Par
Camille Larher
Published on
June 28, 2024 at 5:48 p.m.
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The cocaine is everywhere, all the time! This is the shocking phrase that could be pronounced Alexandre Baguetaddictologist at Dieppe hospital (Seine-Maritime) and at CHU de Rouen. “The product is entering much more into the territory, and into the whole region, in general,” he emphasizes. In particular via the port of Havre. As at the beginning of the year, on January 26, 2024, when a ton of cocaine was seized by customs officers, in around fifty bags of sugar from a container that left the Brazil. The amount for resale amounts to nearly 30 million euros.
“In terms of care, we have observed a lot more requests,” adds the doctor. We have notified the Regional Health Agency about this. » Professionals have noticed that the occupancy rate in hospitalization units concerning cocaine has increased in the same proportions in Dieppe, Rouen, Le Havre and Caen.
Easy access conditions
“It is very widespread,” continues Alexandre Baguet. The novelty is its democratization, because the product itself has been known for a long time, but the conditions of access have become very easy. And since there are many sellers, the price goes down. »
The game of supply and demand is having its effect. “To give you an idea, when I arrived in Dieppe, in 2008, a gram of cocaine was €150, notes the addictologist. Today, it is not uncommon to find them 50 €. »
It may seem expensive, “but no more than a good bottle of whisky”. And with a gram of cocaine, “you make the party”.
Strong psychological dependence
We note that the average age of hospitalized patients is 40 ansand some are very young, between 20 and 25 years old. “Something you don’t see in alcoholics, for example,” adds the professional.
No medication to treat psychological dependence
How to help people who have become addicted to cocaine? Because if the physical dependence is not very high, the psychological dependence is extremely strong. “They need it! says Doctor Baguet, addictologist at the Dieppe hospital and at the Rouen University Hospital. We have no medication to treat these cravings.”
“With heroin, it’s simpler,” he adds. “I have substitution treatments – opiates, methadone, subutex – which will quickly provide relief. But for cocaine, there is nothing. C This is what we call craving, the irrepressible desire to have it. There, the brain disconnects. “Psychological dependence will depend on the context of use and the mode of consumption.
A full-hospital care unit exists at the Rouen University Hospital. In Dieppe, you can receive outpatient care for less serious cases, at the hospital or at the ONM, the Normandy Mothers’ Association. There, the work of acculturation to reduce risks and damage can be done. Consumers are informed about the dangers of certain practices and have access to equipment.
Rapid hospitalizations, at the patient’s request, were set up by Doctor Baguet. The first week goes well, but the second is very hard. Some go out, in agreement with the doctors, “to do what they have to do,” confides the addictologist. “Then he comes back very quickly, because it went badly.”
He takes a staircase as an image. You have to take it step by step to get the hang of it. “Every time, we win something,” he smiles. The support is provided over time with a gradual de-escalation.
The problem according to the doctor is consumers’ lack of knowledge about this product, whose psychological dependence is significant depending on its mode of consumption. You can snort it, base it, inject it or smoke it (Editor’s note: this is what we call crack).
“The acculturation of risk and harm reduction is less good than with heroin, for example,” explains Alexandre Baguet. It will catch up, but it will take time. »
When the Caarudreception and support centers for reducing risks for drug users, have seen an explosion in demand for crack pipes, and hospitalizations have increased in hospitals.
“In addiction, it generally takes several years of consumption before you find yourself in treatment,” notes the doctor. “With cocaine, the time is considerably shorter.”
And it can go very quickly depending on how you consume it. “We should rather talk about cocaine,” insists Alexandre Baguet.
Hepatitis C, Sida
Snorted cocaine, if it is not based, and taken in a party environment from time to time, causes very little dependence. But the steps are not high to move on to stronger versions of the product while ignoring the harmful effects of such consumption. Which leads to numerous trips to the emergency room.
“With injected cocaine, we are afraid of falling back into the old habits we experienced with heroin,” worries the addictologist. That is to say, transmission of theHepatitis C or Like ».
Moreover, these viruses can also be transmitted by sharing sniffing straws. Indeed, cocaine erodes the nasal septum, causing microbleeding.
All sectors concerned
Cocaine affects all socio-professional circles. And in particular, if we take local examples, the catering sector or even the world of fishing. It allows you to hold the bar during periods of intense work. “It’s very stimulating,” says the doctor.
On the cardiovascular level, you have to be very vigilant. “At 50, there’s no point trying cocaine if you’ve never taken it, at the risk of having a stroke, cerebrovascular accident, or heart attack.”
With the arrival of summer, the temptations will be great. The number of hospitalizations, both full and outpatient, increases at this time of year. “Information work is therefore essential,” smiles Alexandre Baguet.
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