“I fell into a disease called addiction”, declared Pierre Palmade in the media, well before the tragedy. The 54-year-old comedian was seriously injured in a car accident on Friday. Three other people were also injured, including a child and a pregnant woman who lost her baby. At the wheel of his vehicle, the comedian, under the influence of cocaine, swerved into the opposite lane.
“Drugs, cocaine, opiates, are extremely dangerous drugs with an extremely powerful addictive power and which lead to human tragedies which we must avoid by all means”, reacted Tuesday the spokesman of the government Olivier Veran. How is cocaine addictive? How to get out? 20 minutes takes stock thanks to the insight of Laurent Karila, psychiatrist at the Paul-Brousse hospital in Villejuif, specialist in addictology and Addiktion podcast creator.
Is cocaine use on the rise?
Until 2009, “France and Europe were a fairly virgin territory in cocaine, it was reserved for a social elite”, explains Professor Laurent Karila, psychiatrist at the Paul-Brousse hospital in Villejuif. Since then, the white powder, known for its powerful stimulating power, has flooded France. And prices have dropped drastically, encouraging its spread among the population. “It went from 180 euros per gram to 40 euros per gram sometimes”, underlines the specialist in addictology. Consumers are therefore more and more numerous. According to the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT)there are at least 600,000 cocaine users each year in France.
“In its hydrochloride form”, the white powder is therefore the “illicit product most consumed in France after cannabis”, notes the OFDT. “Pierre Palmade is the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of unknown Pierre Palmade who have this type of accident or who overdose, ”notes the spokesperson for SOS addictions. The experimentation of cocaine is more and more common, it has been multiplied by four in twenty years. For 18-64 year olds, it went from “1.2% in 1995 to 5.6% in 2017”, notes the OFDT. An experiment that can be very dangerous because “5 to 10% of consumers who try it will become dependent after a year”, warns Laurent Karila.
How do you become addicted to cocaine?
“Cocaine is rarely consumed in isolation, it mixes with tobacco, alcohol, sex”, recalls the addiction specialist who adds that the white powder still enjoys a “festive image, a little golden” yet far from reality for those who have plunged into addiction. To be considered addicted to cocaine, you have to think of the “five Cs”, explains Laurent Karila. The “common matrix of addiction” can be summed up in this mnemonic device: “Loss of Control, Compulsive use, Craving – that is to say the irrepressible need to consume -, Continuous use and Social, psychological and psychiatric consequences over twelve months”, lists the doctor.
With cocaine, “the craving is extremely powerful, probably because of its stimulating side,” he notes. Unlike alcohol or tobacco, people addicted to cocaine do not necessarily use it daily. “The vast majority of cocaine addicts that I treat consume three times a week”, emphasizes Laurent Karila. The uberization of drug trafficking has made cocaine popular and aggravates the addiction mechanism. Dealers offer discounts, send reminders, provide loyalty cards, take care of their advertising and deliver directly to homes. “It’s business. But a business that can kill, ”recalls Laurent Karila.
How to get out?
Pierre Palmade was convicted in 1995 for cocaine use and was placed in police custody for “use and acquisition of narcotics” in 2019. “I’ve been trying to stop for ten years,” said the comedian the same year. If cocaine is less addictive than tobacco, there are vulnerability criteria. Genetics first to which we can attribute 40 to 70% addiction because “we carry the addiction of our parents”. But also “personal development, psychological disorders, temperament or the environment”, lists Laurent Karila who encourages consumers to ask themselves about the “five Cs” and to consult their doctor if they are concerned.
Unfortunately, there is no miracle pill to get out of cocaine addiction, but protocols do exist. “You need a full program. Addictive disease is like a tree, the branches of the tree represent a product or behavior. By breaking the branch it ends up growing back because you haven’t treated the rest”, illustrates the psychiatrist. To treat addiction and its roots, Paul-Brousse Hospital offers a one-year program. “It includes medical follow-up, psychological follow-up, nursing follow-up, social assistance follow-up if necessary with outpatient consultation or hospitalization if necessary for weaning”, he describes. . And whatever happens, “we cannot treat an addiction alone”, insists Laurent Karila. So don’t hesitate to ask for help.