For the pleasure, control, lifestyle

COCAINE has a lot of pluses, according to Mike.

“Unlike ecstasy, you can control the amount you take and unlike speed, which lasts for hours, cocaine only lasts for a short while.”

In his late 20s, Mike is like many others of his age.

“For a lot of people in the mid-to-late twenties and older who’ve done the E thing, coke’s a logical progression. It’s a more adult, a more sophisticated drug.”

He said ecstasy was a more powerful and unpredictable drug than cocaine.

Little research has been carried out on recreational cocaine users, such as Mike, in Ireland.

However, one study by Trinity College researcher Paula Mayock involved ten users aged 25 to 29.

All had completed their leaving certificate and eight had third-level qualifications. Eight were working full-time and two part-time.

In a paper, published by the Health Research Board last year, Ms Mayock said that the users snorted the drug. They typically took it monthly, bingeing was not common, and most users had periods of abstinence.

Ms Mayock said users liked cocaine for three reasons: pleasure, control and lifestyle.

“Cocaine simply made partying better, according to the majority of respondents. The psychoactive ‘hit’ produced feelings of exhilaration, confidence and psychological pleasure, thus enhancing social occasions in which the drug was in use,” she said.

She said users liked the high level of “control”, and the limited impact on their work lives.

Negative affects included irritability, agitation and over-assertiveness.

Respondents felt that, among some users, “cocaine encouraged self-indulgent and assuming behaviour”.

Ms Mayock found that cocaine use was also linked to alcohol.

She said respondents did not see their cocaine use as “damaging or problematic”.

She said medical research indicated that cocaine use could lead to anxiety, aggressiveness, sleeplessness, paranoia, heart problems and depression.