Curb your bravado: Why pill pressure ruins the rave

You’ve just woken up and it’s 10am on a Sunday. Some birds are chirping earnestly outside your bedroom window and your head feels heavy from the night before. You didn’t get much sleep but at least you got some. “How you feeling?” you message a mate. “Still out”, they reply.

Monday morning and the Whatsapp group chat is exploding with details of the weekend. The inevitable “Where were you?” is fired in your direction. You tell them that you left at 3 and the conversation goes quiet. Everyone is betrayed by their ticks marking the reply as ‘seen’ and someone eventually pipes up to call you “boring”.

It’s become standard to receive such an apathetic response when making this statement to your pals. Maybe a raised eyebrow next time you see them and probably a not-so-enthusiastic invite to next weekend’s festivities. But is it fair to have your opinion on the latest Luca Lozano mix dismissed because you haven’t rinsed your life away on filter-less ciggies at the afters? Last time I checked, your party status doesn’t equate to your knowledge or your love for the music.