I want to talk about the bicycle of change.

So some of you, if you work in health or behaviour change will have heard of the cycle of change.

Pre contemplation.

Contemplation.

Preparation.

Action.

Maintenance.

Relapse. (just checking you saw that in there).

Yes relapse is part of the process. You can call it whatever you want.

This isnt just restricted to drugs and alcohol either.

Think about healthy eating, exercise, drinking water etc.

Now when people describe this, its not actually a fair representation of what happens, as its a cycle, makes it sound like a circle, people might feel like they are going round and round.

But you are not.

This is why we will refer to it as the bicycle of change.

Because yes, we are human, yes we are learning machines, yes we learn by making mis-takes. But we keep moving forward.

We learn from our alcohol free days, our days when we dont drink very much, our reductions, as well as our moments when we have a blip.

And we move forward, might not feel...

Blip, slip, relapse; I don’t mind what you call it.  Please don’t use language that makes you feel like shit.

It doesn’t matter what your drug of choice is: alcohol, cocaine, crappy food (although not a drug, people do use it in a similar way). When life changes, even subtly, its super easy to find ourselves reaching for our old favourite to cope, to comfort us, to escape, to fill time, because well, whats the point?

I am going to talk about lockdown in England specifically, although I am sure the psychology of it is similar in other countries.

For most of us, in some way (to different degrees), the rug has been pulled out from under us.

Now this isn’t about moaning or being entitled, this is a fact.

It doesn’t have to be a massive problem, most of us know that what we are experiencing are first world problems and we know that we are lucky.

That’s not the point.

I haven't relapsed, but I understand how it can happen. The...

One thing is for sure, we are living in unprecedented times.

Lots of change happening.

Its too early to tell what the impact will be on certain markets, including drug markets.

However we can be sure, that people wont stop taking drugs, so people wont stop selling, where there is a demand, there will always be someone that can figure out how to get it to you.

Drug dealers are some of the most resourceful and entrepreneurial people I have ever met. 

Take alcohol for instance, people have been panic buying, stocking up and off licences, supermarkets are still open.  This tells us that people are worried about making sure they have enough booze, even when they know logically, they can still buy it every day.

We can assume that people have been stockpiling their favourite drug as well.  I would imagine, cannabis, cocaine and ketamine are the favs, maybe a bit of ecstasy and acid. 

Lets take cocaine, chances are less of it will come into the country, but it will still...

A few words about anxiety and uncertainty.

Here is the thing, there are no guarantees in life.

Well I can guarantee that how you are feeling now will change, because everything changes. Like the weather, you can wake up feeling sad and then by the end of the day, feel good. The same way you can wake up and its sunny, then it will be raining by the afternoon.

There is so much that we dont know, or cant predict, we need to make peace with uncertainty.

If your thoughts are running away with you, please remember this, you are not your thoughts.
Your thoughts are just a small part of your human machine, like your heart beating, your blood pumping, lungs breathing, eyes seeing and so on.

Most of your thoughts are not real, or helpful.
Treat them like back seat drivers, tell them to shut up.

If you take a moment to imagine that your thoughts are another person, lets give them a name. What would you say if that person kept speaking to you, in the same way your thoughts do?

You would...

Ok, there are a few things I want you to be aware for your first few months of not using Cocaine.

(Well actually I am sure there is a book load, but for now we will start with the important things).

Ok lets start at the beginning with the obvious.  Cocaine is a drug, we take it because we like it, well thats why you started.  It feels nice, it releases all those feel good chemicals in the brain and with the adrenaline, a bit of excitement and pleasure is always nice.

Pleasure, reward.  You do this with certain people, at certain times in certain places.  You are setting anchors, making habits.

You might even notice that with certain people you want to take cocaine with them, the urge is strong, or its when in a certain place, or at a certain time of day.  Or a mix of all of these.

If you notice that certain people are a trigger, you feel like you want to use when you are with them.  Then, you can avoid them for a little while, while you change some...

There have been a few articles recently about the perils of using cocaine, one in particular by a dentist talking about how cocaine use can lead to a hole in the roof of your mouth.  I personally don’t find articles like this useful.  There are many reasons why we should really think twice about using cocaine, however worrying about a hole appearing in the roof of our mouths probably isn’t one of them. 

It’s scaremongering - how many people do you know who have used cocaine, even large amounts, with no adverse physical health effects?  So let’s be honest and talk about the real reasons; the reasons that might make people like us, with a conscience, think twice about their little weekend boost.

Let’s start with where it comes from and how it gets to you.

Trust me, your cocaine isn’t fair trade.  Are you someone that buys organic veg? Fair trade coffee? But then buys a few grammes at the weekend for fun?

There are estimated...

Alcohol and Cocaine. A Match Made in Heaven? How to Break the Cycle. 

Your cocaine use has become a problem, maybe you are a weekend binge user with your alcohol, an occasional party user, or maybe it has got out of control and you are using a lot and often.

It might be that you only use cocaine when you have been drinking and you would really rather not.  It adds to your disinhibited feeling when you are drunk, adds a confident edge to you that actually you don’t really like even though it may feel good at the time; or compounds the feeling of “oh no what did I say and do last night?”. Who did I talk at? Who did I offend?

Alcohol is a gateway to so many things and drug use can be one of those things.  If you are someone that only takes cocaine (or other drugs) when you have been drinking and your intention is not to take any drugs, then the simple answer is take some time off the booze.  It will help in those early few months.  You will be...