The description of the hedonist type is based on six respondents, five males and one female. The average age is 23 years which is relatively low compared to the other types. Sex and drugs and rock & roll could be the motto of this type. The central feature is unbridled pleasure seeking. They are looking for different kicks and trying to make life exciting and interesting. Anything which can increase enjoyment is permitted. They make wide use of the whole arsenal of pleasure seeking activities available in our modern society. This includes using cocaine. Cocaine fits ideally into this pattern and is considered the very height of pleasure. A number of short periods in which use is intensive is typical of this type. The hedonist attitude does observe certain limits however. If drug consumption causes physical or financial problems which are at the cost of enjoyment, the respondents usually reduce their intake for a limited period.

The socio-economic backgrounds vary from working class to upper middle class. The fathers all had work and the mothers sometimes had jobs in addition to bringing up the children and household duties. Upbringing did not always go smoothly. The wish to go their own way, going out in the evening, and dropping out of school were the main areas of conflict. Before these conflicts became really unmanageable, the young person usually left home to live independently. "I am a nuisance. It was simply necessary. I had clearly different ideas about things." [004] "At that time I could get on well with my mother but not with my father. That had a lot of influence." [066]

The school career is characterised by uncompleted studies. "Primary school, O levels, then stopped. It didn't go well, I stopped purely due to boredom. I didn't like it, I think that I could easily have graduated from school but I couldn't be bothered. I left school at 15, 16 years old. Usually I missed school the first two hours as it was, I wanted to stay in bed. And after that I was at school for a short while but at twelve o'clock I just went away." [066] "Then I arrived in the 'linking class' CSE/O Levels and I ended up doing CSE. I don't like sitting behind my books if I know I am nice and free." [064]

A regular job presents an unattractive perspective for most of the respondents. Regular hours at work does not give enough freedom. "I have also worked for six months, but I didn't like it much. I don't like regular work. Then I started going around the pubs. I worked behind the bar in a new wave pub for a while. In another I was jack-of-all-trades. Went to parties here and there. A period unemployed. In between I worked six months at Y., to get my life in some sort of order, since it was all going like a runaway train." [066] One respondent has a job and all the others receive social security benefit. They consider this a sort of basic income. A number of respondents do casual work pubs and restaurants (partly moonlighting) in order to supplement their income. Their incomes range from 1,200 to 1,800 guilders ($600 to $900) a month. "The social security payment, a sort of basic sum, comes once a month. It's 1,100 guilders ($ 550) or so. In the weekend I work in a pub, where I work as barkeeper. It pays well and is relaxing work." [004] "Eight hundred guilders ($ 400) benefit and I earn something extra. Total of around 1,800 guilders ($ 900)." [066]

An evening out is an important leisure activity. A large part of the money at their disposal is spent on going out. "I don't sleep very much, around six hours a day, therefore after working and painting I have plenty of free time to spare. I go out a lot. I've lots of acquaintances in pubs, rock & roll and the art world. I like a beer and a bit of flitting about." [004] "In the periods I'm free, I am one or two days at home, the rest of the time I'm out and about. I have a local pub where I begin and I keep going till seven in the morning. I spend a lot of money on it, three to five hundred guilders ($ 150-250) guilders a week." [066]

Alcohol and cannabis are the first things with which they come into contact. At first, consumption is comparatively limited but as soon as they leave the parental home it increases. "It began at the youth centre, of course. You leave home and finally have the freedom you want and then you go out, then you are allowed to go out. Parental control is no longer there. Nice and late to bed." [107] "Then we began when we were only 12. You saved something from your pocket money and used to go and get Grolsch half litres (Dutch beer) and a bottle of Pisang Ambon (liqueur). Got ourselves nice and drunk. And then out on the town till 10.30, and that was really out on the town, and then it was over. And Saturdays usually a party or a video evening some place. It was some six months later and then came boys of 15,16 who all went along and who you got to know. And then someone began with a blow. And then instead of buying beer with your pocket money, you buy hash. (...) And later mushrooms. Then you began to have more trips." [064] Also drugs such as speed, LSD, mushrooms were taken. Before beginning with cocaine, the respondents had had extensive experience of these. Heroin is an exception, however. "Now, the whole lot some time or other. Yeah, speed then, and LSDs. Yeah, that was too crazy. Real peaceful, that was real grey." [037]

