With 4/20 coming up I wrote a short elegy for my teenage stoner days, a couple of decades before anyone had heard of Stardawg. whatareyouon.substack.com/p/bongs-bric...

Proud to announce that @theloopuk.bsky.social has started 2 regular drug checking services in London, with a 3rd opening soon! Free, non judgmental #harmreduction advice from dedicated professionals. Read @whatareyou0n.bsky.social’s article here:- whatareyouon.substack.com/p/inside-the...

You can now get your drugs checked in LDN. We took a proper look at @theloopuk.bsky.social new services, with CEO Katy Porter. If you’re thinking of heading down (or curious how they made it happen) have a read. Next service is this Saturday in Camden. whatareyouon.substack.com/p/inside-the...

A new edition of THE BUMP – our round-up of news and distorted views from the drug mediasphere – is out. Featuring psychedelics, weed, the chattering classes, and an old banger on bananas and coke from @maxdaly.bsky.social whatareyouon.substack.com/p/the-bump-3...

"Running for the shelter of her mother's little helper" From Victorian morphine tonics to 1950s benzos and barbies to millennial wine-o’clock, @ellajglover.bsky.social tells the history of drugs aimed at the “mum market”. 🙏 to @dhbuffalo.bsky.social for the smarts. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Just published this by everyone's pal, Andre Gomes from TalkingDrugs. It looks at Europe ascent to Peak Coke, and the futility of using law enforcement to come down the other side W/insights from @steverolles.bsky.social and @joshtorrance.bsky.social whatareyouon.substack.com/p/europes-pe...

I gave up ultra-processed foods for a month to see if it made me happier and healthier. (Not convinced it did either, though I haven't drunk a Coke Zero this year.) substack.com/home/post/p-...

Fascinating piece by @whatareyou0n.bsky.social on fear, fun, (lack of) alcohol & generational change in nightlife, with brief comment from my students. open.substack.com/pub/whatarey...

Should young people be drinking more?

 Scott Galloway thinks so, booze providing a route to the connectivity current generations supposedly lack.
 I dug into it w/experts like @melissaoldham.bsky.social @fmeasham.bsky.social and @michaelkill.bsky.social whatareyouon.substack.com/p/should-you...

Can psychedelics help you lock-in during your workout? @ellajglover.bsky.social investigates this new fitness trend, then gives it a go in her local gym. whatareyouon.substack.com/p/locked-in-...

Thanks for chatting, Harry!

Withdrawal? Crime? Other drug use? A comprehensive review of minimum unit pricing found these fears don’t materialise – while health benefits do. In our latest blog, Dr James Clay of @uviccisur.bsky.social explains. www.ias.org.uk/2025/12/18/m...

New referrals to treatment for ice (crystal meth) have doubled in 5 years. Is this drug – perennially niche in the UK but made famous by Breaking Bad – coming out of hibernation? New post on WHAT ARE YOU ON 👇 whatareyouon.substack.com/p/ice-in-the...

🧠 I’ve had some really lovely messages from people about this article on my bad brain, Oasis and the healing potential of nostalgia. Thank you to anyone that’s taken the time to read it and/or reach out. Had a happy cry about it yesterday 🧠 substack.com/home/post/p-...

I wrote about the science of nostalgia and how an Oasis song helped me survive 2025. whatareyouon.substack.com/p/the-wheels...

I spent two days in America’s most notorious open drug scene, hearing how the new tranq, medetomidine, has the most fast-acting and dangerous withdrawal symptoms of all drugs. And why its prevalence is the result of the drug war. For @dispatchmedia.bsky.social dispatch-media.com/the-real-peo...

If you care about pubs, reducing alcohol harm, or the Autumn Budget debate, this is a must-read. A clear, accessible chat with Prof Colin Angus about pub closures, supermarket affordability, duty freezes, cider exceptionalism, and the case for MUP. whatareyouon.substack.com/p/britain-bl...

“The first time I ate mushrooms and ran, I planned on running 21 kilometres [a half marathon] and ended up running a full marathon instead – and with ease." V.interesting on the nascent trend of people using psychedelics to workout, by @ellajglover.bsky.social www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/artic...

