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?

Except this is debated to the death and the evidence to support this assertion is poor.

All that happens is the dealers and importers undercut the legit sources. They already have the extensive distribution networks and ability to enforce them.

The makers of the drugs will just have two profitable arms - the governments they will sell to and the existing black market - and make even more money.

I agree, it is very common behaviour across a very wide range of people in terms of demographics. What I always wonder is why don’t more people suffer from a rotting septum?

How it effects someone though is both personal and can change as well it isn’t even the same each time for an individual either

behavioural changes are very likely to either be drugs or an affair

but yes you do still seem naive as to exactly what regular cocaine use can do

OP - when I was in my 20s, loads of my mates and colleagues did cocaine in the recreational way you suggest. It didn't seem to impact their lives much. As we got older, some continued, but most stopped because, past a certain age, it actually does start to negatively affect your life if you are taking drugs all the time (especially with the responsibilities of family and children). Several developed such bad habits that they destroyed their lives, a couple are now 'clean and sober' through addiction programmes. A couple of others are still using and also using prostitutes, cheating on partners and living in a generally disgusting way that I don't think any self-respecting woman should condone. So, I think it depends on life stage, circumstances and what it means to 'use'. My DH used to do a bit of coke recreationally in his late 20s/early 30s, and I know if he is having a big weekend away with his mates, he probably will do a few lines — he is absolutely destroyed nowadays after these trips, and if this were a regular occurrence, we would not be able to stay married. Certainly, if he were regularly spending hundreds of our family pounds on drugs and getting himself in such a state he was checked out of family life, I'd be saying bye bye.

Yes it’s very common across society but people don’t seem to be linking it to the increase in poor mental health. I just don’t get why it’s not being discussed.

Because most cocaine users aren’t doing it every day.

It 100% makes people an arse-hole when snorting.
I deeply regret taking cocaine 20 years ago, I'm glad to be alive.

@Knockonw00d geniunely do you consider taking cocaine to be fun and risk free?

Well I’m a professional in London and never done, been offered or seen anyone else do cocaine, and DH has never done it either (regular drug testing for his work, he gets nervous going to the states and inhaling too much second hand weed smoke!!)

So it’s not common in all circles, but yes it is in others, not exactly ground breaking insight, do you think you’re enlightening the older folk, the ones who were going out in the 80s and 90s?!

Yes. Fully aware of how common it is. Also fully aware that some people use it in a way where they mitigate their risks to thenselves and others. However, this doesn't alter the fact that there are other people who cause great harm to themselves and others with their use of it. If you don't know the damage to health, finances and relationships it causes to not insignificant numbers of people, then it's you that is naive.
It's also nonsense there are no behavioural changes. Here's a few that happened in my house:
Insomnia and problems getting up next day threatening emoyment.
Increased reduction of caution, responsibility and moral code, specifically risking safety of others, criminalisation, neglect of responsibility, unreliability, lying, building debt. All in an otherwise decent person.
Mood swings, intense anger. Depression. Suicidal ideation. Permanent impact on mental health.
Constant sniffles. Sores in nostrils. Permanent damage to sinuses.
Cross addictions to alcohol, sleeping tablets and OTC pain killers.
When this subject is discussed on here, much of the advice comes from people who are far from naive, having lived the worst case scenario. Of course many people won't reach that worst case scenario. However there is no way of knowing if 'your' drug user will be one of them.

I haven’t said that I think it’s risk free

maybe it explains the general increase of rage and aggression in society

I think anyone who takes recreational drugs then describes it as ‘just a bit of’.. should be forced to sit in court for a week and watch the complete devastation it causes to children. To those boys in care who are deliberately targeted by drug dealers to carry cocaine and weed around our towns, to the children of drug dealers whose dads are put away for ten years leaving their mums with no income and no way of providing for them, to those kids who have to carry machetes in our towns and villages because they ‘owe’ a dealer a £5 debt, to all those kids razzing around on illegal Sur-Ron’s wearing balaclavas, making people feel unsafe in their communities..

All of these things are directly attributable to your ‘just a bit of’..

I’m old and boring these days and generally my friendship circle reflects this but I have assumed coke use is pretty prevalent as in the last couple of months I have heard my ex neighbour uses it a lot and a mate found her sons.

Ex neighbour isn’t in a good way though it doesn’t seem to have dawned on her yet quite how much in the shit she is. House been repossessed and she will lose another she has though she doesn’t seem to fully grasp this yet. She also doesn’t seem to realise that she is under investigation by the police for fraud but I guess she will do if they decide to move ahead with their case. I just feel really sad for their son to have 2 parents who have put their coke habit above a stable family life.

This

I suspect it’s where you go! Nobody openly admits taking it here, cannabis is different, that’s openly smoked in these parts despite not being legal, you can smell it everywhere, especially near the beach at night.

remember compulsory drug testing is common in many occupations too so no way would my dd nor dsd risk it, instant firing , both their dps also are in occupations where they are randomly tested

I don't knowingly know anyone who uses cocaine, though it's not something most people I know would tell me even if they did.
If I found out my partner was, I took, would be floored.

But I believe other people on here when they say loads of people they know do. I just don't know those people.

Everywhere I've worked has random drug testing.

Thing is social circles tend to change once you've had kids or moved out of cities etc. I don't know anyone who's regularly going to bars and clubs of an evening, because we have children and socialise at each others houses or in the local pub.

A lot of DH old friendship circle still live the party lifestyle and don't have kids. But most of them live in London or international cities and we've moved to the country

Then what are you saying?

there is a real drug problem and vaping and weed vapes are just making it worse (I have a teenager) but saying that cocaine is fine and it doesn’t cause you to potentially become aggressive or have longer term problems is naive

maby of your friendship group who regularly take it now will be fine

some won’t

to have it any other way is naive dangerous and stupid and shows your age

I would say yes, I probably am naive re cocaine, if your idea of naive just means not being exposed to people using it in the way you are.

I am 100% ok with that.

I know lots of people who work in jobs that require drug testing and still use coke. Most places can only test once in a certain time period. So they’ll be tested and then have cocaine after. Then when it’s coming up to testing time they’ll stop until they’ve been tested again.

I do know it’s common. It doesn’t make it any less shameful, disgusting or vile though. You should be ashamed of yourself. Innocent people are enslaved into misery to give you your pathetic hit.

Hopefully, by your thirties you will have finally grown up and gained more experience of life and come to realise how habitual drug use ruins the lives of the users, those around them and how much damage it does to the communities involved in the supply chain.

Cocaine is far from harmless and kidding yourself that you’re cool with it, is turning a blind eye to reality! I hope the blinkers come off sooner rather than later, for your sake.

It’s not at all common in my social circle, there’s a woman who is affiliated with my partners local social club, so I know her in passing and went to her wedding reception, seems really normal, albeit a bit loud, her and her husband have decent jobs big house, two small children, I found out they both do and I actually could not believe it.

Oh and op - open use of cocaine was rife in the 80’s and 90’s ditto pills, and had the same devastating effects on many people, they are addictive, cause mood swings, depression, and paranoia, whilst some hold down jobs the spiral is always downward unless they get out