The first contact with cocaine took place when the respondents were in pubs or at parties. The age of the first contact is around nineteen years. "Some five years ago. I had a girl friend then who worked in a pub and there was also a fellow working there who was in the rock & roll scene. A lot of cocaine was taken in that scene. We used to go to pubs a lot then. (...) I really enjoyed it, it made you real sociable." [004] "When I was 16 or so I began to sniff. It began with coke. Some dive or other. A couple of times joining in with someone, who went to get it, then buying it yourself." [064] The first contact with cocaine takes place in the pub-party world. Sometimes it is a party with friends. The initial experiences with cocaine are usually positive. "We both had got our wages and we wanted to give a party. Then our neighbour on the floor below suggested getting some coke. We reacted something like 'why not' . It was a great little party. In the middle room all the drugs were spread out and the kitchen was full of drink. Then he came with two grams of coke. Then we took it. It was really cosy with our friends. Then we all went out on a pub crawl and then we noticed what it was we'd taken. Continued to down booze and you didn't get drunk. You could keep on dancing and acting crazy, I was a real man of the world. Nothing bothered me, it was great. That was the first time. It was an immediate success and I didn't have a hangover afterwards." [066]

The average duration of cocaine consumption is around five years. There is no single pattern except although respondents do tend to take more cocaine as time progresses. "I started taking it more often. There was a period that it was really a lot. I got to know more people all the time then, also more interesting people. At a certain moment it was very much but then my girlfriend was further with her studies and went out less, and so on. I neglected my work then a bit also. I was sitting more in the pub than working." [004] "Then I went to work in the pub and two years ago, or two-and-a-half years ago, I started taking it more regularly. Then the busy months such as December, when you are working a lot, then a very big amount." [093]

Consumption usually remains limited to two or three times a week. There are however regular periods in which use is higher. It may increase to daily consumption. This period is short, however, since this frequent use interferes with the enjoyment of cocaine. Average consumption is between one and two grams a week. "I was taking around half a gram a day, sometimes less, in any case never more. But if you do that every day it is in any case too much. You notice it in your health, you get to the stage that you start to crave it, that you go in search of it. That you don't feel comfortable if there is no cocaine around, know what I mean?" [004] "I've just had a period of five weeks. It was once again a couple of party weeks for me. Now, why not, I had the money, and it was easy to get it. Two grams a week, last month around seven, that was a good period. Half a gram a time, that makes four times." [066]

Cocaine use is closely linked to pub-party life. People have a wide circle of friends and acquaintances which they know from going to pubs and other meeting places. This people form the main group with whom cocaine is consumed. It is very rare that the cocaine is taken at home. "It is, after all, a social happening. It isn't something you take at home and then go and sit in front of the TV or whatever. It is a true social happening. Always linked to pubs and that's still the case. It makes no sense to do that if you are sitting at home. It just isn't the right stuff for that. Out and about, therefore, at parties and so on." [004] "With friends, also sometimes alone but then I meet up with other people, or at parties where I know people. Never at home, I don't drink at home either. I never have alcohol in the house." [066]

Cocaine is taken mostly in or nearby pubs and meeting places. "It all take places in the toilets. You go the WC, take a line, and flush the toilet. You go alone of course because as soon as you go with two of you they get suspicious of course." [004] "When we go out, in the car. When we go out in a doorway. At the beginning it was more at someone's home and, later on, more when we were out." [064] Cocaine is also taken at parties. "I've just been to a party where 20 grams of cocaine was lying on the table, everybody there was a lawyer or law student. And holiday houses Ameland and Texel [islands off the Dutch north coast] where 20 grams a time is got through. Coke is also the ideal way of slimming. I usually go to those parties through friends and people I know." [093]

Alcohol and cocaine are usually taken together. In addition, hash, weed, speed, LSD and XTC are used. "I've experience of XTC too. That is really the drug of today. It is now coke or XTC. I have taken quite a lot in the last month. It has been quite a heavy month. I have just started living on my own, a month-and-a-half or so, and everybody is dropping in with all sorts of drugs. This month I had two trips, took speed two days and around six grams of 'white', I think. I find that really a lot. And yes, pills each weekend. One or two. That is then XTC." [064] If there is no money for cocaine, speed is the most popular substitute. "But then also speed appeared and it was a lot cheaper, 25 guilders ($ 12) for half a gram. Now, you can't worry about that, even cheaper than weed. Sniffing and making 'bombs'. And separating medicines and pills and stuffing them full. You can get in quite a lot that way, but you must watch what you are doing of course, otherwise you suddenly get a big explosion in your brains. You do have to know how much you can take. An overdose is something I don't want to happen to me." [064] In spite of the fact that all sorts of drugs are taken, a clear line is drawn when it comes to heroin. "Really, heroin, that's something we don't dare get into. I think that is due to the scene, you then get that real junk behaviour. Cocaine has something different. At least the people I know who use it all have a job or study or whatever. No car radios. I know a couple of people who are, or were, on heroin but then those are people I don't care for too much." [004] "I sniff and make 'bombs'. I never inject. I mean that I wouldn't even dare stick a needle in my arm. No, before you know it you are on heroin. I have hadn't any experience with heroin." [064]

The most popular method of taking cocaine is sniffing. Some people also smoke - the 'coke-blow'. "I've sometimes snorted and smoked 'plofjes'. But when you've smoked some of it away then you are so sluggish and heavy as if you are stuffed. You don't feel like doing anything, just want to sit on the settee. Therefore I don't do that any more, smoke 'plofjes'. It's just as heavy as when you get drunk." [064] They want nothing to do with such methods as chasing the dragon, basing and injecting. They have seen the negative effects suffered by their acquaintances and this restrains them.

