To think people are naive re cocaine

[Knockonw00d]

I see threads on here all the time where women find out their husband has been doing coke etc and are absolutely floored.
But it always amazes me how oblivious people are to how common it really is. I’m childfree and in my late 20s and i go on nights out almost every week so you get to know all of the other regulars in the bars. I do not know one person that I’ve met through going out that doesn’t do cocaine.

These people have professional jobs Monday - Friday. Some of them I know are teachers, nursery staff, work in the passport office. It is so common.

I also see a lot posters describing a change in behaviour and people suggest it could be drugs. But unless you’re doing things like heroin or spice, cocaine does not make you act in the ways people suggest.

Do people really not know how common casual use of cocaine is in this country?

I don’t think I’m naive to it, I get it’s widespread but I still think it’s disgusting and will very much judge those who do it along with those who minimise the impacts of it in individuals and society.

And I’m not a massive pearl clutcher, I’m supportive of legalising cannabis, but cocaine is a bridge too far.

This post says more about you and the company you keep more than anything.

A crack head is going to sell crack are they?

They can't sell crack or heroin because the market is dominated by people with guns and things. The local guys you are talking about can go and buy drugs for you from the actual dealers. They aren't dealers. I can tell you arent very versed in this because you're talking about a few grams of weed in this same conversation.

I admit I am not at all aware of how common cocaine habitual consumption is in the UK.
Whereas I can accept it doesn't necessarily cause drastic behaviour changes in some (a lot? No idea) people, I am convinced in causes lasting brain and general health damage. No question about it.
The drug industry is operating at a huge scale. This includes cocaine production, transport and distribution. It is a criminal world where lots of children and women are being destroyed (mentally and physically) or killed. Drug money funds other dark and extremely harmful activities like prostitution and arms dealing.
How the fuck do these 'normal' members of society live with themselves knowing they are a big part of this problem??? They are paying the money, they are the buying customer. You buy your bit of cocaine which means your money is going directly into a system where people, human beings are being murdered and are subjected to suffering. Because of your stupid cocaine social (or otherwise) habit. This goes for all other illegal drugs as well.
So these consumers are, supposedly, fully functioning, with a largely unaffected brain capability. They must be utterly stupid if they can't see what their actions are doing.
I would absolutely loose all respect for an individual if I found out they are taking cocaine or other drugs in this way. Fucking morons.
Not to mention the big problem of drug addicts who are in a very very bad situation and in no position to help themselves by that stage.
Destroying your own health and life, affecting the lives if your family and friends and murdering and hurting people who make the drugs from some far away places by proxy.

Many of the problems associated with drug use are due to its illegality and could be removed quickly by legalising and regulating. Then we could deal with the health problems which are huge as well.

I don't know about now, because I'm old but in the noughties it was all over the place in London and amongst London professionals. It was seen as a middle class, party drug and sometimes aspirational, as some types of alcohol are also viewed. I do know from acquaintances that this trickled down to the more traditional working classes and was common in certain pubs. I would have thought it was a bit passe by now, but evidently not!

I was never a drug taker, neither were my close friends (always thought alcohol was enough), but we were all aware of it around us.

I think there's a perception that it's a harmless, clean, acceptable drug, unlike something like heroin that has scumbag associations. Like alcohol though, it does damage to varying degrees, and while some people are able to partake recreational, there are always those who are not.

I've never seen anyone use cocaine. I don't go on nights out much these days, but I used to when I was younger. I see (or rather smell) weed being smoked openly on the streets practically every time I visit a town centre, and when I was younger I had friends who did amphetamines, ecstasy or mushrooms, but I've never come across cocaine. Absolutely not saying OP is wrong but I think it does depend on the circles you move in.

Yes its very common and very addictive and it causes heart problems and its cut with other stuff and it can kill you, for men it takes the edge off inhibitions and there is also another behaviour where men use and then use sex workers im not saying all men do that

Do people really not care about the impact of drug trafficking and cartel wars on innocent people. Or the massive environmental damage cocaine does due to deforestation and polluting of water ways. Or just about their own high. I hope none of them claim to care about climate change if they are actively taking a drug contributing to the destruction of the amazon and loss of biodiversity..

