Jess* used to take MDMA, cocaine, speed and ketamine -- or "anything" she could get her "hands on" -- three to six times a week while working as a bartender in Melbourne.
When the pandemic hit, the 21-year-old was travelling in Vietnam and rushed home before the borders closed.
She’s now living at her parents’ place in Sydney and said her life is a complete contrast to how it was before COVID-19 reared its head.
“I used to work at a bar in Melbourne, so it was pretty intense. Just like that party scene in the CBD and we’d be going out and drinking pretty heavily and doing party drugs and now just being in the pandemic and being more home-bound, there’s kind of no point to do that,” she told The Feed.
“My lifestyle before this was so hectic. Definitely not the healthiest, but definitely so much fun. Especially in my 21st birthday year, I just want to be going out and hanging out with mates and partying, it’s very difficult,” she added.
But Jess said she’s also noticed an improvement in her mental health since becoming sober.
Jess used to take MDMA, cocaine, ketamine and speed. Source: Getty
“I have a lot of mental health issues that I think I was suppressing by like going out and partying and taking drugs,” Jess said.
“Now that I'm not doing drugs at all, like [not] even smoking weed or anything, I've noticed that I've had to sit with my own thoughts a lot more. I’ve had to address things more seriously and look after myself more,” she added.
‘Fewer stimulants, more depressants’
Professor Michael Farrell is Director at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.
He said the research into during the pandemic is still in its early stages.
“The impression we get is that alcohol and cannabis consumption has probably gone up and the party drugs like ecstasy and related substances may have gone down because of the lack of social situations and opportunities to consume them,” he told The Feed.
Professor Farrell said it’s important to realise that different stages of the pandemic may result in different behaviour in drug and alcohol consumption.
“If there’s a very tight lockdown, it may make some of the transactional processes more difficult. It also encourages people to stock up on things like alcohol,” he said.
While you wouldn’t bring a bottle of wine to work, Professor Farrell said it’s easy to slip in the habit of drinking if you’re working at home -- particularly if you’re already vulnerable.
Experts suspect there's been a surge in alcohol consumption during the pandemic. Source: Getty
“The worry might be that this type of situation tips you over the edge and get you into other problems,” he said.
“Paradoxically, there are other people who only drink socially when they're out at clubs, bars and restaurants. So they may actually be drinking less at home.”
Professor Farrell told The Feed there is also a risk associated with using drugs or alcohol as a coping strategy.
“Some people drink alcohol for anxiety. But actually, if you drink alcohol for anxiety, you’ll end up with more anxiety and a bigger alcohol problem,” he said.
He also said drugs like MDMA can result in “post-use crash with depression, mood instability, self-harm or suicide risk”.
“For some people, [the pandemic] might be the driver for them to modify their own lifestyle behaviour and reflect.”
‘Weed helps me relax’
Since losing her job and being shuttered up at home, Jemima* has been using cannabis almost every day.
“Before I hadn’t used weed a lot. During the pandemic, I was using it five days or every day in place of drinking,” she told The Feed.
“I was especially using a bit in the evenings or during the afternoons as I was just very, very upset about losing my job and the uncertainty of what that would mean,” she said.
Jemima has since started a new job but continues to use cannabis to “unwind and relax” as well to “do art and work.”
Jemima said she takes cannabis to relax. Source: Getty
“I try to generally to get into the mind frame of trying to switch off and saying, ‘Okay, well, I'm going to do this the way I might go and have a bath’. Just going ‘this is part of me moving into a self-care mode’,” she said.
While in lockdown in Victoria, Jemima had her own baking frenzy -- except rather than making sourdough, she began experimenting with edibles.
But she said she hasn’t taken any MDMA or cocaine since March when she went to her last music festival.
“I'm sure I could if I wanted, but I just see less of a need when it's just me and my partner at home. I'm sort of more interested in unwinding and being a bit creative and loopy rather than wanting to go get crazy in that way. I'd be more likely to do that every three to six months,” she said.
Jess -- who’s also stopped taking MDMA -- said although she misses going out and experimenting with party drugs, staying at home is a “necessary evil” to overcome the virus.
Jess said the pandemic "is what it is" and people should adhere to the health advice. Source: Getty
“At the beginning of the pandemic, I kind of felt like I was being cheated of my youth and obviously, I want to be going out and partying but at the same time, it’s for the greater good,” she said.
“It’s not just older people who can get the virus and suffer, it’s people who can be immunocompromised as well,” she added.
“As much as I want to be out partying and having a good time and getting smashed every night, there are other people who just want to live and be alive, you know. I’m in my old family room just like vibing, it’s just what it is.”
For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs, call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.