The effects which they describe are virtually all linked to pleasurable feelings. "You feel nice and free from it. I feel a bit cheerful, behave with a sort of bravura, get a sort of quick feeling from it. Make contact with people very easily, with people you don't otherwise speak to so easily, it also has a sexual tint. It's easier for you to talk to women who you like the look of. I am a bit exuberant from it." [004] "You feel well, you feel sure of what you are doing. Good with the women, you can chat away. You feel cheerful and happy with everything." [064] These effects can land them in situations which they later regret. "Then you wake up again by some dame or other under a relief poster of a shepherd dog or the like. Then you regret it. You wouldn't do that if you hadn't been snorting." [004] The extra stamina is an effect they notice but this is not a major reason for taking cocaine. They consider speed is a far more effective and cheaper substance. "The extra stamina is not really a reason for taking coke. You can't really keep going with it. You feel better. But not in order to keep going. For that you have to take speed. Or XTC, I can't sleep after that. But with coke I can still sleep." [064] A number of respondents say they have occasionally used cocaine in relation to a sexual experience. "In combination with sex I like it. You can neck for a nice long time. It has something. Keep going longer and a more intense experience. On the other hand, it isn't always so. That is the disadvantage of coke, if you take coke, you also drink a lot. In my case, I then suddenly don't like beer any more, therefore I start drinking whisky and the like. That is then not really good for your virility." [004] "You don't get tired with coke, it takes away barriers. You come a bit stronger, it's all a bit stronger." [066]

The effects which they describe are virtually all linked to pleasurable feelings. "You feel nice and free from it. I feel a bit cheerful, behave with a sort of bravura, get a sort of quick feeling from it. Make contact with people very easily, with people you don't otherwise speak to so easily, it also has a sexual tint. It's easier for you to talk to women who you like the look of. I am a bit exuberant from it." [004] "You feel well, you feel sure of what you are doing. Good with the women, you can chat away. You feel cheerful and happy with everything." [064] These effects can land them in situations which they later regret. "Then you wake up again by some dame or other under a relief poster of a shepherd dog or the like. Then you regret it. You wouldn't do that if you hadn't been snorting." [004] The extra stamina is an effect they notice but this is not a major reason for taking cocaine. They consider speed is a far more effective and cheaper substance. "The extra stamina is not really a reason for taking coke. You can't really keep going with it. You feel better. But not in order to keep going. For that you have to take speed. Or XTC, I can't sleep after that. But with coke I can still sleep." [064] A number of respondents say they have occasionally used cocaine in relation to a sexual experience. "In combination with sex I like it. You can neck for a nice long time. It has something. Keep going longer and a more intense experience. On the other hand, it isn't always so. That is the disadvantage of coke, if you take coke, you also drink a lot. In my case, I then suddenly don't like beer any more, therefore I start drinking whisky and the like. That is then not really good for your virility." [004] "You don't get tired with coke, it takes away barriers. You come a bit stronger, it's all a bit stronger." [066]

Most respondents purchase the cocaine themselves particularly once they know where to get it. The main circuit for buying it is the entertainment circuit. It is also purchased from home dealers. The market is separate from the heroin market. "A friend of mine, someone I know from working in the pub, had a sniff offered which was good. First I was not allowed to know where it came from, then it turned out to be from a friend of mine. He deals only in coke. They are not real coke dealers but fellows who do a bit on the side. You have to order it beforehand. I know them through a disco. I was always introduced, I appreciated that. I prefer to pay a bit more, then you know that at least you are getting good stuff." [066] "I know a regular dealer. Just coke, only coke. She doesn't like junks on her doorstep. I see lots of people I know coming in where I'm visiting there, like you too, for instance. They get a shock then." [093]