Maybe it is common in twenty/ thirty somethings who go out clubbing every week but I can assure you it is not common in 50 somethings who like to stay home and watch Strictly with their cat.

This is the value of believing your own experience of life to be universal.

I've been a paramedic for 20 years, with the exception of severely mentally ill patients, the only times i have been truely scared, alone in the back of the ambulance with a patient has been when they had taken cocaine. It might be a common drug but it brings out a really horrible and scary side in a lot of people (male and female).

As the child of a former cocaine addict, I can confirm it does change personality/behaviour.

Ironically it’s often the so called blue collar jobs that have random drug testing (my son’s does) while the people in ‘good professional jobs’ are left to it. Maybe they people in poncey jobs don’t really do anything important.

It’s rife, but it’s been rife for YEARS!

The town and area in grew up in (south-east) - I was routinely offered it at pubs, clubs and house parties through the 90’s/00’s along with E, MDMA and cannabis (and a few years of dodgy powders from China). Almost everyone I knew who was out and about at these places did it. More people ‘grew out of it’ once they had kids, but certainly not all, some still doing it today, even those with teenagers / adult kids who they think don’t know they do it (they do!).
These days most younger people just buy it on the dark web - it’s like Amazon for whatever shit you want…

By no means does everyone do it, but if you are out socialising around alcohol, live music, raving, festivals etc, then you will be around it!

(Personally have zero interest in it and haven’t got many years - I also can’t square the circle of the sheer amount of damage it does to whole countries and people in other parts of the world😞).

I started a similar thread on here a couple of years ago.

Nothing has changed. MN still innocent in regards who around them commonly has a bump or two.

I'm in my mid 40, working in tech in London and originally from Paris. Drugs are ubiquitous around me, whether it's in London or Paris.
Not just cocaine, but also speed, mdma...
Im an occasional consumer myself, maybe 6 or 7 times a year in parties / raves

If you go to garden centres you will find a lot of gardeners and if you go to bars then you will find a lot of cocaine users.

Quite a lot of people take drugs of various sorts in their teens and 20s. Some continue to take them and others move on unscathed.

Cocaine has a reputation as a middle class drug but I think that is bollocks. I think it is popular across the classes. Scaffolders are notorious for it.

I do know that it’s everywhere on nights out. I don’t go on nights out so I don’t see it.

I work in an industry where everyone is drugs tested, so I just don’t see it professionally either.

I realise I’m in the minority, but you would wonder what is coming down the track in a few years with this. You are absolutely correct that it is very prevalent.

I'm confident that very few, if any, of my circle do drugs. Most of them barely drink or are completely tee-total and I've heard them talk disparagingly about drug use. I wouldn't be friends with someone I knew did Coke.

I have observed strangers at social events who I suspect are doing it though. And used to have one friend who I'm sure did some kind of recreational drugs at raves.

Doubtless it's more common than people think though.

That doesn't mean anything other than that you are living the same kind of lifestyle as druggies.

I saw on a programmes that cold water swimming gives the exact same high to your body, except this lasts for 9 hours as opposed to 20 mins.

It’s also free!!

You are wrong about it not affecting behaviour. Casual use less so but frequent use definitely. I’ve seen it myself in habitual users but have a quick google and see for yourself.

cocaine does not make you act in the ways people suggest.

I didn’t say that it has no behavioural impact. I said that people describe a situation and people suggest drugs when the behaviour the original poster has described is nothing like what would be caused by drug use.

I’m in my fifties and mix in very professional circles and up until about 5 years ago they all did (me and dh very much in the minority for not) but most of them now are tee total and swapped alcohol and coke for marathons. Most of those people were fine but a few of them literally couldn’t go without it in any social situation, and it just made everyone so dull.

i do agree it’s every where though but I don’t think it has the coolness associated with taking drugs by who take it at all. It’s like vaping for grown ups (but more expensive and boring… and illegal of course).

In my workplace, cocaine use is frequently alluded to by the founders of the company. Their behaviour disgusts me, they can also be aggressive picks, so yes it does effect people s behaviours and brains. Arrogant, egotistical bullies.

Its sad, that it has become so normalised.