To think most people have *not* tried cocaine?

[bluegreygreen]

On another thread, a poster states that 'most people have at least tried cocaine'.

I haven't, and family haven't. However, on threads about drugs there always seems to be a clear divide - either people haven't taken them, or everyone they know has.

So, for a very unscientific survey:

YABU - I have tried cocaine
YANBU - I have not tried cocaine

Never tried it. I did dabble with some low level stuff in my youth but only very occasionally and nothing at all since about the age of 19.

I had cocaine at the age of 11….

It was in hospital before surgery on my nose, and I did enjoy it! Never done it since though.

Used to do it loads when i was younger, haven't touched it for years! I would say that a good 80% of my social circle have either done it in the past or still do it. It's completely socially acceptable in the area i live in.

I associate it with younger, middle class Londoners. I never got offered it till I moved to London in my 30s (from another big city) then suddenly it was everywhere!

Was also surprised how expensive it is. I can see where all the city bankers/private school associations come from! I'd guess most of my London friends have tried it and very few of my family - but could well be wrong!

I have lived in London for 35 years. I work in TV. I’ve never tried cocaine. I’ve never been offered it. Nor am I aware of anyone else taking it.

Well I haven't and wouldn't but I am 56 now.

However, cocaine wasn't even heard of when I was young, and I have done equally horrific substance abuse such as sniffing glue, plus smoking cannabis and binge drinking to the point of being unable to move at around 16/17.

Thank god I made it to middle age without any addictions or bad episodes.

I will say though, that all substance abuse was outgrown by 21. I haven't done any grown up drugs (for want of a better description).

YANBU. As far as I know I have only ever met one person who had tried cocaine and that was more than 30 years ago.

I've had it a few times.

Agree it's rife in London. I noticed that it is used across different classes too. Lots of builders, roofers, plumbers etc use it and lots of 'middle class professionals' too. Also upper classes, the person I know of who was heavily addicted to it went to one of the UK's top private schools. Now I've settled down and have a family I never come across it (thankfully) so it clearly is something you're exposed to depending on the lifestyle/circles you move in. For me it was around and used by a lot of people in their 20s living a career focussed life in London. I never really liked it but would take it as all my friends were doing it and I wanted to party with them.

All part of the minimising that those addicted to it put out. 'Oh everyone does it' basic attempt at peer pressure.

No and 90% of people I know haven’t

Same. I was a student mid 90s and everybody was doing pills. Coke was unheard of and didn't encounter it until I was well into my 20s.

YANBU.

I've never taken it. I'm a lawyer and despite reports never saw any of my lawyer friends taking it either when we were all young and partying hard (2000's). I don't see any of my colleagues taking it now (in my age group anyhow, I suspect the younger associates coming through do).

My friends in tech though (where all the money was in the early 00's) were all snorting. I thought it was pathetic.

In my age group it seems to be the "never quite made it"'s that still take drugs. Hanging onto youth by a total thread and frankly neglecting their kids who are all now turning into the "partying" teenagers taking spirits along to house parties aged 14 and 15.

My husband runs a business that employs a lot of late 20's / early 30's guys all on pretty high salaries. They are all basically addicts. They all seem to do it. Its vile.

My view is that its illegal, potentially dangerous and has a really dubious exploitative supply chain. I suspect I'm in the minority to have this view though (I don't drink either) and yes, in certain age groups (below 35) and demographics i think the majority will have at least tried it.

I don't think it's as cut and dry and YA/YANBU. I have never done it. I'm not interested in any drug but I have been around it a lot because it is around a lot. People are usually quite secretive about it so even if you don't think you have been around it, you likely have. I'd say the majority of people under 50 have tried it - bearing in mind 51% is a majority.

Brw the stinging is the petrol they mixed it with.

I wouldn't say most people have but I'd say more than you think have.

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow i can attest to your theory of city types.

I have never tried it but when young in London and running around with my mate who had a hugely glam job as a model we hung out with lots of wanker city types and band photographers and loads of them were shoving it up their noses. I remember being at a party in Primrose hill with a photographer who had toured with Oasis and this hairdresser to celebs. I do remember slamming tequila with bollinger at that party.

Don’t they ever think about the chain of events that gets that coke on to the table? I couldn’t take it on moral grounds. It’s absolute evil what takes place amongst the drug lords and the poverty stricken ‘workers’ and everyone in between. People who take cocaine really go down in my estimation as they don’t give a f*ck about the behind the scenes horrors. To me they’re as ignorant and shallow as people who wear real fur.

Never done illegal drugs or even smoked (that probably is unusual for early 40s particularly growing up in a household of smokers)

Quite a few friends were canabis users. My lack of interest in smoking went a long way in not trying canabis. Plus my brain is pretty busy and I've never wanted to risk sending it haywire into things it can't get out of. Several of my canabis smoking friends have had stubborn depression issues through adulthood.

Generally my social scene didn't do anything "harder" but there was a party I ended up at through a friend of a friend situation where pills were being smuggled around the body before going clubbing. The air being thick with weed meant I slept well through the first night of fairly raucous party, but fucking hell that was the longest, most tedious weekend of my life... and I think given a choice, I'd rather repeat the stranded on a mountain in a storm experience than being stuck in a strange city with a load of druggies!

No.

Most people haven't tried cocaine. Loads of people have tried cocaine but it's a minority. Same with every drug. I'm not sure why some drug users persist with the idea that "everyone does it"

It's not even the case with weed IME

Most people I come across do ecstasy

Same with me. I don’t know of anyone who takes drugs, other than my DB who took cannabis in the past (but not cocaine to my knowledge).

Even as a student in London who liked to go out to the pub to drink with friends. I really wouldn’t know where to begin if I wanted to experiment!

I was never part of the regular nightclub scene, though, so this might be the reason why I've never come across drugs.

Also thinking about it, unless you're talking about people you've been close to since your teens, you're not necessarily going to know what people have done in the past.

I took a lot of MDMA as a student/in my 20s and later in that period did coke a few times.

But I haven't done anything now in about 15 years, in which time I've been social with colleagues in a new job, made school mum friends since having DD, etc. None of them have a clue that I ever did anything and no doubt would put me in the "never tried it" box.

Nope. I'm sure a couple of my friends have in the past, but most of them haven't even ever tried weed (we are all late 50s early 60s)!