Cocaine use inside football stadiums is on the rise, says Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the UK’s lead on football policing. Over the past two seasons, disorder at football matches has increased by 45%. DCC Roberts says there’s a link between disorder at football games and increasing cocaine use in society.
Football policing units conduct checks inside football grounds, swabbing toilets for cocaine and using drug detection dogs. Forces are making arrests for cocaine possession at football stadiums. Last year, cocaine arrests at football matches doubled from 32 to 68. Although these numbers are relatively small, DCC Roberts says a significant reduction in match day policing is the reason for this – with 50% of games being either police-free (11.3%) or spotter only (39.3%).
Inspector Andy Bridgewater, who heads up the West Midlands’ Police football unit, also believes there’s a connection with cocaine and disorder. He said: “There is a really strong correlation today between cocaine use and football-related violence.”
Cocaine Use at the Football – Do You Want Out?
Are you a football fan who wants to quit cocaine? If you can’t stop using cocaine, including on match days, then help is available. Equally, if you’ve already tried to quit cocaine, but you keep returning to your addictive habit, please get in touch with UKAT about addiction treatment.
For most people, powder cocaine use starts with a few lines here and there. You might have started out taking a line of cocaine before matches with your football crowd. Cocaine use probably seemed harmless enough at the beginning, a bit of fun on match days. It was about boosting your enjoyment of football and having a laugh with mates. As with every person who finds themselves addicted, you didn’t set out to form an unbreakable habit.
At some point, your cocaine use progressed to getting your supply for match days – using before the game and at half-time, then continuing after the game. You might be mixing cocaine with alcohol, to extend drinking sessions. Win or lose at the football match, cocaine is always involved.
You probably feel anxious when you see police or sniffer dogs at the stadium. You fear getting caught with cocaine inside the grounds. But still, you can’t seem to stop taking cocaine on match days. It has become part and parcel of going to football. Many of your mates take cocaine too – so it feels hard to imagine not taking cocaine with them on match days. And you don’t want to stop going to the football games you love.
The Way Out of Cocaine Addiction
The majority of cocaine addicts who enter rehab treatment can’t imagine what their life will be like without their addiction. That is the nature of all addictive disorders – they lock people into increasingly destructive patterns. When you know your cocaine use has to stop, but you can’t see the way out, the best course of action is to get professional help.
There are physical explanations for cocaine addiction. Cocaine is a potent drug that alters the brain over time. The more cocaine you take, the more the drug affects the way you think, feel your emotions, approach risk and experience pleasure and reward. In cocaine withdrawal, you may also have unpleasant symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, problems sleeping and a whole host of physical side effects – this can lead to addictive use, as you try to manage withdrawals with drugs or alcohol.
If you choose residential rehab, you will detox from cocaine and any other substances you use. You might need a medically managed detoxification, for example, if you’re using cocaine and alcohol most days. Less frequent cocaine use isn’t as likely to need a clinical detox protocol.
By removing all substances safely from your system, your therapeutic rehabilitation has the best chance of success. You will come to understand the driving forces behind your cocaine use, which have led to your addiction.
In addiction recovery, you will regain choices about what you do in life. You’ll be able to make good decisions along the way with support, to maintain your recovery. When you’ve established your cocaine recovery, you might choose to return regularly to football matches – with some help in place before and after games. Rest assured, there will be ways to do the things you love doing. Addiction recovery is about regaining the power to lead a fulfilling life.
If you’re ready to get help for cocaine addiction, UKAT advisors provide a free addictions assessment and then advise you on the best addiction treatment programmes. Please contact us for help today.