New research reveals the truth about cocaine

New research into the knowledge, attitudes and use of cocaine among young people in Northern Ireland has been released by the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA). 

The research was carried out with 735 young people aged 18–35 and found that a significant minority (35%) had tried illicit drugs at least once, with 14% having tried cocaine.¹ Knowledge of the health risks of cocaine was very low and particularly among those who had ever tried cocaine there was comparatively lower belief in the dangers of mixing cocaine and alcohol.

Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief Executive of the HPA, said: “Recreational and problem cocaine use is on the increase in Northern Ireland and it is the third most common drug of misuse among those presenting for treatment, after cannabis and benzodiazepines.² HPA research found drugs to be widely available here and that drug taking was seen by many as similar to having a drink when socialising and part of a typical night out.

“Those who had ever taken drugs or had used cocaine specifically were less likely to accept the risks associated with the drug, such as chest pains, heart problems, brain haemorrhage (stroke) or sudden death, or that mixing alcohol with cocaine was even more dangerous. It is of particular concern that more than a quarter (26%) of those surveyed said that they will likely take drugs in the next year and almost half of cocaine users said that they are likely to take cocaine in the next year.”

Summary of key findings

All survey participants:

• 68% agreed that drugs are easy to find should you want them.
• 62% agreed that taking drugs has become similar to having a drink when socialising for many people.
• 59% have friends who have tried cocaine at least once and 13% of respondents said that they might try cocaine in the future.
• 43% believe taking cocaine gives people confidence.
• 36% believe taking cocaine is seen as glamorous.

Those who had tried cocaine:

• 77% of cocaine users take the drug with alcohol, with 31% taking it with cannabis.
• 64% of those who had ever taken cocaine still use it.
• The most common setting for using cocaine was house parties (58%) followed by clubs (17%) and pubs (8%).
• 57% believe cocaine use is seen as glamorous.
• 56% said that feeling happy or ‘buzzing’ was a benefit of using cocaine.
• 47% believe that the risks of drug taking are greatly exaggerated.
• 47% believe that people are more in control when on cocaine than on other drugs such as ecstasy or speed.
• According to those who have ever taken cocaine, the average cost of a gram of cocaine is £32, with the average cost lower in urban areas (£28) compared with rural areas (£66).

HPA qualitative research found that those surveyed regarded cocaine as a common street drug with males reporting that they would regularly be offered cocaine, while females would actively have to seek out a dealer to secure the drug.³

Male users indicated they often used cocaine as part of a social occasion in which as much would be consumed as they could afford. Among female users, cocaine was frequently taken as part of a shared experience among friends and many appeared to use drugs to make them feel better and to cope with difficulties or personal troubles. Overall knowledge of the negative consequences of cocaine use was strikingly low and many were unsure of what the drug was typically mixed with.
 
Dr Gaffney, continued: “The research findings will be used to develop a resource to highlight the potential problems of cocaine to current users and those contemplating using cocaine. Tolerance to cocaine builds up and many users find they need more and more to try and achieve the same ‘high’ and are unable to stop taking it. The focus of this resource will be on supporting young adults not to take cocaine in the first place, as out of those individuals who admitted using cocaine, 64% are currently still using.”

END

For media enquiries contact:

The HPA Press Office on Tel: 028 9031 1611.

¹ Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland. Knowledge, attitudes and use of cocaine. Belfast: HPA, October 2008. Unpublished.

800 participants were interviewed and screened regarding their attitude towards drug use. Out of the initial 800, 735 participants (92%) completed the full interview, with 65 participants leaving the survey as they indicated they held a strong view against drugs.

² Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Statistics from the Northern Ireland Drug Misuse Database: 1 April 2007 – 31 March 2008. NISRA. October 2008.
³ Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland. Research into cocaine use among adults in Northern Ireland. Belfast: HPA, March 2008. Unpublished.