Cocaine doesn’t have a PR agent. But if it did, you would say they have done a good job of rebranding the drug.
As a clinician, I’ve noticed a cultural shift. Cocaine is no longer seen as exclusive or out of reach, a substance once glamorised by celebrities, people earning loads of money and the dinner part set. It has become normalised.
Clients are very open and comfortable talking about it with their colleagues, at family events or down at the pub.
Surprisingly, it’s never thought of in the same way as other Class A drugs. Mention of heroin is greeted with disgust and horror.
Cocaine causes an awful lot of social harm. It’s expensive. People get into debt. It harms family, friends and work relationships, despite drug dealers I’ve worked with using euphemisms such as “Charlie” to hide its more sinister nature.
Cocaine results in physical health damage. It hardens your arteries and increases the risk of heart arrhythmias, which can lead to strokes, heart attacks and blood clots. There’s also the impact of anxiety and depression.
People who take cocaine are more likely to engage in risky behaviours, such as using prostitutes and gambling. It allows you to stay awake longer and people tend to drink huge amounts of alcohol, often getting in trouble with the police.
We specialists never fail to be amazed by cocaine’s continued use despite knowledge of the harm. Nobody has a single line of cocaine.
They get greedy because it acts so quickly — right up your nose and into the brain, giving you an immediate dopamine spike. There might well be a shift in opinion against cocaine because it is not eco-friendly and people making it are exploited terribly.
Users who might consider themselves conscientious consumers, buying Fairtrade coffee and chocolate, sure as hell know their cocaine isn’t ethical. They turn a blind eye to the harm, even their own health — that’s what addiction does to you.
