Recreational drug use among clubbers in the South East of England r208

This study focused on young people attending mainstream night clubs. Its purpose was to assess club-goers use of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco, the role of drugs in dance culture and the strategies they used to minimise the risks associated with drug-taking. Data was collected through a survey of 760 club-goers at eight events in six different mainstream, commercial night clubs in South East England and follow-up in-depth interviews with 26 club-goers.

Lifetime illicit drug use amongst respondents was far higher than that found amongst those of the same age (16 to 29 year olds) in the general population. Patterns of drug use varied widely between the different venues but overall, over a third of respondents were using drugs on the night of their interview. However, less than half of current drug users felt that taking drugs was an integral part of their social life. Most of the club-goers had also drunk alcohol that night, with two-thirds of this group reporting dangerous levels of alcohol intake. A third of the overall sample were combining alcohol and drugs that night.

The in-depth interviews revealed that drug-takers actively sought information about the health risks of drug taking and took steps to minimise them. Interviewees bought their drugs from trusted regular suppliers before entering venues in order to reduce the health and legal risks of drug taking.