Cocaine use

[user1490969170]

I am 36 and don't use cocaine. Never have. Although none of my closest friends do, it has become common place in my wider group of friends and acquaintances. It's mainly used by the blokes recreationally. All family men. Often there wives don't know at all, or aren't aware of the extent.

Is this pretty normal? Am I just naive?

@user1490969170

I am 36 and don't use cocaine. Never have. Although none of my closest friends do, it has become common place in my wider group of friends and acquaintances. It's mainly used by the blokes recreationally. All family men. Often there wives don't know at all, or aren't aware of the extent.

Is this pretty normal? Am I just naive?

The second most commonly used drug in the last year among adults aged 16 to 59 years was powder cocaine. Around 873,000 people in this age group reported using this drug in the last year (2.6% of the population). Among young adults aged 16 to 24 years, powder cocaine was the third most commonly used drug, with 5.3% reporting use, around 331,000 users, behind cannabis (18.7%) and nitrous oxide (8.7%).

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/drugmisuseinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2020#trends-in-use-of-individual-drug-types

I'm 38, I'd say it was pretty frequently used where I am (SE England). I personally never have, but I have been around a lot of ppl who do... I used to be quite surprised at finding out who does it, but now I'm never suprised. I find its mainly "a little livener" line or few on birthdays, big nights out or occasions like NYE..but there are a few regular ie weekly users I know, but not many. Its still pretty secretive but they all know who is in on it and who isn't.

Yup all over the place..I flit between two small south coast cities / towns ..oh go on then ..Chichester and Arundel ..both awash with drugs , and middle class and artisan working class ,mostly men on it all weekends and short tempered and grumpy Monday Tuesday Wednesdays .. It's everywhere if you know where to look .

Yes, definitely notice the ones at my work who use it as they are moody bastards.

I live in London and my circle of friends just don't do drugs.

The second most commonly used drug in the last year among adults aged 16 to 59 years was powder cocaine. Around 873,000 people in this age group reported using this drug in the last year (2.6% of the population).

2.6% is 1 in 40. So in a room of 40 people 39 have not used cocaine in the last year and 1 has.

It will then be skewed to certain social groupings etc, making it in fact not that unusual for tons of people to neither be taking cocaine nor have acquaintances doing so.

I’ve never used it and none of my friends do (to my knowledge).

I do worry about my son (early twenties), who’s entering a ‘city profession’ but not in London. I have asked him but he says he hasn’t come across it.

Can people remind me what the telltale signs are?

DH and I use it occasionally together at home. Probably 4 or 5 times a year. Nobody in our social circle knows. We'd never admit it and if offered it in a social setting we'd turn it down.

Lots of people I know did in their early twenties, but not now we're all in our 30/40's with DC etc. Mind you I work in the public sector, none of us can afford it and it would be an instant dismissal if discovered in my sector. Stakes are too high.

There were far more drugs around when I lived in a village than there ever has been in my london life!

I've never touched it. I'm the type when asked, 'hey, fancy a heart attack?' I'm like no ta, pass.
But it's commonplace where I live. Standard. Going out, staying in, wedding, coke.
Every day is a school day because I always assumed it was addictive until reading otherwise on this thread. I guess all the people I know just really love doing it, then.

DH uses it every single day. I hate it with a passion.

People are dicks. And some of them choose to embrace and enhance their utter dickishness via the media of cocaine.

It's the easy way of telling me they're an utter dick without having to say the words.

I used to do coke nearly every weekend in my early twenties, it was preferable to me than alcohol. Most of the people I hung out with also did. I'm late thirties now and haven't done it at all really since I was about 30, bar literally one or two occasions. I've got no interest in it, or going out really, and would far rather have a glass of red wine sat watching a film! I don't think many of the people I used to party with still do it either.

The supply chain aspect aside, which wasn't something I knew about when I was younger, I haven't got an issue with people that do it and don't really see it as being much different to someone getting pissed in a pub. I work in the NHS now and see on a very regular basis the damage that alcohol wreaks on lives, I'm not sure I've ever had a patient that's come in because they've taken cocaine. Heroin is a different matter however.

@RiderGirl

I used to do coke nearly every weekend in my early twenties, it was preferable to me than alcohol. Most of the people I hung out with also did. I'm late thirties now and haven't done it at all really since I was about 30, bar literally one or two occasions. I've got no interest in it, or going out really, and would far rather have a glass of red wine sat watching a film! I don't think many of the people I used to party with still do it either.

The supply chain aspect aside, which wasn't something I knew about when I was younger, I haven't got an issue with people that do it and don't really see it as being much different to someone getting pissed in a pub. I work in the NHS now and see on a very regular basis the damage that alcohol wreaks on lives, I'm not sure I've ever had a patient that's come in because they've taken cocaine. Heroin is a different matter however.

The most definitive research into drug-related harm about ten years ago put alcohol a long way above cocaine (not that's it's at all relevant to this thread!)

I live in London and my circle of friends just don't do drugs.

DH and I use it occasionally together at home. Probably 4 or 5 times a year. Nobody in our social circle knows. We'd never admit it and if offered it in a social setting we'd turn it down.

I thought these two posts were interesting. We're drug users too, not very often, and just the two of us. A few very close friends know that, but most people think we're pretty dull and conventional, and in a country where we are criminals we're happy to keep them in ignorance on that point. I wouldn't be so sure that you know about your friends' drug habits!

I think alcohol is the worst drug bar none.

@Londondreams1

I think alcohol is the worst drug bar none.

It's number three, as I recall, after crack and heroin.

Sorry, my memory is shit, it must be all the drugs

BBC News - Alcohol 'more harmful than heroin' says Prof David Nutt
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11660210

I also heard that although heroin is awful to withdraw from, (physical symptoms like vomiting and shaking) it can be done so more easily than nicotine withdrawal, which apparently requires more determination.

Then of course there’s benzos , legally prescribed medication, which are so dangerous that often you are unable to withdraw from them and elderly people especially are forced to take them in nursing homes until they die as the withdrawal will kill them.

If you have been affected by cocaine use, you would never say it is like alcohol. While alcohol is clearly addictive for some people, which is awful, it is nothing like the effects of cocaine. It is a horrid drug, made from whatever the dealers can put into it to make as much money as possible. People are exploited all the way through the supply chain. The devastation this and other drugs has on families is something you would not wish to witness: lying, cheating, stealing, neglecting children, vile and erratic behaviour, psychosis to name a few.
I don't know if decriminalisation would work, but it is not the same as alcohol.

Whatever your views on decrimilising it, the fact is that it is illegal and if you are caught there are significant consequences. It might be normal in your social group but if you split a deal and the person ods you will be up for supply, lose your job and really struggle to get employed. You will have to leave all public sector jobs, anything in criminal justice system and most other professional jobs and no visas, no adoption etc etc etc. Yes, it is no worse than alcohol, but the state says we can consume alcohol but not cocaine.
And it is not normal and wide spread. Only in certain social groups is it prevalent.
The bottom line is there are life changing consequences for being caught with it that people who think it is just normal night out don't realise until they are caught.

It doesn't matter which drugs you think are worse than others. Class A illegal drugs have serious consequences if you get caught. The health risks are up to individuals, the legal risks are state controlled.

I'm in my early 30s and I used to take it recreationally pre DC in my 20s and so did most of my friends.

Ugh I can't stand cokeheads.