Two pints of lager and a coke

How times have changed.

A couple of years ago my hypnotherapy practice enjoyed a steady trickle of smokers with the occasional cannabis user thrown in for good measure. Then, a couple of years ago, someone approached me regarding their cocaine habit. "Why not?" I thought, and adapted my smoking cessation strategy to meet this new challenge.

Well, what do you know? It worked. "A one-off" I thought. I didn't even bother to advertise it on my website, just didn't realise the client base was there. (I don't get out as much as I used to!)

I wasn't surprised when I got another enquiry about cocaine, but as the trickle has turned into a steady flow, I'm truly alarmed about the explosion in coke use, and the casual attitude surrounding it. Around many social groups it's become a regular part of the weekend scene. Go out for a few drinks, do a line of coke in the toilets, or go back to John's, he's got some at his flat.

Trouble is, it all ends in tears because, although the price has come down, it still ain't cheap, and people are wiping themselves out financially trying to keep up. When I asked the client I saw yesterday to visualise his life without coke, he could see his wedding, and a happy life with his partner and his little girl. With coke, he saw himself destitute, his relationship destroyed, living on the street, or even dead. It doesn't get much more stark than that.