Pleasure is to a greater or lesser degree the main characteristic of this life style. There are many things such as alcohol, hash, LSD, XTC and speed which may contribute to this enjoyment. The use of drugs is automatically coupled to pleasure-seeking and at times the whole arsenal is used. "I often combine things. My New Year's Eve last year - I'll add up what I consumed. I got through eight bottles of beer, each a gram 'white', each a half gram speed, 'bombs' and sniffing, two XTC pills and then still a hundred guilders ($ 50) worth of hash. Oh yes, I also had some vodka and rum. One bottle. Then at seven in the morning I conked out." [064] Cocaine fits into the list and is seen as an ideal substance of achieving pleasure and enjoyment. It has far less damaging side effects than speed, for example. Speed is considered 'the poor man's coke' to be taken when there's no money over for cocaine. Cocaine is taken to obtain sheer pleasure. "For the pleasure it gives. You can take the world on, you feel yourself super powerful." [066] "Not to bury my sorrows. Long live fun. The ritual plays a role too, I think. Like doing it secretly in the WC, that's nice. You see yourself standing there and you think 'Jesus' but it feels so fantastic that it gives you a kick. Sort of just doing something that's forbidden. (..) You have to have something to give you a chance to break out. Others drink all the time." [093] "I take cocaine because I want to get bonkers. Look, the whole week you sit there in your normal life and then it's the weekend and along comes a party. And then I have to take a lot of things to get yourself gaga." [064] Searching for kicks plays an important role and this is often reiterated. "You have to get your kicks from somewhere, don't you. The one does it with children and the other does it with coke." [093] Cocaine fits into a life style which can be typified as 'sex and drugs and rock & roll'. A style of unbridled and carefree enjoyment. "If you just take a line of coke and then take after it a coke-blow or such like, then you sit there with the coke-blow in your hand and look at that moment, then if the rest of the world goes up in smoke, know what I mean, it makes no difference at all since you are completely gone. But a quarter of an hour later you think 'oh hell!" [037] The importance of enjoyment and looking for kicks does however impose a limit on the amount taken. If too much is taken, problems with health and finances may arise. In such cases, the user cannot really enjoy taking cocaine because his problems interfere with his unfettered enjoyment. He then has a period of using less cocaine or stops all together. Other drugs, e.g. hash, alcohol or speed may take over the function of cocaine. "But if you do that on a daily basis it is certainly too much. You feel it in your health, you get to the stage that you really want it, that you go in search of it. That life's no fun if there's no cocaine available, know what I mean? At that moment I started to really reduce my intake." [004] "I have had a period that I stopped taking cocaine, then it was suddenly too much. And then six weeks only blowing. And now I'm a bit fed up with blowing, now I have stopped with blowing. But that might also be a mistake, stopping with soft and continuing with hard." [064]

As soon as the problems disappear however, cocaine is taken again, particularly if the funds are available. "Even if I were to earn 4,000 ($ 2,000) it would never be enough. I have a real hole in my pocket. I don't know why it is but once I get money in my hands I'm through it in no time. Later on I sometimes ask myself where it's all gone. I have nothing material in return. It's all been used up in sweets and pubs, and soft drugs and hard drugs and going out. I don't keep anything over." [064] "Yes, not that I buy it so often, since I don't have the money for it. You can better buy cheaper things with it. But once in a while, you know, then you suddenly have a bit of cash again, yes, now and then a wham!" [037]

People in this category of cocaine users experience a number of problems, physical and mental. These problems often arise after a period of more intense use. "After a time like that you have a period that you are down and depressive. Particularly after a longer period like that it can be quite severe. I then stop for a while with drinking too, a little while. I go and do other things and then it passes automatically. Do more work." [066] "I have sometimes had a nosebleed from coke. And a slight headache when getting up, perhaps. I am of course not such a heavy user. If I get a nosebleed that is for me absolutely a reason to stop. Then I do go and look at how much I'm taking and if it is too much I stop a couple of weeks." [064] One of the respondents had stopped at the time of the interview. This was following an emergency admission to hospital because of heart problems. They do not see themselves as being really addicted. But once in a while they are forced to question this. "Yes, alas the craving for coke is something I recognise. I myself try to alternate a bit with drugs, so that you don't get too addicted. I am a bit afraid that that is going to happen. There are times that I really feel I'd like to have a shot. That is thus really the wrong path. I mean to say, you have people who are true addicts, who are constantly thinking about it. Counting money and setting it aside. Now, it's not that bad yet with me, but once in a while I do think about it. When I've no money, then I can accept it. I don't crave it or the like." [064]

None of the respondents has got into financial problems due to cocaine use. "I have had sometimes to borrow cash to make ends meet. If I had to go out or the like and if I didn't have enough money then I had to borrow it sometimes. Not specially for drugs. I could always repay it each time." [064] In addition to moonlighting, three of the respondents obtain, or have obtained, some additional income from dealing. "Last year I was a home dealer....Before that a friend of mine did it and at a given moment the organization phoned to ask if he wanted to do it again that year. But he wasn't too keen. I was at his place doing a job at the time and he asked if I felt like doing it. It was fun. And the organization wanted someone they knew but who was not generally known as a dealer. Not the local heavy with sunglasses and shiny jacket." [004] "I have dealt sometimes in the past, short periods. Then I earned some extra pocket money it wasn't that I had an extra income. I got perhaps ten guiders ($ 5) on each gram of coke. Then I had my own supply of soft drugs again." [064] This relates primarily to small-scale dealing. One of the respondents is dealing on a larger scale but was unwilling to provide information on this.

