Some Aussies are still managing to afford an expensive and illegal habit

The cost of living crisis has got people changing the way they live, but there’s one thing Aussies still aren’t giving up despite the huge cost.

Some Aussies are still managing to afford this expensive and illegal habit. Source: Istock via Serhii Hryshchyshen

Some Aussies are still finding room in their budgets to snort cocaine on the weekends despite struggling to cope with a crippling cost of living crisis.

Australians are the highest per capita users of the illegal drug in the world, with five and a half tonnes consumed each year.

Aussies are also using coke at record levels with a pattern of increased usage, with the drug’s prevalence doubling since 2010 and quadripling since 2004.

The biggest common thread found between users was that employed Aussies were more likely to use the illegal drug, according to a study by the National Institute of Health.

Cocaine is becoming more popular in Australia. Source: Istock via Serhii Hryshchyshen

The going price for a gram of cocaine is lingering around the $350 mark.

That isn’t small change when you consider inflation is at 7 per cent and the RBA rates have increased 11 times to 3.8 per cent.

To put this into context even further, according to Finder data, the average Aussie is only saving about $645 a month in these current economic times.

So if the average Aussie purchased a bag of cocaine, that would split their monthly savings in half — and yet the appetite for the illegal substance is still going strong.

*Blake, who is in his early 30s and lives in Sydney, shared that his relationship with cocaine hasn’t changed despite the rising cost of living.

“I don’t even try to justify the cost anymore… I just do it because I enjoy it,” he said.

For Blake, cocaine is simply not a cut he is prepared to make.

“I like to live a hedonistic lifestyle, and I’ll never be able to afford a house,” he said.

*Jake, who is in his early 20s and works full-time, has a similar outlook.

“There’s no justification other than a good time and I think my mates have a f**k it mentality when it comes to buying bags,” he shared.

Blake and Jake’s comments might sound the exception but convicted drug dealer turned comedian Andrew Hamilton isn’t surprised that cocaine is still popular during a cost of living crisis.

He noticed a similar trend during the mandatory government lockdowns in the middle of the pandemic.

“The sale of narcotics went through the roof during Covid because people were spending far less on going out. Have you seen how expensive alcohol in pubs and bars is these days? “Cocktails are over twenty bucks a pop, and beers are over ten. When people weren’t spending money on dining out and drinking they were spending that money on drugs and having fun at home,” he shared.

Coke is a popular and illegal drug in Australia. Source: Istock via Motortion

Cocaine can also have serious side effects Source: Rattankun Thongbun

Associate Professor Dr Timo Dietrich doesn’t believe that cocaine usage has worsened just because of the cost of living crisis, but concedes stress can lead people to dabble with the drug.

“People that are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress. For some, substances like cocaine may serve as a coping mechanism, offering a temporary escape from reality,” he said

For some Aussies, though, the rising cost of living has caused a shift in their illegal drug taking behaviour.

Amy, in her mid-30s, shared: “I don’t really do coke anymore, but I’d like to afford more drugs.”

Similarly *Jess, who is in her mid-20s admitted, “We’ve stopped buying because it is too expensive these days.”

While *Erin said she hadn’t given up her habit but instead “sponged off richer and more successful friends.”

Despite the cavalier attitude plenty of Aussies have to cocaine, it is also a highly addictive drug that can severely impact your health.

It can lead to issues like chronic headaches, seizures, heart disease, stroke, lung damage, loss of smell and even a heart attack.

Names have been changed to protect people’s privacy