Telltale signs of someone who's off their face on coke?

[VladmirsPoutine]

What would these be? I'm fairly good at recognising people that are wasted on alcohol; the slurring, the weird sort of honesty and imbalance when they walk. And for one or two reasons I can spot an alcoholic who is hiding it well; a functional alcoholic, if you will.

But with coke what would it be? I suspect this of someone close to me but don't necessarily want to make any judgements as such just yet. When someone is drunk it's easy to spot but I'm not aware of what someone off their face on coke would necessarily be like, speaking very fast and rubbing their nose a lot?

I agree with you @DoinItForTheKids ! I thought it was a simple recreational thing that people can use responsibly but it can dive off the cliff edge. Having had it in my house, I no longer think it's so benign and don't want to be close to anyone who is regularly on it

Another thing - it's expensive so as the need for it increases, the more skint they get. Expect to be tapped for money as they spend at least £100 several times a week

I worked with someone I was convinced was a (dick) coke-head. I’m nodding at a few of the descriptions above.

I think most of the signs have been mentioned:

Highly talkative
Increased confidence
Toilet breaks
Drinking but not seeming drunk
Occasionally sniffing though most people would be more savvy
Staying up super late and not getting tired
No appetite.

Also look out for Columbian flu - essentially if someone is taking coke every Saturday night they will be run down and sniffling the next day.

Today I know that 5 of my neighbours are on a Coke come down. It's getting beyond ridiculous how normal it is. The group I'm talking about are all mid 30's to early 40's and two of them ( women ) are massively addicted and their children are suffering.
Makes me sick.

Signs I know are zero appetite, smoking loads, talking shite, making promises they can't keep, borrowing money to get more out of pure desperation, swearing, violent temper, paranoia, poor judgement sexually, I could go on and on.

Coke has pretty much destroyed two of these families and is well on the way to destroy a third.

Thank fuck I don't know THAT much about my neighbours! Do you all live in a dorm or something?

Talking about yourself in the third person.
Talking more loudly and quickly than normal.
Talking generally more than normal.
Fidgeting.
Teeth grinding.
Little sniffs like a rabbit.
Woggly eyes.
Sweating for no apparent reason.
Will often have a favoured snorting surface, usually a mirror, that they guard jealously and get really, really anxious if it isn't in its normal spot.

I had a cokehead housemate at university. My mum came to visit one day and I had to hide her cocaine mirror under the settee. She went nuts.

You're right Asleep. There are those short-term financial impacts which are absolutely right, but then there's the £ impacts that arise over a longer period of time if they've been doing it for 10 or 15 years - they can end up that they spent £20-30,000 on cocaine. He wanted me to put his name on the deeds of my house so I said well haven't you saved any money since you've been working from the age of 20? Nope, he'd spent it all on coke! So even if the person doesn't fall off that cliff edge in terms of their coke use even over many years, you might think everything's alright but actually they have wasted a massive amount that has other impacts (even if they've stopped for several years and don't do it any more) like they can't contribute to you buying a house together for example, that sort of thing.

Going off my daughter, taking shite, being a bigger idiot than she normally is. Then a violent freak on a few bad come downs who assaulted me on more than one occasion. Hate the stuff. Her Columbian flu lasted days.

Excessive jaw movement and teeth chattering or grinding can be a symptom of any stimulant use including prescription medications (for ADHD for example).

Teeth grinding isn’t coke - more likely MDMA

Won't someone think of the children!!! I mean FFS! it seems coke is easier to disguise.

I agree Gin. Never seen people grinding and gurning on coke that would stop their self-obsessed verbal diarrhoea!).

Of course, I've missed off a 'hidden' symptom from my list.

The endless, never-ending string of lies about whether they're using, how much they're using, when they last used, that they'll never do it again, that the coke you found in their wallet was an old one/a mate's... that particular circus can take five precious years of your life that you'll never get back.

Gurning

Rolled up notes is a dead giveaway too!

Live in a small close where everyone knows everyone too well and they don't hide what they're up to at all. I only popped something next door last night and was offered a line I hate how normal it is to them and not just weekends either.

@Zoflorabore Unless you live in student halls that's not normal at all.

so I would say it depends if they use a the time they will have a higher tolerance and it may not be obvious if they use occasionally on a night out ECT I would say they can drink a lot but not appear that drunk no tiredness or sitting down getting sloppy ECT. Very very confident , talking loads , like almost a compulsion to talk. Pupils bigger not smaller , if on night out of say they will dance quiet a lot and possibly in a way they wouldn't normally.

Zoraflora we went to a 40th party at someone’s house recently and everyone was doing it! It’s become so normal, i was really shocked. They were all 30/40-somethings with kids (who weren’t there).

Lady me too, I think I'm quite worldly wise but I must be bloody naive!
I'm 40, when I went to university I don't know a single person who took Coke, drugs yes but not that.

The constant cars pulling up, staying up all night and sleeping all day whilst palming the kids off with anyone who will have them.
My dd is friends with one of the little girls and it makes me very sad that she is seemingly second best to Coke.

The money that is spent is shocking. Owing dealers money is normal as they will tick it no problem and then they have to pay the bill and it's a lot of money.
I actually want to move which is a real shame as our house is lovely but I don't want my dc growing up around this.

I already said my bf's nephew dropped dead from taking a line of coke that had been cut with fentanyl.

I work in a hospital & the physios regularly come across young Stroke patients who have used coke.

Also it can cause lethal Cardiomyopathy if used regularly.

Puts me off anyway.

Re: the gurning & grinding teeth - my prescription anti psychotics cause that unfortunately, I'd hate anyone to assume I'm on illegal drugs. Also my anti depressants cause large pupils.

As I said before I'm concerned about a friend who's started using coke- she's bipolar & she will get unwell - alcohol alone makes her unwell fgs.

@tierraJ I'm sorry that happened, it seems he had his whole life ahead of him. Did he die being a regular user or was it a random one-off 'accident' of sorts?

I'm not actually sure, I know he'd experimented with other drugs but don't think he had the money to be a regular coke user.

He was only mid 20s

Can't you just ask them Vlad? And did you decide on the course?

I was a bit surprised recently to someone I'd had a few conversations with has a coke habit, to be fair they said incredulously 'didn't you notice?', and I said well, no'.

In restropect the person spoke really fast, bit I thought that was their style

Dp used to take coke and other stuff all the time when we first met then stopped thankfully. A couple of years ago he was out with a friend and returned at about 1.30am which is completely unlike him. I was laid in bed talking to him and his eyes gave him away. Glazed. Tiny pupils. And he was very coherent considering he had been drinking all day.