None of the respondents has even had contact with the social services in relation to their cocaine taking. As problems occur, the user cuts back on his consumption. They claim that they are able to cope with it but it is a drug with which one has to be careful. "You have to be very strong in order to not get into difficulties with cocaine. As long as you are strong enough, you don't go to the wall." [064]

The description of this type is based on 14 respondents, three of them are women. Their average age is 29 years. The youngest is 18 and the oldest 38 years. Cocaine plays a 'go-between' role and is not considered a luxury or exclusive drug. The main characteristic of this category of user is that cocaine has become more or less integrated in their life. It belongs to their daily activities in the same way as alcohol, for example, and is not linked to special occasions. Christmas, New Year's Eve and other celebrations are merely additional occasions on which cocaine is taken. The use of cocaine is seen as normal and natural and is hardly ever queried. It has become a routine practice. These respondents, to a greater or lesser degree, deny that they experience problems caused by the regular cocaine consumption. If problems do occur, they tend to limit their consumption for a short period.

The background of the respondents in this category range from working class to upper middle class. The jobs of their fathers are diverse: from diamond merchant to farmer, from managing director to publican. In some cases the mother also had a job but continued to be mainly responsible for bringing up the children. The childhood years were in some cases described as harmonious and in others as difficult. "Very kind people with whom I still have good contact. They live nearby and we still see each other regularly. My parents always pushed me to finish my schooling." [052] "I didn't get on with my stepfather, therefore I landed in a children's home when I was 15. That worked out well. I liked it there." [106] The level of education varies from CSE dropout to university/polytechnic graduate. Two respondents are working and studying part-time. The level of jobs corresponds to the difference in education. Three respondents are unemployed, two earn very little in their pub/cafe jobs and receive supplementary benefit. Others include an accountant, administrative officer, electronics engineer, lecturer and postman. Income ranges from a student grant of 600 guilders ($ 300) to a net income of 3,800 guilders ($ 1,900) a month.

The background of the respondents in this category range from working class to upper middle class. The jobs of their fathers are diverse: from diamond merchant to farmer, from managing director to publican. In some cases the mother also had a job but continued to be mainly responsible for bringing up the children. The childhood years were in some cases described as harmonious and in others as difficult. "Very kind people with whom I still have good contact. They live nearby and we still see each other regularly. My parents always pushed me to finish my schooling." [052] "I didn't get on with my stepfather, therefore I landed in a children's home when I was 15. That worked out well. I liked it there." [106] The level of education varies from CSE dropout to university/polytechnic graduate. Two respondents are working and studying part-time. The level of jobs corresponds to the difference in education. Three respondents are unemployed, two earn very little in their pub/cafe jobs and receive supplementary benefit. Others include an accountant, administrative officer, electronics engineer, lecturer and postman. Income ranges from a student grant of 600 guilders ($ 300) to a net income of 3,800 guilders ($ 1,900) a month.

A striking feature is that social life in the city still plays an important role in the lives of these respondents. This is limited to the weekend in the case of those who have jobs but the others go out regularly during the week. "I go out every week. Friday, Saturday and sometimes on weekdays." [058] "Going out alone is expensive but that's what I like. It can be all different times of day. If I'm in the pub in the afternoon or in the evening or night you have your daily expenses. I often spend a number of hours in the pub like that." [018] "I limit it to the weekend. I don't want to go out during the week. In Rotterdam pub life is not so fantastic. I'm no longer a night bird. I feel it that I'm getting older." [050] A lot of money is spent on parties and at pubs in addition to what is spent on the cocaine which is a fixed part of the routine. "Going to pubs and parties in general. I think that, sniffing apart, I spend perhaps 400 guilders ($ 200) on drinking, travelling to Amsterdam and Utrecht etc." [043]

Most of the respondents are familiar with alcohol and cannabis and many had experience of speed, XTC and, in some cases, LSD. Heroin is excluded, however. They use the drugs they come across in the pubs they frequent. "My first beer, I was fourteen or fifteen. Tasted filthy, of course. Later on you go somewhere and someone is drinking a beer and you don't want to cut a bad figure. Everyone finds it a filthy taste but we just take another bottle and nobody dares say no. And then, finally, you just drink it. You get used to it. I still drink it now. Fifteen or twenty bottles when I'm at work. In the space of nine or ten hours." [024] In many cases, alcohol and hash are taken more or less routinely. "I was 18 and had my first boyfriend, who I later married, that was when I smoked my first joint. That's when I got the taste for it and since then I've had a blow just about every day." [018]

