To enjoy an evening with friends, Matt, a 22-year-old from the north of England, used to have to drink until he was sick. Without this, he was silent all evening, afraid to say something wrong. Matt works in a warehouse. He says he felt like he just “just couldn’t engage” in conversations that everyone else seemed to easily enjoy.
Two years ago, he replaced alcohol with prescription drugs he learned about on social media.
Now, while going out on a Friday night, Matt (not his real name) takes a drug he buys illegally online, commonly prescribed to treat epilepsy and neuropathic pain. Along with it, he takes a beta blocker designed to slow his racing heart and reduce muscle tremors, the physical manifestations of anxiety.
According to him, it gives him the effect of being drunk, but without the hangover.
“To get the same effect from alcohol, you have to drink a lot, which is extremely unhealthy and unpleasant,” he says.
Matt claims that the drugs make him feel “euphoric,” quell anxious thoughts, and make it easier to communicate with people.
However, experts warn that taking such drugs in large doses without medical supervision can be dangerous and, in some cases, life-threatening.
Long-term use of these drugs can also lead to addiction: a person begins to feel that without them he can no longer cope with any social situation. When trying to come off the drug, some also report increased anxiety, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts.
According to Matt, who has already tried treating social anxiety with psychotherapy, what started as a way to cope with parties and hanging out with friends has now extended to date nights and family events. Without the drugs, he admits, in many social situations he “wouldn't even try” to communicate.
However, Matt denies that he has developed a dependence on these drugs.
Evidence from around the world shows that young people are increasingly turning to drugs and experimental substances as alternatives to alcohol. Some are taken in tablet form, such as pregabalin and propranolol, which Matt uses. Others are injected, such as peptides, a type of protein compound that is becoming increasingly popular online.
Part of the reason behind this trend is a desire to cope with social anxiety, which appears to be particularly affecting Generation Z. More than a quarter (28%) of people in their early 20s in England report high levels of anxiety, according to a University College London study published last year. The study also found that serious mental disorders were significantly more common among Gen Z than among millennials at the same age.
This trend is alarming to scientists and has them wondering why some young people feel they can only communicate normally with others through the use of chemicals.
"Sober generation"
The demand for “healthier” alternatives to alcohol has fueled a new market for substances promoted on social media as a way to socialize without the subsequent hangover.
They are seen as a "cleaner, safer alternative", says Teesside University addiction researcher Liam Knowles. "People don't feel as bad the next day, and it's a drug - so they feel it's safer."
It is difficult to determine exactly how many young people use prescription drugs and unregulated peptides for easier communication because many purchase them without a prescription. Knowles believes that "there are probably a significant number of people who develop an addiction."
Thousands of videos can be found on social media using hashtags related to these drugs. Users are encouraged to make their own combinations of different drugs - a practice known on the Internet as “stacking”.
The growing interest in such substances comes as young people increasingly turn away from alcohol, earning Generation Z the nickname “the sober generation.”
At the same time, the same influencers who talk about the benefits of such combined drugs also recommend their subscribers to stay away from alcohol.
According to a survey last year by the charity Drinkaware, 26% of Britons aged 18 to 24 did not drink alcohol - up from 7% in 2012.
Meanwhile, Professor Emily Jones, a psychologist at King's College London, believes the Covid pandemic could be contributing to a rise in social anxiety, particularly among young people.
“Lockdown has actually taught everyone to fear social contact,” she says.
Pregabalin attracts particular attention from young people who are ready to experiment with drugs.
A study published in the journal Nature Communications found that global consumption of the drug more than quadrupled between 2008 and 2018.
At the same time, the number of pregabalin-related deaths has also increased sharply. In England and Wales, pregabalin was mentioned on 2,360 drug poisoning death certificates between 2020 and 2024, according to the UK Office for National Statistics. In 2015–2019, there were 768 such cases.
One of the dead was Eccles software engineer Alex Cottam, 27, described by his mother Michelle as a “sweet, smart and popular” young man. He was prescribed Pregabalin to treat anxiety, but, according to his mother, he “became addicted” and began to replenish his supply of the drug by buying it from illegal websites.
"I think every day that pregabalin killed my son," she told the BBC in 2024.
In England, pregabalin was classified as a Class C controlled substance in 2019. Those who buy it without a prescription face up to two years in prison, although in practice prison sentences are extremely rare. However, the drug is still widely used to treat epilepsy, neuropathic pain and anxiety disorders. The British government's independent drugs experts have also launched a review into the extent of the drug's abuse.
Researchers have noted an increase in pregabalin abuse in other countries, including Jordan, Ukraine and India.
In China, authorities earlier this year tightened controls on the drug, banning most online sales and placing limits on the amount of pregabalin each province can produce.
