Heroin Daze: the story of a recreational heroin user

Watching Claire walk down the street you can’t help but envy her. A slim, attractive fifty year old she has a buzz about her, the type of person you instantly like. Wearing a soft pair of khaki trousers and a cashmere jumper Claire chooses to show off her creativity with carefully selected jewellery- a bracelet from India, a necklace from a Spanish market.
On her arm is an exquisite looking man, the type of silver fox that has only gotten better with age. His skin is delicately tanned in a way that suggests just recently he has benefitted the sun- despite the fact it’s been dreary in London for months. Unfortunately the wedding ring on his finger and the way he smiles at Claire tells you that he’s married, and happily so.
The perfect couple, you think, what a wonderful life they must lead.
And they do, having both made a joint decision not to have children, Claire and Robert spend their weekends, not in a crowded fast food chain like their friends, but at Michelin starred restaurants and browsing art galleries.
Money has never been a problem for the couple, both from wealthy families and doing well in their careers they live a relaxed life.
What you can’t see is that Claire and Robert have a secret. One so big that if discovered it could shatter their reputations forever. They are members of a hidden section of society- a group of people so small that very few are aware they exist. Along with other friends Claire and Robert relax, not with a glass of wine like most their age, but with heroin.
“There are probably about five of us,” Claire explains, “they tend to come round to my house and we get comfy, I’ll pop the kettle on, we’ll listen to some music, chat and be sociable whilst smoking some heroin.”
It’s a side of heroin use that is unimaginable for most- society tells us that as soon as anyone experiences the highs heroin offers you have made a pact with the devil – you’re doomed for a life of addiction.
Claire first smoked heroin in the sixties when the drug was associated with hedonism and romance rather than prostitution and death. Living on a house boat she became close with a crowd of hippies who introduced her to LSD and cannabis. It was through these friends that she met her first husband: an aspiring guitarist who copied his idols by injecting heroin. Although surrounded by an inspiring group of people Claire felt lonely and her new husband suggested that heroin might help her battle her emotions. This suggestion worked, Claire found heroin calmed her, masked her depression and made her feel in control.
Her and her husband began to drift apart, his dreams of touring the world as a rock star were becoming steadily out of his reach and as a result he either lashed out at Claire or became withdrawn turning to heroin to numb the pain of failed ambition.
Eventually Claire moved in with a single friend of hers whilst going through her first divorce. Her friend, a girl who she met through a friend of her ex also used heroin.
Together they lived in a small flat in Camden they had decorated with velvet throws and Indian ornaments- the perfect, chilled out environment for their drug use. They both were privileged enough to have family money which enabled them to finance their use and as a result stay in control.
Claire was just beginning her career as a costume designer, ambition fuelled she managed to get a placement in one of London’s top theatres. Her drug use never got in the way of her dreams, she vowed not to let it after watching her first love sink into a pit of addiction and lost desires.
Her body may have been physically dependant and occasionally on mornings she woke to shakes and painful cramps up and down her legs. But the money supplied her with endless amounts of heroin- she could give her body what it needed immediately and get on with her day.
Her family, however, got wind of the situation and insisted she spend time in a rehabilitation clinic. Her time at the clinic was short and as soon as she got out she began to use again, on and off for many years until she met Robert at a house party in 1976.
By this point Claire was a fully fledged costume designer and a regular at theatre openings and parties. Instantly noticeable by her odd clothes and loud laugh she immediately caught his eye. Robert could sense something in her, a connection he hadn’t felt with anyone in a long time. He knew that she shared his secret, for he too, loved heroin.
From the day they met until 1985 they lived in a heroin daze, using daily they both managed to put a substantial dent in their trust funds. But in 1985 something in them changed, looking at themselves they realised they had gone from bohemian romantics to desperate junkies- everything that the media had told them they would become: the walking dead.
“We decided we would wean ourselves off of it, get back on track with our careers but never stop using fully. We had the money to do so, so why not?!” Claire explains, “Friends of ours had devised rules for their heroin use so Robert and I took this advice and began only snorting a small amount morning and night to get us through the day. We managed, albeit a few relapses, to keep this going until we were down to only using heroin occasionally- mostly at weekends.”
Recreational heroin users, like Claire, all use the drug differently, some smoke it and snort it and others occasionally inject it. Each have their own theories about which works best to avoid addiction.
“Now, Robert and I just smoke it with friends. We all decide in advance when we’re going to have one of our get-togethers which are usually monthly then we chip in and buy a bag between us. We make sure we’ve got just enough to last the night so that the next day there’s no temptation to have a cheeky smoke before work or whatever.
“When I was younger I knew all the dealers- I could spot one from a mile off. I tend to keep away from that scene now so as not to fall back into using daily- when it’s there, you know you’ll do it. Now I travel to Soho which is about 45 minutes from home. That way I don’t get a regular dealer, someone I can call up at any time of day. That’s when it starts to get dangerous.
“Robert and I also keep an eye on one another, we’ve recently had a friend visiting from Kenya- he was up for a month so we were using every weekend whilst he was here. We’ve both decided that we need to have a break now, so we’re not going to use for another month.”