Peter - Interview 01
Peter doesn't distinguish between legal and illegal drugs. He thinks the first substance he tried was alcohol. When drunk he tends to forget what happened and this worries him. He smokes cannabis regularly but his main concern is alcohol.
Peter works full time in publicity. He is single and has one child. White British.
More about me...
Peter started smoking weed at a time when he was socialising a lot.
Peter started smoking weed at a time when he was socialising a lot.
When I started smoking it more regularly? I’d say other than availability there’s nothing pressuring me to do it. I wasn’t, I wasn’t depressed or anything. No I was going through like one of the best times of my life probably actually. I was a lot more confident than I’d ever been. I was doing. I obviously because I’d had issues when I finished school and then gone to the college but I was doing well with my work placement. I had my part-time job at Burger King. So I was quite popular with the girls at college so I was. I was going through a good time in my life really. So no there was no pressure. There was nothing making me smoke.
Peter started smoking cannabis more regularly when he was able to buy it from his cousin.
Peter started smoking cannabis more regularly when he was able to buy it from his cousin.
I mean I don’t know actually. I smoke it on my own now. Perhaps at that age it’s not the right thing. You’re very insecure with yourself as an adolescent.
Peter is programmer and says that smoking weed helps him to come up with solutions to technical problems at work.
Peter is programmer and says that smoking weed helps him to come up with solutions to technical problems at work.
In fact maybe I’d like to stop smoking, maybe I’d prefer another method of ingestion. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of a vaporiser. Perhaps I’d prefer to vaporise than smoke.
Peter thinks that it's difficult to prove either way if cannabis causes schizophrenia.
Peter thinks that it's difficult to prove either way if cannabis causes schizophrenia.
Yeah as opposed to here because obviously it’s so culturally engrained in me in this country that I must hide this. I don’t want people to see this. You know it’s not something that you do in public. It’s not really socially accepted here. So then to go into a country where it is socially accepted to an extent it’s, it’s an odd feeling. I mean actually the last time I was there I was quite paranoid because I was like. I don’t know why, just because it’s so out in the open I just like. I mean I’m sure if I was there for a week, I’ve only ever been for a few days, I mean I’m not, in fact I’ve not had that every time I’ve gone. It’s only happened twice where I’ve got a bit like anxious in one coffee shop and then the last time I went as well. But it’
Peter had ’blackouts’ during lunchtime drinking sessions at work and couldn’t remember what he’d done once he’d sobered up.
Peter had ’blackouts’ during lunchtime drinking sessions at work and couldn’t remember what he’d done once he’d sobered up.
So that’s, that’s probably the only reason I actually continued to actually drink alcohol because I do think I have an unhealthy relationship with it. So I generally don’t. I don’t go out drinking regularly. I just go for lunchtime drinks occasionally with people from work now. And maybe once every few months I might have an actual night out of drinking because I don’t trust myself on alcohol. I don’t like what it does to me.
Peter’s ex blamed his cannabis use for their relationship problems but he says the problems were still there when he quit.
Peter’s ex blamed his cannabis use for their relationship problems but he says the problems were still there when he quit.
Peter explains why he was so bored and easily distracted at school but managed to get the training he needed later on.
Peter explains why he was so bored and easily distracted at school but managed to get the training he needed later on.
No. I wasn’t a, no. No I wasn’t using alcohol to... or any drugs to a degree where it could have affected my schooling. I honestly believe my schooling was. I don’t want to paint myself as a victim but I honestly think I was a victim of the circumstance there. I think had I been at the right school I think I could have achieved a lot academically.
Peter and his friend managed to get hold of alcohol despite being under-age.
Peter and his friend managed to get hold of alcohol despite being under-age.
I probably got drunk off alcohol, intoxicated at maybe around 12 or 13 with friends from school. Basically I think we stood outside a shop. We asked people walking past where they were going in, were they going. Eventually someone did. I think it was something like cider. We drunk about a litre or two each. I can’t remember. It was a long time ago. I was, I was very drunk. I can’t really remember that much of that day.
Peter got very drunk and ended up in trouble with the police after he got into an argument, involving an air rifle, with some neighbours.
Peter got very drunk and ended up in trouble with the police after he got into an argument, involving an air rifle, with some neighbours.
R' Yeah, yeah.
Peter felt light headed after his first joint and wondered if it was the effect of smoking...
Peter felt light headed after his first joint and wondered if it was the effect of smoking...
I can’t say whether I liked it at that point. I really can’t say whether I liked it or I didn’t like it. It affected me. I knew I were, I actually. No it did affect me but I think the nicotine was the initial effect that I identified which I confused with the cannabis because generally we mixed cannabis and nicotine together to smoke it together, tobacco together, to smoke it together. And because I remember a head rush. Now actually now as an experienced cannabis user I could say that’s. It was actually probably from the amount of nicotine that I’d had at once because it. I think cannabis takes a lot longer to affect you than nicotine and that. It’s not something that I’d associate with it, a light-headed head rush. I would associate that more with the nicotine effect
Peter feels more pressure to drink a lot when he’s out with other young men. He says that even bar tenders seem to disapprove when he orders a non-alcoholic drink.
Peter feels more pressure to drink a lot when he’s out with other young men. He says that even bar tenders seem to disapprove when he orders a non-alcoholic drink.
Oh yeah and I’m generally as a male I’m quite competitive. You know I like to partake in most male activities. Like I like to go to the gym, do sports and various stuff like that so.