Staking on social networks
Matt first learned about the medications he now takes at the age of 20, from Braden Peters, better known as “Clavicular,” a controversial influencer who openly shared during his streams that he takes these medications as part of a “stack” to reduce social anxiety.
These drugs have become the subject of public discussion. Actresses Rachel Sennott and Kristen Bell and influencer Khloe Kardashian are among the celebrities who have spoken publicly about taking beta blockers.
Pregabalin, especially in doses higher than prescribed by your doctor, can cause relaxation and a feeling of joy—feelings similar to being drunk.
This is exactly the effect that Mei (not her real name), a 20-year-old university student from China, was trying to achieve.
She said the drugs ease the physical manifestations of anxiety and can give her a feeling of “euphoria.” At first she took them before parties.
“I felt like I could be the most interesting person in the room,” she says.
And social media appears to be doing more than just exposing young people to these substances—it's also helping them acquire them. Our research showed that some influencers sell such drugs on websites, links to which they post on their social networks.
Mei says that she bought the drug through one of the Chinese social networks.
“There are thousands of ads for it,” she says.
“There is no such thing as free cheese”
In addition, these drugs can be much cheaper than alcohol.
Matt says his medication for an evening only costs him 18 pence (about a quarter of a dollar), a saving he calls a “nice bonus.”
Addictions researcher Knowles says many of the young people he has met in the UK who take these drugs for relaxation are extremely health-conscious.
“People don't want extra calories,” he says. “They think, ‘My doctor wouldn’t prescribe these drugs if they were harmful.’”
This logic resonates with Matt, who regularly goes to the gym and believes that these drugs have “much less impact” on his body than alcohol, especially on the liver and heart.
“People in this community believe that pregabalin is healthier than alcohol,” he says.
Alcohol consumption has been linked to at least seven types of cancer, and the World Health Organization warned several years ago that drinking any amount of alcohol carries health risks.
Professor David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist at Imperial College London who has long campaigned for easing drug laws, said the drugs Matt was taking may be less harmful than alcohol abuse, although they do carry their own risks.
“Propranolol and pregabalin are certainly safer than alcohol, but they are not completely safe,” he says.
However, he said, the situation changes when pregabalin is taken in large doses to become intoxicated, as Matt says he does himself.
“If they use it as a kind of intoxicant, they run the risk of becoming addicted,” Nutt says. “In this sense, there is no free cheese.”
Propranolol also comes with risks. Although it is generally considered safe when taken as prescribed by a doctor, improper use or high doses can cause dizziness, fainting, and a dangerously slow heart rate.
The risks may be even higher if medications are purchased from unregulated sources. “There is always a danger of receiving drugs that are not manufactured to medical standards,” says Nutt.
Dangers of Addiction
King's College London psychologist Jones says comparing the physical harms of these drugs and alcohol distracts from a more fundamental question: what happens when people begin to believe they can only communicate with others through chemicals?
“Alcohol in large quantities is dangerous, but taking medications regularly without medical supervision is just as dangerous,” she says.
She is particularly concerned that using medications to suppress anxiety may reinforce the belief that ordinary social situations are threatening. What starts with a pill before a party can gradually spread to dates, work meetings and everyday life.
“You lose faith in your own ability to effectively deal with these situations,” Jones warns.
May started out with a "coming out stack" before parties, but soon began taking the drugs before exams, speeches and debates. Eventually, she said, she started taking them every day.
Knowles says young people often don't realize they're dependent on drugs if they continue to function generally normally, such as maintaining a job or a relationship. In their opinion, only those whose lives are already noticeably ruined have addiction.
Black market drugs
As China, India and other countries tighten controls on these drugs, some experts warn that further restrictions on access to them could create other risks.
Nikita Lapin, an epidemiologist and director of the Ukrainian harm reduction organization Mind Games, says banning substances does not necessarily lead to people stopping using them.
“Banning certain substances simply leads to people turning to the black market and buying drugs of questionable quality,” he says, noting the risk of overdose.
Knowles notes that illegally purchased pregabalin poses an additional risk because buyers may not know exactly what they are taking.
“If you buy an alcoholic drink in a shop [in the UK] and it says the number of units of alcohol and the percentage, that's what it contains,” he says.
According to him, in the case of pregabalin purchased on the Internet, there is no such certainty: “This is an additional risk that is not present when buying a bottle of strong alcohol.”
Matt, despite taking the drugs primarily to facilitate communication, still believes he is making healthier choices at the same time.
“When I compare how much my quality of life has improved versus what I consider to be the minimal health impact, the choice is very clear to me,” he says. “For me, this is a justifiable compromise.”