In the run-up to the Budget – and with booze in a weird place (high deaths, sober curiosity, £7 pints, pubs shutting) – I had a long chat with @victimofmaths.bsky.social about the true cost of alcohol: to drinkers, and everyone else. 🍺 whatareyouon.substack.com/p/britain-bl...

I am trying to get hold of Alasdair Forsyth, esteemed writer of many academic articles about nightlife in the 90s + 2000s. He has dropped off the radar and I can't get him through his old university (Glasgow Caledonian) and not turned him up on social. Does anyone have a lead? @fmeasham.bsky.social

Big ❤️ to Tom for speaking so frankly (and on the record) about his gear days for this.

We took a quick look at the world of rectally administered magic mushrooms and asked: that can’t be A Thing,…can it? (Spoiler: yes) substack.com/home/post/p-...

The price-per-kilo of ketamine in online UK-based markets dropped 75% in just over 2 years. Why is it so cheap? whatareyouon.substack.com/p/treated-li...

I rounded up drug news of the last month for the first edition of THE BUMP. Includes the NYT Amy Griffin story, a barbershop banger from @matthabusby.bsky.social and @maxdaly.bsky.social on the secret of tusi's success. substack.com/home/post/p-...

I spoke to DM Trott (author of The Drug Users Bible) about his five favourite drugs – of 182 he's tried, tested and reported on. Can you guess the ketamine-adjacent research chemical he picked at number 3? whatareyouon.substack.com/p/the-planet...

Happy to be told otherwise and god bless British pubs and clubs, but these longer hours aren't going to stop the 75% of booze being bought in shops, are they? www.theguardian.com/business/202...

"The reason pink cocaine is “one of the most significant developments in the drug market in recent years” (according to a recent Spanish government report) is...because it’s pink. A bright, lurid, Barbie Dreamhouse pink that really pops on Instagram. " 🎯🎯🎯

"Within half an hour I felt a cranial throb – like the ghost of a pill, dialled way down." I profiled – and tested – kanna: the legal botanical buzz that's making waves in the US and has recently launched in the UK. whatareyouon.substack.com/p/keep-kanna...

"Writing out lots of different substances may not appear concise on the death certificate...it's not always clear which drug was most responsible, so the cause of death is often reported as something ambiguous like “multi-drug toxicity” or “polydrug use.”" whatareyouon.substack.com/p/how-the-uk...

Research showed that nearly 14k opioid-related deaths in England & Wales were wrongly attributed — to “multi-drug toxicity” + other ambiguous terms. I spk with Caroline Copeland, lead researcher, about the nuances of coroners' reporting and funding cuts 👉 whatareyouon.substack.com/p/how-the-uk...

At core, ADHD is a dopamine deficit. Which makes evolutionary sense of why those with it can gravitate to drugs, dancing, loud music, and the dopaminergic hunt of the sesh. It’s a symbiosis with lows but abundant highs, shaping not just people but culture👇 whatareyouon.substack.com/publish/post...

Chronotherapy – aka “wake therapy”. Used with 1000s of patients for depression and bipolar. But what is it, and why is there a lack of research on this extremely tiring treatment? 👉 Read the first drop in The Morning After series. Sunday short hit. whatareyouon.substack.com/p/can-sleep-...

From rejection comes reason ❄️ Publishers said no to a book on UK drug culture.
So I started this instead. The first WHAT ARE YOU ON post is live now.
 👉 Link below to read + subscribe whatareyouon.substack.com/p/from-rejec...

The first WHAT ARE YOU ON post lands tomorrow, 8AM sharp ❄️ Stories about drugs + modern mental health. Guaranteed delivery. Top-shelf content only. 👉 Subscribe for the full menu: substack.com/@whatareyouon

Tragic. 67 year old woman killed by a man driving while doing nitrous oxide. I've seen lads doing this round my way. I can excuse most drug trends but this is so dumb and dangerous. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Saw an ounce of ❄️ for £680 on Telegram. Ounce of 🐎 for £160. Anyone can be a social dealer in 2025.

👋 Hello! I’m launching a Substack on Thursday 11 September. It’s called WHAT ARE YOU ON, telling stories from drug culture and our dopamine-drenched planet. More soon, but for now I’d love it if you subscribed 👇 👉 substack.com/@whatareyouon ❄️