Promoted by the European Observatory on Drugs and Drug Addiction, the self-completed online survey targeted drug users aged 18 or over in around 30 countries, including Portugal.

In Portugal, the sample included 652 cocaine users, according to the Service for Intervention in Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD), which promoted the European Online Survey on Drugs in Portugal, which aimed to "deepen knowledge about the use of illicit drugs”.

Analysing the consumer profile, the study concluded that 69 percent are men and young people: 42 percent are between 25 and 34 years old, 32 percent between 18 and 24 years old, 18 percent between 35 and 44 years old, 7 percent between 45 and 54 years and 1 percent between 55 and 64 years.

It also concluded that 41 percent of respondents are graduates, 20 percent are attending higher education, 26 percent have completed secondary education and 7 percent are attending it. The rest have lower levels of education.

Workers

Almost half of the respondents (49%) are employed full-time (plus 4% part-time), 10% are self-employed full-time (plus 2% part-time), 16% are students and 6% are student workers. The rest are not employed.

A third live with their parents, 21% live without children (7% more than with children), 18% live alone, 14% share a house with friends or colleagues and the rest are in other types of situations.

According to the survey "How is cocaine consumed in Portugal?", 46% of participants have a monthly income between 500 and 1,000 euros, 25% have a net income of less than 500 euros a month, 23% earn between 1,000 and 2,000 euros and the remaining more than 2,000 euros.

Asked how many people they shared cocaine with in their last use, 39% said they shared it with two to three people, 24% with four to five people, 22% with one person, 7% shared it with six or more people, while 8% said they used it alone.

Regarding the reasons for using cocaine, 74% said it was to get "high", to have fun, 50% pointed to socialisation, 18% to reduce stress, 12% to experiment, 10% to improve performance (school, sport, work, etc.), 9% to treat depression/anxiety, 1% to reduce pain/inflammation, and 0.9% to improve sleep.

Regarding the frequency of consumption in number of days in the last 12 months, more than half (54%) said they had consumed it between 1 and 5 days, 13% between 6 and 10 days, 11% consumed more than 51 days and 10% between 21 to 50 days, with an average amount of 0.7 grams per day.