of friends there were plenty who dabbled, I did not encounter a single person that I would describe as dependent on drugs for a good time.
Elizabeth, it is clear to me that your friends are an extreme example. Certainly they take too many drugs. However, that is their decision. They are adults. As are you. Manchester has the best student scene in the country. If you don't like the way your friends do things, get new friends!
Ali, London,
i totally agree that students do not have the disposable income that they reckon. I work every holiday as to afford rent and the rest is spent on nights out/ food etc.
I think if someone from a 'lesser' university about drug consumption that it would be hugely lower! We tend to use the good old alcohol to get rid of stress!!!
As for having no work, i do around 12 hrs a week + a few hours in between... sounds nice though!
tony, Stoke On Trent,
As a student at Manchester University I can confirm that many aspects of this article are true. Drug taking is common place. I don't think I know too many people who have never smoked weed or experimented at all. Pills aren't the exception either. Many people I know take MDMA or ket on a regular basis. But it is their choice at the end of the day. This situation isn't just true for Manchester but for every other uni in the country and for most young people today.
What I disagree with is the implication that students take drugs just because they have too much money and too little spare time!!! Neither should it be the job of the university to "enforce responsibiltity and disclpine"!! Nor that students feel peer pressure to take drugs - I have never experienced or witnessed this !
Perhaps the author should open up their eyes and see that this is the norm rather than the exception and has been for many decades! An "expose" in the times is not going to change things.
Sophie, Manchester,
Big scare story. A large proportion of students do drugs. Of those 90% function normally, get 2.1s/1sts, are happy. What's the problem with this, it's their choice. I don't personally, my housemate does, fair play to him, he still gets his work in on time. The author might want to rethink her social group, if she has a problem with this. Most people don't feel they have to be 'seen'. They make real friends!
Henry, Bristol,
This is a problem, but it's a problem which I find is usually confined to the more affluent students (often from private schools). They have more money than they probably need and yeah they do go somewhat 'off the rails' when they get out off the chains of their controlled upbringing. But it's worth noting that the drugs aren't that expensive, it's not just becuase they can afford to!
While the group she's talking about do a stupid amout of drugs, it's not fair to say it's a reflection of most people in uni. And there are people in that group who do no drugs too!
Dave, Withingtom,
Yeah I have always wondered why we have to work SO hard in A-Levels to get to uni, then firsrt (and 2nd a bit) years of uni are so easy!???? No wonder we end up experimenting when we don't have the pressure. No one does any work in the 1st year except international students! Then people find it hard to get back on track when they get into their final years.
Can anyone tell me why we don't have to work in 1st year?!
Peter, Fallowfield,
is everyone really stupid or something? Do people never read the newspaper - clearly the author isnt suggesting that ALL students are like this. It comments on the dangerous attitude towards drugs and university life of a chunk of students in universities. It doesnt deny that uni is what you make of it, simply that this is what a lot of people make of it and something should be done about it. Many of these defensive reactions are out of pride because actually a lot of what is said here is true - whoever claimed that it is "completely untrue" is the sensationalist. The author has had to make some generalisations in order to make this point - because there simply isnt time to cover every single added complexity behind each statement - that is how an argument is formed.
further - is no-one allowed an opinion? This is obviously how the author has experienced the lifestyle of her friends - and she has an opinion on it. Good for her.
Christopher, Manchester, UK
Cringe
Freddie Waters, Manchester,
This is highly sensationalist! What was a rare and upsetting incident has been generalised to be applicable to everyday student life, which is just completely untrue. I am suprised "The Times" has printed an article so badly written and full of inaccuracies.
Should the author's opinions of her "friends" be so detrimental maybe she should consider mixing with different people...maybe who pay their own rent?
All this article has achieved is reinforcing dated stereotypes of drug consumption and students. Congratulations "Ms Robinson"
Dorothy, Manchester,
This student isn't necessarily in the majority. A lot of the kids that go to uni have a part time job on the side and have to live off their student loans as university costs a lot more these students also delay going to University. Not all of them are bored with all this time on their hands, yes uni may be a place to experiment but its not all about drugs.
park, london,
Very honest article. Though it's not just students. I'm a young working professional and most people I know take an abundance of drugs on nights out or on nights in.
Drugs are an escapism from daily life. They take you away from the harsh reality of your modern day... until to hit the ground again a day later. It's a viscious cycle.
