UK anti-drug ad unwittingly offers good advice

"Here in the suburbs we observe the human habitat after sunset," intones the familiar voice, "even though dark there is a surprising amount of activity ... the conditions suggest a social gathering or breeding colony".

The documentary cameras venture into the house and observe different types of drug takers – as if they are wildlife species in their native eco-systems.

The cameras observe "the pill taker" on ecstasy who exhibits a "vigorous mating dance", a "young acid dropper" on LSD "caught on camera for the first time" and the "hibernating stoner" a cannabis smoker who goes on to vomit and is labelled "the common puker".

I can't find an embed link for it, but you can view the whole clip over on the Guardian's site. It's definitely worth a look. Strangely, it wound up feeling to me like an effective argument for moderation; even though the "documentary" singles out three individuals who seem to be having a rough time, the narrator also offers solid clues for how to avoid these situations ("stay hydrated," "mixing drugs can be risky") that don't inherently reduce down to abstinence. The entire rest of the party still looks like hella fun, and we're essentially left to infer that most of those kids understood the set and setting a little better - undercutting the ending tagline of "You never know how drugs will affect you." Of course, that's my thoroughly jaded take on this type of advertising; I'm sure this "tested well" with the "target demographic."