Use of the class A drug is said to have risen by 25% in the last year(Picture: Getty Images)

An addiction expert says the huge rise in cocaine use is because it has become so normal ‘people are offered it at a work party and think nothing of it’.

Recent analysis from the UK’s National Crime Agency said traces of cocaine in wastewater is some areas of the UK are up by 25%.

Dr David McLaughlan, visiting consultant at The Priory Hospital Roehampton says the rise is because cocaine has become ‘socially acceptable’ in the UK.

He said many people don’t even realise they are addicted or have a problem until they ‘get caught doing coke and at lunchtime’.

The expert said language people use to describe taking it – like ‘having a bump’ – downplay drug taking, making it seem more normal.

He said people rarely come to him for help for their own health – more usually because ‘they got caught stealing from their wife or caught with prostitutes’.

Dr McLaughlan, 38, from Brixton, London, said: ‘People would be horrified if offered heroin at work party, but if someone is offered cocaine, they often think nothing of it.

‘It’s just so common in cities like London.

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‘People perceive it as being something totally normal – even the words people use like ‘having a bump,’ they distract from what the drug actually is.

‘Cocaine makes people confident and chatty and it enhances the experience of pleasure – it enhances people’s social bond – this is why it’s become so popular.

‘It can very easily get out of control. Cocaine addiction is insidious, and often people don’t realise they have an addiction.

‘Often people will only realise how bad it is if they get caught doing coke at lunchtime, or someone notices they have a nosebleed.’

Rather than the health impacts, Dr McLaughlan says the most common trigger for people to seek treatment is the financial toll it takes, as well as the breakdown of their personal relationships due to the drug.

‘When they realise how much they spend it is a big reality check,’ he said.

‘One patient I had was spending £1,000 per week.

‘Private treatment is not cheap, but if someone is addicted to cocaine, it’s a much better return on their investment.

‘The people I treat often do not come primarily because they’re worried about their health – it’s usually something like they got caught stealing from their wife or caught with prostitutes, have been arrested, or even woke up in stranger’s house.’

Dr McLaughlan, a former junior doctor working in A&E, said: ‘When I was junior doctor in A&E I saw two young and heathy people die after they mixed cocaine with alcohol and caffeine.

‘It can cause a spasming of the coronary arteries and predisposes you to sudden cardiac death and strokes.

The impact on the brain can also be severe.

‘It can perpetuate or precipitate anxiety disorders and even psychosis in high doses as well as depression.’

Cocaine is highly addictive, thanks to its ability to cause a huge spike in dopamine in the brain when taken.

Dr McLaughlan said: ‘The immediacy of the effect makes it addictive.

‘It is absorbed really quickly and crosses blood brain barrier straight away, helping the brain to link cocaine with that good feeling.

‘The spike from dopamine is considerably higher than eating chocolate, or even having sex.’

Dr McLaughlan says the services available to most people to help them with their addiction are also inadequate, especially for cocaine addiction treatment.

‘I have worked in addiction services in NHS, and they are totally overwhelmed,’ Dr McLaughlan said.

‘They are fighting fires but tend to focus on alcohol and heroin addictions.

‘The fact that cocaine is illegal, doesn’t not act as a deterrent to my patients who use it.

‘The solution is health education and supporting people to make good choices, it’s better to support people who need help rather than punishing them.’

He says while the drug used to be largely associated with middle class parties, the drug now impacts people from all demographics.

He set up medical tech company Curb Health which aims to give people an accessible and immediate way of fighting their unhealthy habits and addictions using AI and machine learning.

The start-up, which is funded by Innovate UK, aims to ‘learn when people are most vulnerable using just-in-time adaptive interventions’.

Dr McLaughlan says: ‘When I’m working with patients, I try to get them to meet the need of learning how to socialise but without alcohol or cocaine.

‘We try and replace it with exercise or more meaningful connections with people.

‘I always aspire to get people something better to do in their free time which gives them a reward but without using drugs or alcohol.’

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‘Often people will only realise how bad it is if they get caught doing coke at lunchtime, or someone notices they have a nosebleed.’