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?

Depends. Only a handful of times have I see this. None of my close friends do it.

In the military they literally watch you take the piss and there is no regularity in it, it can be called if they get an inside tip, so again, your experience is not universal. But yes we do know of people who have failed the test and are discharged within a week, but it’s not overly common and 9 times out of 10
it is younger lads.

I agree. I'm really shocked by Lotsnlotsoflove "I'm all right Jack" reply.

For a time in London in my twenties in the 1990’s I was partying hard amongst lots of people who worked in the city. This was via my friend who worked for a fashion designer. Loads of them were doing cocaine openly, my friend and I never took drugs and others did take the piss out of us for not doing it sometimes.

I am not naive about it. I think drug taking is unfortunatley more acceptable than ever. I just hate how people don’t understand how they are contributing to the utter misery of people caught up in the trade and fuelling organised crime.

I am more likely to be found in a nice cafe having a cream tea these days and not back at a house in Primrose Hill slamming tequilas at 4am with Oasis band photographer, those were the days.

If people become ill, die or lose their jobs or friends due to drug taking I don’t care about them. I do care about them wasting public resources.

Someone I know who uses now can’t hide it as their nose has collapsed and seeps fluid constantly. It’s not enough to lose your kids over though it seems

Oh yeah, it is so so common. More common than people realise. I feel it’s become quite normalised even.

My d worked in a nursery where this was rife among the staff on nights out, she didn't socialise with them but she heard them bragging about it. There were a lot of negatives about the nursery which was a very expensive one.
Before she quit, some of the staff were having a get together after work in the nursery playroom and someone shared out coke as if it was cream cake - It was the manager.
She whistle blew but heard nothing back.😢
Thank goodness she got away from the toxic envioroment.

That’s crazy

Not just Coke that is really common now but cannabis as well especially the really strong skunk.

I back onto a nature reserve in the nice part of a market town and the number of adults out walking smoking it is crazy.

I wonder if there's something causing a rise in both? Is it too normalised?

Never touched it don’t associate with people in these kinda circles !
you must be brain dead to go down this route like how boring you are u that u need to take drugs to have fun !

@Knockonw00d

no idea what jobs they do but my dd is paranoid about breathing in second hand weed smoke, she’s not risking her career, her reputation and her housing etc for a night of partying I can tell you. I can’t speak for all occupational testing but she’s once had them test 2 Mondays running to stop that behaviour, and someone got caught (this was 6 years ago) nobody is chancing it. You do hear of military and police failing but they tent to be young and naive

People are making arguments that are based off addiction though. Which is not what my post is about. My point is how common it is and people are naive to it because the majority of people taking it are doing so recreationally and are functioning people with full time jobs.

In my mid 20s it I wasn't common in my immediate friendship circle but there some guys I knew more loosely in my wider circle that took it. It definitely had an impact on their behaviour and I eventually left that social circle completely as I found it unsafe and unhealthy largely due to the influence of these men which caused a lot of drama . There was a lot of unhinged and aggressive behaviour from these same coke head men including one who was an alleged rapist but kept evading the law despite multiple accusations from various women. This one man was very aggressive with me one night at a party and I had to hide in a bathroom.

My friends I have now who are mostly friends I’ve know since uni and ones I’ve met living abroad don’t take it , we are all from quite traditional backgrounds - most don’t smoke and some don’t even drink but a few take weed. As far as I know their partners and friends don’t take it either.

I don’t think you can assume everyone is being naive when they say it’s not in their social circle. If I don’t see it or hear of it I can only go on what I know so I think it’s a reasonable assumption that it doesn’t go on.

I think it’s an appalling drug for the reasons pp have set out and if I did know anyone taking it I’d definitely say something unless we weren’t close.

I do agree it’s very common in some circles though.

I found out that some people I very occasionally went out with used cocaine. I removed myself from the group. I do not believe anyone in my social circle has EVER used cocaine and wouldn’t socialise with if I found out they did. I don’t believe it’s at all acceptable.

It's everywhere and it ruins lives. Lost jobs, children, homes, relationships. Users might not be robbing grannies, but they'll manipulate and steal from their family and friends. It is shameful and a stain on society - and I say this as someone who tried it once upon a time before I understood the grim reality of it for all concerned. I automatically think a great deal less of anyone who takes it.

This. Everyone YOU know does it. That says a lot about you. No one in my family or social circle does.

@Knockonw00d naive to think not my family , not my dh . Not my friends, not my work colleagues .
Naive to think it doesn’t effect daily life or upset your brain .

Drugs killed my brother (successful, handsome, well liked and loved), many of his 'friends', caused significant behavioural issues, broke down relationships, caused issue's in families I hope most of you never have to experience, destroyed their health, caused mental health issues that can never be solved or made better, and I could go on. All drugs have a great potential to harm, just because some have never 'seen' it doesn't mean it's fine, it's not! They fuel crime. It's not something that happens in those I share space with, and I'd like far more random testing across all of our society.

But what is the point of this thread? For you to act all ‘cool girl’ and sneer at the mums on mumsnet about how supposedly sheltered they all are?

A friend of mine worked for a very well-known big publisher and was staggered when a casual conversation revealed that one of her junior was the go to person for cocaine, and she was supplying half the staff.

We hear about huge drug busts, and that doesn't include the stuff that gets through! Who do you think is using it, if not ordinary people?

I had this argument with someone once, both cocaine users all acting holier than thou because they had called the police on someone shoplifting - I would argue their crime is much worse!

You'd think so called intelligent, professional people would have the ability to make better choices. It is disappointing.

A few years ago I was utterly shocked when friends were going off to the pub loos in 2s and 3s to take cocaine. We were holidaying in a lovely seaside town with a group of DH's friends, going for walks and eating brunches. Then come afternoon beer garden drinks, suddenly lots of them were at it. I had no idea this had become the norm. One of the main instigators was a police officer!
I knew people did at on nights out at university, including my husband before we met, but honestly this type of afternoon socially acceptable taking was mind blowing. From that experience I'd say I can well imagine it's going on in far more places than some people realise. Opened my eyes for sure.
That said, DH knows my feelings and all I can do is trust he's telling the truth when he insists he doesn't join in. It's not just the addiction, behavioural aspect but the effect on the people who make and sell it.

How would you know? You do realise people are individuals and drugs affect people in different ways. How do you know how often they are using, what their usual behaviour is? I’ve never met someone with a drug habit that hasn’t affected their behaviour in some way and I am old. I knew people who were doing coke in the 80s, it was rife in clubs and the behavioural changes were completely obvious to everyone. I’m not talking about one-off episodes but habitual use.

I think it's not a surprise it's been so normalised in some circles. People seem to have no hesitation at all about taking drugs or having surgical interventions for even the most silly and banal of reasons. Even where there are more serious reasons they don't seem to worry much about things like side effects, long term issues, interactions with other medicines. The chance of some kind of reaction or cock-up with botox and fillers etc.

I think society is just becoming stupider and more fake daily so why not do coke.