The Sun launches its End Of The Line campaign to show the devastating impact cocaine use can have on mental health
COCAINE use has doubled in Britain in the last five years and it's creating a mental health time bomb.
More than a million Brits have put their lives on the line by using it in the last year, with many seeing it as a drug without consequences - even though experts warn it can trigger depression, paranoia and suicidal thoughts.
Have you or your family been affected by cocaine? Tell us your story by emailing endoftheline@mcb777.site
That’s why The Sun is launching its End Of The Line campaign to raise awareness of the devastating impact even 'casual' use of the killer drug can have.
More than one in ten British adults have tried cocaine, double the EU average and use among young people is surging, with 20 percent of 16-to-24-year-olds taking it in the past year.
The drug can have a profound impact on users’ mental health, as the devastating deaths of Love Island’s Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon show.
Both had traces of cocaine in their systems when they killed themselves.
All of this blows out of the water the age-old troup that cocaine is a middle class problem.
While that might have been the case in the 80s, in 2019 everyone from builders to reality TV stars are at it.
"Nothing could be further from the truth.
"Cocaine itself is highly addictive, and it’s all too easy for your use to escalate until it takes over your life.
"It can cause heart attacks even in young, otherwise healthy people; seizures and brain damage; and severe mental health problems, including paranoid ideas."
This is why we are calling for more awareness around cocaine, to stop it being seen as a fun and risk-free party drug.
Reality TV star Jeremy McConnell is backing our campaign, and reveals in an exclusive interview just how far he sank when taking the killer drug.
He says: "Cocaine is the devil - it's not cool, it rots your brain and destroys lives and anything that's important becomes a blur.
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Part of the reason use of the drug is on the rise is how easy it is to get hold of.
The average price of a gram has dropped to £50 – with some dealers offering two-tier supermarket-style prices such as £30 ‘basic’ and £70 ‘finest’. In 1989, the price of a gram of cocaine was £250.
Dealers are running Uber-style services that enable addicts to get deliveries straight to their door – or pub – in a matter of minutes.
Rising numbers are buying coke online, with social media and messaging apps making it not only easier to come by but harder for police to keep track of.
Cocaine use is reaching epidemic levels in the UK, storing up a future where young people are plagued by mental health issues.
Ian Hamilton, a senior lecturer in addiction and mental health at the University of York, said that there are well evidenced links between cocaine and acute psychosis in young people and adults.
He added: "There is a problem with increasing purity of cocaine which I think is catching out young naive users who are at risk of overdosing as this misjudge how much of the drug they should use."
This is why The Sun is calling for the End Of The Line.
Am I addicted to cocaine? The signs and symptoms of addiction
Cocaine is highly addictive and what can start out as a one-off can quickly turn into a habit.
Regular use of the drug changes the way the brain releases dopamine - a chemical in the brain that makes you feel happy.
But the high is short-lived so often users will take more to feel the desired effects again.
Over time, the body and brain can become too used to cocaine that it builds up a tolerance, which means you have to take more to feel the same high.
If you recognise any of the following behaviours in yourself, it might mean you've developed an addiction to cocaine:
- You're taking more of the drug to feel the effects
- When you stop or reduce your dosage, you feel agitated, restless and depressed
- You're struggling to cut down or control how much you take, even if you try to
- You spend a lot of time thinking about and trying to get cocaine
- You're disregarding family, friends and work in favour of taking cocaine
- You know the damage it's doing to you, but you can't stop taking it