Tripping on Heroin Became a Lot Scarier 25 Years Ago

Revisiting the Scottish cult-classic, 'Trainspotting,' incites nostalgia and horror

Back in high school, I used to hang out with drug dealers. I often sat in my friend’s bedroom where people usually came to buy or use drugs — sometimes both. The lights were dim, and soothing ambient music played in the background. The walls were covered with photos of ocean beaches — which I always thought of as places successful people went on holidays — and the air smelled of weed. It was the perfect setup to escape life. For some, that room was the only holiday destination they could afford to go to a few times a month.

That’s where I witnessed the first real conversation about heroin.

“Did you ever try it?” I heard the question. It was addressed to the teenage girl sitting next to me smoking a joint. The guy who asked her, we just called Rocker. I knew him from high school, but I didn’t actually know him. We never spoke. I wasn’t aware that he was a user, but it didn’t surprise me.

The chick answered “no” and passed the joint back to him. He hit it hard, kept the smoke in for a few seconds before he exhaled, and said, “I’ve done it once. It was amazing, unreal.” The girl’s face lit up with surprise and excitement. My face, I assume, looked like horror.