Initiation is usually within a group of friends. It could be at someone's home but it is more likely to be with the group they go to the pub with. They usually come into contact with cocaine around the age of 20. Two respondents began relatively late, when they were already 26. "I was in a disco one evening with a friend and he had bought some coke. We then had a sniff together. We were of course used to something stronger. Coke is lighter than speed and XTC. Later on we felt it a bit, it was a pleasant feeling. After that I didn't take it for a while." [057] "At the end of the day at work. I was working in O. then and when we finished work we used to have a drink together. And then one day coke was thrown on the bar and everyone took some. That was given us by the owner. He bought it himself in that place. And then you just try it by yourself some time or other." [024] The first experiences are described as very positive. Emphasis is placed on the increased stamina it gives and the fact that it reduces the effect of alcohol. "The first time it was still fun. That was the best go I think. It makes you very active. We then went to the pub. It was remarkable, we downed an incredible amount of drink but the alcohol had no effect any more because of the coke. It was countered by the coke. Nobody was really drunk, you could just keep going. For everyone it was the first time." [077] "Coke, first time was New Year's Eve. Some people had brought it along and I tried it. I was a bit afraid for pain in my nose. I got a real good kick from it and it was a really good party. After that I didn't take anything for ages. I didn't even consider it. That came later when I landed in a different scene." [106]

Duration of use varies from 1 to 18 years. Generally people increase their consumption the longer they go on. It may take several years before they begin to take greater amounts. "I went and got it increasingly often till at a certain moment I was taking it every day. I found that too much, now I do it every weekend. When I was taking it every day, I took a quarter or a half." [062] "After that it was more. First twice in the weekend. Then we took a gram and after that two grams." [050] Consumption does not increase however. After a peak it stabilizes at a certain level. "You automatically take more. But that stabilizes. One of us took a half and another a quarter the whole evening. Now a gram a week. An average of half a gram an evening. Generally all of it in the weekend." [024] There is the occasional period in which no cocaine is consumed. After that, however, the respondent usually returns to taking cocaine at the same level. "Last six months it was in fact every week. Now I miss a week, once in a while. But the last couple of months it's in fact every week." [058] "And then I stopped again for a while and then I rolled into pub work and then you're in contact with it again. And now you are just bombarded with it and that makes it all a lot easier. You have more money now too. It used to be far, far more expensive." [052] Two respondents have stopped completely. The remainder are currently taking cocaine every week. The amounts range from a half to one gram a week. This is a level which the respondents themselves do not consider very high. "I take on average two grams of coke a month. I don't find that really a lot. I don't sniff during the day in the week, however." [043]

Cocaine is usually taken in the pub or at a party. The close friend circuit and workplace also play a role. These usually overlap, especially if the workplace referred to, is a pub, cafe or discotheque. "You go to the toilet and then you have a sniff and then you carry on. You can't go to the toilet in a group. But it's not a question of sitting on the couch all alone at home. A certain entourage around you, a certain atmosphere. Yes, that applies to me." [024] "If I was at home again, sitting there sewing, for example, I got some just for use at home. First it was only at parties, that's how I began." [106] "I went around with some friends who were also all taking it. You are into the nightlife. And of my six colleagues, four or five were sniffing." [092] In conjunction with alcohol, cocaine is the main drug used. The two are often consumed together. For some people, blowing still plays an important role. Speed and XTC are also used. "Besides coke I take still XTC and a bit of speed with it." [057] "I've also taken XTC sometimes. That feels even better than coke. It depends to a large extent on your personality. There is certainly also speed mixed in it. You don't get tired, you can drink an enormous amount and you are gentle. I don't get drunk from it. It is not what it used to be. I read that once in an interview with George Michael." [062] These are all drugs which are part of pub life. Heroin is a drug which does not fit into this routine and it is excluded.

The main methods used are sniffing and smoking. "I snort. I smoke sometimes - coke-joints. I don't base. If you smoke the effect is lost sooner." [062] " I have only sniffed. For myself it's a bit too expensive to experiment with it. I don't want to involve myself in that, therefore. If I sniff I feel happy and that's good in itself. I feel that my nose gets clogged, but never mind." [050] Only the odd one has experience of basing. This method is difficult to carry out in a pub or discotheque, where most respondents take their cocaine. Injecting is not even considered. "Always sniffing. I didn't see myself with a needle hanging from my arm." [092]

The effects which are stated are related to the methods of sniffing and smoking. The effects are often subtle, there is no question of getting high. "Subtle feeling, just pleasant, relaxed. Not worked up, just a pleasant feeling. What else can I say? The feeling that you can do anything. That I feel good. Can take on anything, just good. You talk more. You are not really another person, I like that. You can compare it with alcohol." [058] "You are much more active when you take it. You are more clear headed. You can think about things better. I have never noticed it but I think that your self confidence increases. You are more sociable from it. You are more interested in things. You can listen better." [077] "In my case is it only positive; you work better on it. You are not drunk. You can get into a good chat. You have time for everyone. And then you earn more tips too." [092] When cocaine is taken regularly the effects appear to diminish over time. "If you use it very often then you don't feel it any more. If you take coke every day, you then have to sniff one gram in two goes." [057] "If you take it every day you don't notice the effect any more. If you take it a couple of times a week then you still get a kick." [062] A number of respondents admit that they are experiencing an increasing amount of negative effects while there was no question of this in the initial phase. "The first time it was pleasant. I have also experienced the negative effects of coke. You get terribly worked up, you don't feel good, sometimes very strong paranoia and you don't feel safe." [062] "But it could have been that it went wrong. And then I didn't open my mouth any more. I just hoped that the evening would end quickly. Then I was extra-sensitive for other things. Then just something small had to happen and my whole evening was ruined. I never experienced that in the first year. That's from the last three, four years." [092]