Hayley, Northampton, England
It's sad that this is the impression of students that people will go away with after reading this article. There will always be those who think themselves invulnerable, and being surrounded by students does tend to take people out of the real world. I agree with the writer that the solution is to give more work to students - in my university we are given three essays every two weeks, with massive reading lists leading up to them. They recommend 45 hours study per week, and it is normal to go over this. I don't know anyone here who does social drug taking as is described in this article, and even excessive alcohol consumption isn't a serious problem.
Meg, Pembs,
I think what you're saying is really interesting and I agree with a lot of it as many people in my school are into drugs, mostly weed rather than class A stuff but it's a problem. Another reason I think this is interesting is because I'm thinking of going to Manchester uni later this year and I'm quite suprised to hear it about university students. You'd think that by then 'peer pressure' isn't so much of an issue as everyone has matured through school and got over themselves...obviously not. Why can't the people who are contientious and intelligent enough to get into university realise that drugs are one of the most stupid things you could ever allow to enter your life? After all, these are the people who should end up the next generation of success in this world. It's rather ironic.
However, the point that students have nothing to care about - thats extreme. There's a hell of a lot in this world to care about that needs sorting out, they might not care about it but it's there.
Ellie, Notts,
I feel sad for the author and her friends if she feels they could not face a night out without it being fuelled by alcohol and drugs. I had a great deal of fun at university that didn't involve these things (acting in plays, singing in concerts, helping to run quiz nights, running creative writing groups and writing for the university newspaper to name just a few activities), and which didn't involve even half the humiliation that one particularly alcohol-saturated night last May involved. I haven't got drunk at all since then and I don't care. I prefer to actually remember the things I do and enjoy them fully. I hope that this article doesn't unduly worry any prospective university students who might be reading it. University life is what you make it, and it doesn't have to be the scenario this journalist describes.
Bianca Summons, Maidenhead, Berkshire
I think it depends on which university you attend as to how 'normal' it is to have tuition and rent paid for. I know that I am among the minority in having to pay for all my costs myself. Out of the 10 of us in our flat, only 3 of us are having to be financially independent. I can easily see why the rest spend most of their time drinking and partying.
Beth, Reading,
This article has really made me hopping mad. I won't repeat C's comments other than to reiterate that pretty much anyone I met at uni worked and paid rent...my loan didn't even cover first year halls!!
If people are scared to go out I hardly think drugs are the answer, maybe find some friends who don't scare you!
Some people work very hard to get to uni, scrimp through working and studying and actually appreciate the fact they are there. Others, it seems, take uni as a three year drug taking party.
E, Manchester,
As another student at Manchester University, I think the writer has possibly got herself in with the wrong crowd. Amongst my friends the drug taking is not nearly so prolific, no one gets lost in the group and people who don't take drugs are respected for this decision.
I'm concerned in case this gives out the wrong impression about students in general, and especially my university, which, by the way, plenty of people do the work for.
Felicity, Manchester,
This is absolute rubbish. For a start a non-income assessed loan doesn't even cover the Halls of Residence fees for my university, so I certianly don't have a disposable income to spend on drugs, or indeed a disposable income at all! Thus the majority of students from 'normal' financial backgrouds are actually spending their evenings working to pay the difference between their loan and rent! I'm also in university for 13 hours a week, not the 4 suggested here! I could go on...
Jess, durham,
I certainly do not have my rent and fees paid, i have a job thank you very much. Close friends of mine do take drugs, including cocaine but i choose not to get involved with this, it does not make me a social outcast, I am not regarded any less fun on a night out, and I certainly dont feel any pressure from my peers. To suggest to readers that student life revlolves around drugs smacks of narrow-mindedness. We are all individuals, not all wasters living off our parents as the article seem to infer
michelle, durham,
This is an extremely one sided and misrepresented view on student life.
It may be the case in particular institutions and by some people, however a considerable amount of these claims in the context they are put here are bordering on the ridiculous. I suggest people ignore statements such as 'let me enlighten you'.
The shrinkage of the world into a 'global village' is no way a means to individualism, or a paradox. The increased connectivity and global information exchange has enabled the very opposite.
The worries within MY student community are considerable, I intend not to abuse, but to clarify.
Students are by no means the worst case scenario. There are many other people (Social & Cultural groups) in Britain who are more suitably connected to 'nothing to care about' or 'no structure and no responsibility'. People who take drugs and then commit [further] crimes, such as kicking people to death (?). Shouldn’t these be the focus of authoritative attention before students?
