April 24, 2025

What Makes Ecstasy So Dangerous? (VICE: High Society)

British people statistically take more MDMA in one session than any other country on the planet. And not just a little bit more: on average, Brits take 420 milligrams per session. To put that in perspective, Germans, the same people who invented minimal techno and nightclubs that stay open for 60 hours – take only 200 milligrams. It’s still one of the safest drugs to take, but last year, ecstasy-related deaths reached their highest level in a decade, and now it’s back in the headlines. Some people say it’s drug dealers’ responsibility for selling pills that are dangerously strong and cut with adulterants. Other people point to the government, who have failed to reduce the supply of ecstasy and are refusing to embrace harm reduction strategies that have worked in Europe. Of course it’s also possible that the issue lies with British drug users themselves, who sometimes need reminding that the barometer of a good night out isn’t how much of your tongue is left at the end of it. In this episode of High Society, we find out what’s making ecstasy so dangerous again, and how that danger can be reduced.
April 23, 2025

The Ketamine Time Bomb (VICE: High Society)

Ketamine has become the generation-defining drug for young Brits. A report from November 2020, stated 1-in-30 young people admitted to taking the drug in the past year – the highest number since records began and far more than other countries in Europe. The latest figures also suggest that ketamine is now the fourth drug of choice for young people behind cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine. There is a certain cognitive dissonance at the heart of Generation K: On the one hand, we see it as a silly, wonky horse tranquilliser. On the other hand, it is literally a horse tranquilliser… A horse tranquilliser that can make you piss blood. As it has grown in popularity, so have bladder injuries and addictions. In this report, Matt Shea gets deep into the UK’s Generation K, and finds out how a party drug can go too far.
April 23, 2025

Alcohol: Adrian Chiles – Drinkers Like Me

In this revealingly intimate documentary for BBC2, Adrian Chiles takes a long, hard look at his own love of boozing. He wants to find out why he and many others don’t think they are addicted to alcohol despite finding it almost impossible to enjoy life without it. Adrian, who drinks almost every day, decides to start a drinking diary and soon finds out his intake is way over the recommended limit. He decides to visit his parents to find out what it was that motivated him to start drinking as a teenager and reveals that sneaking into pubs underage was all about friendship and being part of something, and that the allure of the social side of drinking has never really left him since his teens.
April 23, 2025

Alcohol & The Brits – Drinking for England

This BBC2 documentary depicts the drinking culture in Britain in the 90s and the bond that Brits have with booze. It follows people who drink heavily and use poetry and song to describe their tragic, yet sometimes amusing, relationship with alcohol. They include a man who drinks a minimum of ten pints of beer a night, a fashion model who drinks until she collapses, and a woman receiving detoxification treatment in a private hospital.
April 23, 2025

Alcohol at Home – Britain’s Secret Drinkers

It is commonly believed that binge drinking culture in Britain is their most serious drinking problem. However, experts in this short video, featured on the BBC programme ‘Tonight’, discuss a different concern – at home drinkers. According to a study discussed in the video, more and more people are regularly drinking alcohol at home, sometimes every night of the week. For some, it’s seen as a reward after a long day at work, and for others, it’s a way of relaxing. Unfortunately, many people appear unaware of the consequences of such behaviour.
April 23, 2025

UK Drinking Culture: A Royal Hangover

This documentary provides insight into the United Kingdom’s reliance on alcohol and the history of their binge drinking culture. In comparison to other countries, binge drinking is more socially acceptable in the UK. Unfortunately, they spend about 21 billion pounds every year because of this problem, with about 1.6 million people being dependent on alcohol. Russell Brand used to be one of them and you’ll hear his speech on this topic, including his own experiences with substance abuse.
April 20, 2025

Britain’s Drink Problem (UK Drinking Culture)

Adrian Chiles wants to “know why this multi-billion pound industry [Britain’s alcohol producers] is allowed to regulate itself – make up its own rules.” He discusses with others, both professionals and average people, the profound impact that alcohol is having on the country. This includes the rising number of alcoholics needing a liver transplant, the community’s confusion around ‘a standard drink’, and the hard-to-read designs that the alcohol industry uses for their warning labels.
April 19, 2025

Parental Alcoholism: Brought Up by Booze

Calum Best is the son of one of the greatest footballers of all time, George Best. He is also the son of an alcoholic. In this intimate and challenging BBC Children in Need special, Calum confronts the harsh realities of growing up with an alcoholic parent. Meeting some of the 1.3 million children who are growing up with parental alcoholism, and sharing with them intimate tales of his own upbringing, Calum begins to accept that his life continues to be affected even now by his father’s drinking. Brought Up By Booze takes Calum across the UK to meet young people who share stories of chaos and neglect, but also inspirational stories of determination not to end up like their parents. What does George’s addiction mean for Calum’s future and will he ever understand the illness that killed his father? In this raw and often distressing journey of a son still reaching for his dad, we see first hand the devastating effect that drink can have on alcoholics’ children. [Taken from YT description]