what recreational drug smells like burnt rubber

Then it became popular at chemsex parties. GHB’s popularity among young women and clubbers in general marks the third stage of its evolution as a drug: first, it was best known as a potent and dangerous date rape drug, slipped into the drinks of unknowing victims. “For them, G just made sense – no sugar, no calories and no hangover.” GHB sits in a risk category all of its own, “I was with two friends who don’t drink alcohol the first time I tried G,” Holli says. When the dosage is wrong, or when it’s mixed with another central nervous system depressant such as alcohol, GHB can put the user into a coma in a matter of minutes, which is why the women aren’t drinking. It can be found in powder form, but more usually an odourless, colourless, slightly salty liquid that prompts a brief, powerful euphoria. They have just taken G, aka GHB, also known as liquid ecstasy. “It takes around 10 minutes to work,” she says, heading back to the bar for a glass of water. On her phone Lauren sets a timer to count down the next 90 minutes, until the time they’ll take some more.

She points the bottle into her glass of lemonade, pumps twice, swirls it and drinks the mixture in three gulps. It’s the kind you might decant a favourite perfume into, to pack in your carry-on luggage. In a corner of the club, Lauren reaches into her bag and plucks out a 30ml, clear plastic spray bottle. “We came up with it when we first started taking G at uni, and were just loving it and loving life.” “It means Girls’ Night Out but also, for us, G Night Out,” she says.

Underneath most of the photos is written #GNO.

In one shot they huddle together under a neon sign, the light strobing off their highlighted cheekbones. The young women in her pictures have long, glossy hair and matte-painted mouths. L auren, 24, is scrolling through her Instagram profile while she waits at the bar, in a club in a Yorkshire town.

What recreational drug smells like burnt rubber