To think people are naive re cocaine

It you smoke cocaine, you've dabbled in craic. Imo.

Regardless of effect and use taking cocaine supports county lines and coocooing( not sure on spelling )
Why would you do something that supports that .

White is crack. Nobody calls cocaine "white". Crack and heroin are "white" and "brown".

Coke once a week is unlikely to cause issues if you are young and child free. No more than drinking heavily once a week. More often is obviously problematic.

It was a well know phrase when I was growing up and drugs were everywhere: K makes you a dope, Coke makes you a cunt.

Yes because people think drug related behavioural.changes will be things like losing your job and turning to shoplifting. They don't necessarily count general irritation or fatigue. They think their husband is "Type 1 Personality", not a raging cokehead

Whenever I've brought it up with anyone (like "everyone keeps going on about how many people do coke, but I don't think it can be true because I don't know anyone who does it") it's always been met with a slightly awkward silence, and then the other person telling me that of course they and everyone else in that particular group "occasionally" do a bit of coke (with the implication that it's somehow a bit weird that this isn't obvious to me!)

But I've never seen it with my own eyes, or been offered/invited to partake.

I agree it's much more commonplace and "normalised" then many posters on here seem to think. I don't agree that it doesn't affect people though.

I know someone who uses cocaine fairly regularly (on a night out, maybe once or twice a month) who really needs to stop using it as she struggles terribly with her mental health in the days after using.

Crack is processed cocaine. It is solid and you typically smoke it with a pipe. It is very addictive and has a very short high. This is what makes it incompatible with any sort of functional life. It is sold in smaller quantities so reflect that users probably cannot work. You can get some cracking for a tenner.

Cocaine is the unprocessed powder form that is typically snorted. The high is still relatively short but longer than crack. Probably because it is snorted and not smoked, it tends to be less physically addictive than crack. It's typically sold by the gram for about 50 or 60 quid. A common deal is getting 3 grams for 100 for a weekend night between a few of you.

You'll see memes that mention 3 for 100. That's what they're on about.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/jun/11/how-big-is-europes-cocaine-problem-and-what-is-the-human-cost

1/40 adults according to this article..

Iin some SAm countries, travelling there we were offered coca leaves for free, for fun, to help walk further. Tea or chew. But that’s only the extract from which the drug is made. It’s all over. Perhaps people in Europe should enjoy Coca leaves rather than cocaine, I suppose that’s not as cool. Sad, really. Bit desperate, taking drugs. Foolish money wasting idiots - at best. Are they not interesting enough without taking cocaine? Why not? 🫣

You are fucking joking me.
Are you really that naively educated around drugs. Of course they carry white.
Most foolish comment of the year.

Cocaine absolutely does cause massive changes in behaviour and personality! It causes people to behave in ways they most certainly wouldn’t had they not taken it, it can cause manic behaviour and crashing depression!

It was around 25yrs ago, I'm not in London either.
Quite glad I don't go out anymore tbh.
Isn't it the Kinahan Cartel and some Albanians who have cornered the UK coke trade?

You’re right - it’s very common.

I work with a guy who I know for a fact uses it recreationally.

To be fair, it has zero effect on his job - he’s actually brilliant at it.

Yes it’s very common now. It’s cheaper and easier to get hold of and the police are just far too busy to intervene every time they suspect.

I also agree that random drugs tests should be carried out by work places. Particularly those responsible for caring (healthcare, schools, childcare etc)

It is a different drug but still cocaine isn’t it as in crack cocaine so I agree with you

Well you may have to steal when you lose your job, fuck up due to cocaine use a it erodes your personality.

When your holding down a job with a raging cocaine habit, you won't be doing a good job, talking from experience.

I haven't done it in nearly 20 years, but took a lot in 2005/6 the celtic snow tiger.

A lot of cocaine heads don't realise they're messing with crack by sprinkling cocaine in a joint, it is a tiny step.

It eventually gets you.

Oh Users, wait until you're out with a friend, who suffers a cocaine induced psychosis. That's fun to manage, not . Just hope it is your friend, not yourself.

But then wasn’t the OP saying the opposite to this? She was saying that so many people do coke and do normal jobs with no behavioural changes and those who have the behavioural changes do spice or heroin, and that’s why people are naive. So, on this thread people are naive to drugs because they think coke causes behaviour change and they’re naive because they don’t realise how it affects behaviour.

My dh works for a national company they drug test randomly and cocaine is apparently the no1 result of the people tested, cocaine ruins lives and "casual " useage is seen as part of a Friday night but it isn't just a Friday night it affects them and their families the rest of the week/month/year.

I know people that take cocaine that I work with professionally because I am a therapist. It’s definitely problematic for mental health especially for people that take it weekly.
No friends of mine take cocaine. I think it’s an age thing. Most people into their late 30s or older or with families grow out of this sort of lifestyle.

I agree, OP. It's a horrible drug, and so so common. I think it's moved from being a going out drug to people using it as we used to use Pro Plus 20 years ago! I know so many professional people who take it at work to get the extra focus and energy, and I absolutely wouldn't have been able to tell if I didn't know- I'd just have thought that they were very friendly and efficient.

None of my circle of immediate friends and family are people I'd imagine to use coke, but that doesn't mean they aren't doing it. And that's true of every circle of people.

I personally don't know anyone who takes cocaine. If they did I wouldn't have any more to do with them

There were rumours that our Head Teacher " took drugs" when she was out with her friends at the weekend. But as to what drugs and whether true, I don't know.

Also, many people moan about the cost of living, how can they afford to waste money on something so stupid? Sorry but if I found out someone I knew was a user I'd probably just report them, especially if they had children that needed to be protected.

Yes and nobody is saying that it isnt problematic. It's just that a lot of people don't understand that someone close to them has a serious drug habit because they've still got their professional job and a lot of people assume that anyone with a serious drug problem would not be able to also work and they'd be doing some sort of survival crime like shoplifting or prostitution. It's one of the ways people are naive about drugs.

This.

It's just such an incredibly selfish thing to do considering the harms the cocaine industry causes in central and south America.

often the same people who take it complain & tut about local crime.