Oliver, London, South East
I am a 20 year old 3rd year student at Glasgow University and the closest I've come to ketamin is watching Trainspotting! And while I accept that drugs are readily available and I have friends who will do a couple of Es at the weekend, I don't know any students who take anywhere near the amount mentioned in the article. Don't get me wrong, admittedly we do drink more than we should, and taking any illegal drug is wrong, but I feel this article is painting all students as hardened drug users. In my experience, a couple of Es on the weekend is not unknown, a couple of spliffs at a house party is not a big deal but we're smarter than ketamin and the date rape drug!! Also, I have found that it is generally not the students who are taking the heavy drug. In my experience it is the 9-5ers who feel the need to blow off a huge amount of steam on the weekend.
Amy Drysdale, Edinburgh,
I suspect the author exaggerates to make her point, but please don't think things were much different in the past.
I was at Nottingham University 40 years ago, a friend of mine became psychotic after taking LSD. If you chose to find them drugs were freely available. Even though the dangers of drugs were not so well documented then, most of us chose to avoid them. Without them we still had a good time, did stupid things, got drunk, occupied the Senate Building etc etc.
Many students studied on courses with little formal structure. But they chose those courses and were expected to discipline themselves with large amounts of private study. They lost out if they just wasted that opportunity.
Myself I was an engineer and had lectures and practicals from 09:00 until 17:00 five days a week and three hours of lectures on a Saturday. Personally I would have preferred more private study time. The course would have been far more interesting and given me opportunity to mature as an engineer.
Gerry Lynch, Chichester,
Stories like Sarah's happen, but they hardly ever happen.
The reality is that students don't have the time or money to go to nightclubs so very often. A couple of E's and some vodka will then be talked up into a night of wild hedonism. You just don't see the medical and academic casualties you would have, were this not the case.
Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK
I am a student and also resent the assumption that my rent and fees are paid for. I have a 3000 loan for my fees currently gaining interest and had to pay an additional 70 pounds up front. That money came out of my other loan, which actually doesn't cover much more than my rent. I live on my overdraft. And would like to point out I don't buy alcohol or drugs (or books for that matter) because I can barely afford to eat (unhealthily).
Clara, London,
Absolutely nothing has changed in the 20 years since I was at university. Most students of my era also indulged in excess alcohol or drugs. As we progressed into our 20's we were able to afford more expensive drugs and we swapped ecstacy and cider for cocaine and champagne. Now in our late 30's we have progressed to sobriety and children. A few suffered, but have recovered; none have ended up as addicts slumped in doorways. We all have well paid jobs and expensive flats. I suspect the current generation will turn out little different.
VC, London,
Sounds depressing beyond belief to me...
Lisa, Dublin,
Just picking up on the line "its safe to assume that students have their rent and tuition fees paid"...why should you assume this? I think you'd find that the majority of students end up working to supplement their loans, in order to pay their rent and fees. I certainly did, as did almost everyone I knew at uni (3 years ago). Once rent and bills were paid I had less than £30 a week for food and everything else, so I resent the implication that I had over £3000 disposable income a year!
C, Plymouth,
The toxic combination of newly found freedom and the pressure to do well certainly does push some people over the edge, but dumping all students in one category is about as wrong as you can get. I worked on my studies from 9:30 until 5pm each week day while at uni, and I had a job at the weekends. I certainly wasn't unusual. Many people also work during the week to pay the bills. Sure, you're going to get some who go absolutely mad, but it would be interesting to know how many of those who get wasted and take drugs regularly leave uni with a good degree.
Esther, bonn, germany
Sounds about right to me... I graduated from Manchester in 2006 and it seems little has changed. For some, drugs is used as an excuse to drop out or blamed for failing, something that the university is most sympathetic towards. For those who don't own up, or declare it as a problem there is little help and failure is inevitable. I have seen drug consumption go up massively over since I finished my GCSE's. Parents are all too ready to pick up the tab and help out. As one who's parents didn't share such empathy I came out of uni with a 2.2 - a massive disappointment to everyone, most of all myself. A former flatmate however, used it as an excuse and was allowed to resit the year, for me this wasn't an option due to financial pressures. Something must change or this generation will end up a bunch of dribbling dependents.
Cat, Manchester, UK