In line with the routine which this category of users have developed, most of them have a regular dealer. In some cases this is a private address in others it is a pub or cafe which the respondent visits frequently and knows well and where he is assured of the quality of the cocaine on offer. "I had a regular dealer and that was always good. You get differences in quality there too, because sometimes a batch was finished and then came a new one. And that is always different. How it is washed, with petroleum or alcohol. And that is simply the smell on the stuff. But I got it from a regular dealer. And that was always good." [092] "The quality is good. I have a couple of addresses and if there is nothing there then I know another couple of people in Rotterdam whom I've known for years and who always have something and the quality is reasonable to good." [024] Due to their manner of consumption it is however not always possible to purchase cocaine from their reliable dealer. "I always got it from a fellow but if your supply is finished and you want coke at that moment then you buy it in the city. Then you also buy rubbish sometimes, of course. I meet more and more people who are also on cocaine, in that way you get to know where you also can get it. Through other people you get other addresses. That fellow sells only coke. If I wanted other drugs, I would have to go and search for them." [043] "I have experienced it that you can get really desperate in Rotterdam. Then you just go into some dive in order to get bad quality stuff. At the beginning I always got it in Amsterdam because I hadn't yet found a reliable dealer in Rotterdam. I always brought some with me for other people then." [050] On the basis of the know-how they have acquired in the course of their cocaine consumption they are often chartered by friends to fetch a supply. "I very often have clients for the dealers. I often fetch it for friends." [057] "I buy it for a lot of friends too. In such cases I buy 20/25 grams. I order it then beforehand. I don't buy it in order to have it at home and then to sell it to others. It could be for a special occasion, Christmas or the like. And then I fetch that 20 grams myself in X. by someone I know. I order it but I don't earn anything on it myself. They come to me to get it. It's a sort of deal between friends." [024]

Over time, cocaine use becomes an integrated part of the daily life. It is normal and belongs to the everyday activities. Cocaine is not used to 'get extremely high' but it is pleasant to take, just like alcohol. "I find it more usual now than a couple of years ago. I find it actually quite normal." [058] "That is not the reason why I do it, or anything like that, you know. I just find it nice. It's such an established pattern. (...) I mean, okay, you take it, you are only human and you need something." [074] As we have said earlier, taking cocaine is as natural and normal for these respondents as drinking alcohol and this is a comparison the often draw. Sometimes, just as is the case with alcohol, they buy each other rounds. "I come sometimes into places [pubs] in Amsterdam where someone then pushes a small pack in your hand. He is simply treating us to a round of coke. You don't, of course, have to use it then but that does happen sometimes." [050] "Same as with a couple of beers. You feel more relaxed and more content. Except when you drink too much and then you feel sick again and you have that with coke too. Then you don't feel good any more if you have taken too much. Yes, you don't walk crooked or trip over your words but it has a different kind of effect. You would have to try it yourself. I can't give an exact definition of how I feel then. You are not more relaxed in the same way as with alcohol but more easy going, everything rolls along more easily." [024]

The social function of cocaine is very important to this group of respondents. This is a function which fits to pub life. "After that we always went to the pub. I went to the pub once and then it was fantastic stuff and then I got the taste for it. In that period I thought: I won't go in the pub if I haven't taken some coke. Later I got to know more about it. I knew about coke that it was in fact a social drug." [043] "The social function is important for me. I never had much trouble with that, I like everyone and they like me too. But I had the impression that under the influence of coke, it all went a lot easier." [043] This social function also fits into certain work situations. In such cases there is no clear division any more and cocaine is used also during work. The work situations in question are such that this is, to some degree, allowed, such as pub/cafe work. "When I had to go back to my job, I took it with me. Then I went to powder my nose and then I could keep going." [050] "I think that if you are working in a pub, nine out of ten will say that. Just keep taking it. It's nice when you are working and you can drink more. Not that I suffer from stress, because I can only get into a stress situation from it if I take too much and at the wrong times." [092] Taking cocaine is considered a habit and is not queried. "Why shouldn't I take it if I have the money for it. It gives a pleasant feeling, nice." [024] Only the odd respondent allows himself to be seduced to a more philosophical consideration, such as the conclusion: "Coke is increasingly determining my evenings." [106]

