His choice of poison - ecstasy and cocaine. And he's not alone. The apparent "normalisation" of social drug taking is troubling experts and authorities. Young, primed and loaded adults head out each weekend, assess their night's prospects, and choose oblivion. "It's super common, super normal," Andrew says.

"You get to a point where you just worry about the party, the good time ... that's all that's on your mind." Based on a recent survey by the Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research Centre, Brisbane's typical ecstasy user is a heterosexual male with tertiary or trade qualifications who is employed full time. He takes two ecstasy pills at a time, and usually once a fortnight. You get to a point where you just worry about the party, the good time ... that's all that's on your mind Illicit drugs are widely viewed with fear and loathing. The stereotypes are perpetuated by the headline-grabbing horrors of diseased, drug-addled addicts roaming the streets.

However, the reality is that most people taking illicit drugs do so recreationally and without severe consequences, albeit the inherent risk. "I didn't take it because I needed it ... it just meant I was going to have more of a good time," Andrew says. "It was always a social thing. It amplifies a good time, if you will." "I never needed it during the week," he adds. Ecstasy remains the second most used illicit drug in Australia, according to the Australian Crime Commission.

Initially Andrew was curious, not unlike many young teenagers. He had one friend with "less than savoury" connections who arranged his first hit. It then became an economical option in pubs and clubs, and at music festivals too. "You can take a $15-$20 pill and you're pretty much set for the whole night ... well you might need two of them, but that's still only $40 and you're set," Andrew says. "You can go out on the drink at a night club and spend $100 and you're still sober." Queensland's Assistant Crime Commissioner Kathleen Florian has documented the changing drug culture.

"One of the more remarkable changes has been this 'normalisation' of taking pills," she says. "There's almost an assumption that because something is in a pill it's safe to take, and that that's an acceptable thing to do. "There just seems to be a level of trust around pills." What social drug users fail to acknowledge, Ms Florian says, is that with each pill they're effectively playing Russian Roulette. In August last year, a 22-year-old Brisbane man died after taking an ecstasy pill stamped with the letters LV which was laced with the dangerous drug PMA.

Several of his friends were rushed to hospital after taking the same drug at a house party, believed to be part of a bad batch stamped with the logo of the designer fashion house Louis Vuitton. PMA - paramethoxyamphetamine - is a particularly dangerous hallucinogen with street names including 'Death' and 'Dr Death'. For those who survive, they face trouble with the law. ‘‘If you come into the Valley with pills, or any other illicit drug for that matter, chances are we will catch you,’’ Fortitude Valley Police Inspector Ray Brownhill says. ‘‘We're not just talking about a slap on the wrist, a drug conviction may mean you can't travel overseas, you can't be a doctor, you can't be a dentist, you can't even get a taxi licence.’’

Inspector Brownhill has observed the changing drug culture first-hand in his time walking the beat. "There's certainly been a shift in the last 10 years to social drug taking," he said. "It doesn't have that significant nexus to criminal networks." Online social networking sites have supported the burgeoning trend. "We've seen a shift in the users, and we've seen a shift in the suppliers as well. There's greater connectivity than there was 10 years ago for potential buyers and potential sellers," he says.

Most concerning for Detective Superintendent Tony Duncan, who oversees police in the nightclub precinct, are those willing to risk it all - their careers, their travel plans and their health. "They're everyday people with no criminal history, or limited criminal history," he says. "There's a perception that it's not criminal, that it's normalised, and it's accepted practice among the young demographic coming into the Valley on the weekend." At any level of their use, drug users can run into trouble. "People have a perception of who a person with a drug problem is, and it's not them," social worker Cameron Francis, of Dovetail, says.

"They might think, I'm not a so-called junkie in a gutter, I'm not homeless, so I'm OK." Andrew considers himself one of the lucky ones. "I've never really had any adverse reactions or side-effects of my recreational drug use," he says. "It's never really set me back. "If you do something, and get a high out of it, with no repercussions I guess you then find yourself thinking 'why not do it again'."

Amphetamine molecules trigger a flood of naturally occurring "pleasure" chemicals in the brain, the so-called neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Over time, however, the brain becomes unable to naturally produce the neurotransmitters. Chronic depression, agitation and paranoia follows. With that, the good times of today become the sad thoughts of tomorrow. "Unfortunately, the best way of learning is learning the hard way," Andrew says.

"Human nature is as human nature does. We all put our hand in the fire." Loading *Andrew is not his real name. The series, Wasted Lives: Queensland's drug battle, will continue this week featuring more stories about the trade and toll.