In spite of their regular use of cocaine, the respondents do not see themselves as addicted. They do sometimes wonder about their individual consumption level but do not draw the conclusion that this may indicate addiction. Addiction is associated with junks, the Central Station (where addicts gather) and crime. Their own opinion is that they could easily manage without cocaine if they had to. "I really thought, 'Coke, then you are an addict and then you go and stand on the Central Station'. But that's not the case with me, I'm not addicted." [057] "Look, if you take it every week then that is a bit more towards a tendency of addiction. But I don't really feel that it is that way, no. If I couldn't get hold of it, I would not feel bad. It sheer indolence. The fact that you can get it easily if you have money. If it wasn't available, then it's just not there. It is perhaps possible that it is addictive but I can't visualise that of myself." [058] Despite the fact that people think they are not addicted, they have encountered a number of negative side-effects of cocaine. They have, for example, experienced physical problems. "It is simply bad for your health. Mental and physical. You are a bit unstable. I have a swollen throat and a thick palate (uvula) after I've sniffed a lot of coke. I have breathing difficulties too." [062] "What I have noticed is that with the help of cocaine you can drink more. But I realise then that both these things are attacks on your body. You lose your appetite completely from the coke. But I keep a close eye on that. It is therefore not a good combination. And if I had a row with my boyfriend, for example, it got really out of hand. I think that was due to the combination of alcohol and coke. We were both incredibly aggressive from it. Then you really go overboard. And then you are in a condition to kill someone. Then we were after each other really with a knife. Or windows got smashed or the like." [050] It is particularly in a period of intensive consumption that the psychological problems also occur. "If I really went completely overboard, that's when I used a lot, then I got a persecution complex. Then I looked thirty times over my shoulder in twenty metres when I walked home from the place where I work. That was horrible." [092] Only one or two state that they have no problems at all. In general the physical and psychological problems are rationalized or people try to find a more relaxed way to cope with them by cutting back on the amount of cocaine they take. "I have always been very conscientious in the way in which I have taken it. I will never go to the pub without having eaten a good meal. I make sure I always sleep well. There was a time I got some from a strange dealer. That was that 'disco-coke' which they put speed in. And then I lay in bed till eight o'clock in the morning staring at the ceiling. But then I made sure I always had sleeping tablets in the house. I have always been very conscious of it. I was doing it in a healthy way, the way I did it, and I could see that when I compared myself to my friends." [092] "Now I try to combine it as much as possible because I want to feel relaxed. Sometimes I am visiting somebody and I get the urge to sniff. Then I have to do it secretly and that isn't at all what I like. While it doesn't really need to be that way. I try now to get through the weekend in a relaxed way." [050]

The regular use of cocaine presents financial problems, too. Cocaine is a major item in the budget. It is sometimes possible to reduce the cost by developing a certain relationship with a dealer. "I have the good luck that I know so many people and I can get it cheaper." [052] For the majority, however, there are periods in which it is difficult to make ends meet. "I have had money problems because of it. I have also had high debts, a couple of months rent arrears. I've never got the stage that I couldn't manage at all. I have learnt from that, I don't like to be owning people anything." [043] "I have got into financial problems from it. I have run up debts in the pub. I still have to pay them off." [062] The financial problems are solved by economizing on eating, selling goods, or moonlighting. A limit is put on consumption and people are less generous in giving cocaine away. They usually look for legal solutions. "It stays within two grams a month. I don't go beyond that. I am also more tight-fisted when people want some from me. Everything linked to dope is non-gratis, it costs a lot and other people can pay for their own share." [043] "At the beginning of the month I had a stand at a jumble sale and I sold quite a lot of stuff. I've put that money aside for coke. I do it like that more often. If I'm lucky I put it into coke. But in a rotten mood I sometimes also want to run to the cash machine at the station to get some. I would never do anything bad to get it. But I do spend a lot of money on coke." [050] Criminal activity is limited to moonlighting and occasional shop lifting, traffic offenses and the like. The rare contact with police or the lawcourts is not in the context of the cocaine consumption.

Despite the various problems with which these respondents have been confronted in the course of taking cocaine, only one of them has had contact with drug assistance agencies in relation to cocaine. This was limited to a short contact with a psychiatrist and concerned a combination of problems at work, in a personal relationship and cocaine. The problems are always seen as personal matters which they have to solve themselves. "I always say if you are clever enough to begin with it that you also have to be clever enough to stop with it. Then I don't really need the opinion of somebody else." [050] "No, never had it. I didn't think I needed it. I know that I can never keep away from it completely, but if I don't want it then I can go a couple of months without it. I just mustn't go looking for it. It depends on me." [12.01] In general they are of the opinion that they have the situation well in hand. "I don't see anything negative in it. If you deliberately take it only in the weekend. I think that there a few negative things from it for me. As far as work is concerned you aren't better or worse. It really is quite a different world to heroin use. From that you have pure negative consequences. You have to have it every day and you have physical withdrawal symptoms and in my experience you don't have that with coke. I sniff too and I think that that is a difference too. That is also a way to keep things under control." [024]