Cocaine is Scotland’s favourite hard drug.

More people have tried it than heroin, ecstasy or speed, according to the Global Drug Survey 2018, and Scots take it in larger amounts than anyone else.

We use about 1.2 grams in an average session – more than double the rest of the world.

Scots are also among the most likely to seek emergency medical care after taking cocaine and some experts believe Scotland’s abusive relationship with alcohol is amplifying the problem.

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The Global Drug Survey is the world’s largest survey of drug users and aims to make drugs safer by ‘sharing information in a credible and meaningful way’.

More than 130,000 people from over 40 countries participated this year, including 1300 Scots. STV is the GDS Scottish media partner for 2018.

Junior is a 32-year-old drug user from Glasgow who uses cocaine at work.

“I mostly take it at home or when out with friends, occasionally at work in the toilets of my office,” he said.

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“It’s cost me a few girlfriends but that’s mostly because there’s never any money left to do anything after paying for the drugs.”

Junior uses up to three grams of cocaine in a single session but hides his habit from his children.

“I just go to the bathroom do it,” he said. “I don’t talk about it to anyone and if they think I’m acting different I make excuses or I go to the shop for a wander.

“It’s tough lying. Sometimes I go weeks and not touch it but then as soon as I take one line it’s like nothing else matters.”

“You’d be surprised how easily it can be hidden to be honest,” he added.

Most Scots try cocaine for the first time in their late teens or early 20s, usually spontaneously at a party with friends or on a night out.

STV carried out tests in the toilets of 20 randomly chosen bars, restaurants and cafes across Scotland and found traces of cocaine in 12.

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It is among the most expensive narcotics on the market – a gram costs about £70 on average – although the purity of drugs in Scotland is generally lower than elsewhere in the UK.

Katy MacLeod, from the Scottish Drugs Forum, said: “You could argue that Scotland has higher consumption rates in general, but one of the biggest factors is the difference in purity.

“We get much higher purity in London and you tend to find the further north it goes the more adulterated it becomes. It will often be cut each time it’s passed down the chain.”

However, she believes the unhealthy relationship many Scots have with alcohol may also influence their drug use.

“Scotland has higher alcohol use and we seem to have higher cocaine use,” she sad. “A lot of people who use both will say they go hand in hand.

“There’s a myth that doing a line will sober you up, but you just feel more stimulated. You may then go on to use more alcohol and then more cocaine.

“Poly-substance use is a massive, massive issue in Scotland.”

Using cocaine and alcohol together is significantly more dangerous than taking them separately, increasing the risk of overdose and causing long-term damage to the heart and liver.

The number of Scots who have died after taking cocaine has risen significantly over the last two decades – from just three in 1996 to 123 in 2016. On average, six people died each year between 1996 and 2000. That number rose to 35 between 2002 and 2006.

John from Coatbridge started taking coke recreationally but gradually developed a habit. He ended up in jail, losing his job and custody of his daughter. He now suffers from angina, which he attributes to drug use.

“I started using drugs when I was 14 and at first it was all positive experiences,” he said. “I began to have a cocaine habit when I was about 32 or 33 and I was a heavy user.

“I took between three and seven grams a day on average. I was also using amphetamines and valium. I lost my job because of drug use and ended up in prison when I was 37.

“I lost custody of my daughter and because I didn’t have a permanent address I couldn’t get legal aid to try and get joint custody.

“I have health issues now due to drug abuse, I think. I have angina and constant pain in my legs and back but the doctor won’t prescribe me anything more powerful than paracetamol because of addiction.”

More than half of the 1333 Scots who responded to this year’s Global Drug Survey said they had tried cocaine, making it the most popular illegal drug other than cannabis.

About half of Scottish drug users buy their supply from dealers they know and a quarter get it from friends. About one in 20 buy coke on social media or the dark web.

The average Scottish cocaine user takes it about 35 times a year and around half want to use less, although few want help cutting down.

Caroline, a 43-year-old mother from Glasgow, regularly smokes cannabis and uses cocaine, which she gets from friends who buy from dealers.

“I started on cannabis to ease back pain and help me sleep,” she explained. “But I smoke now for the relaxation as I don’t like alcohol.

“As far as cocaine goes, it’s an occasional thing to help me feel a bit more confident when I’m out.

“I work in an office of about 50 people and pretty much every one of us takes coke on nights out.”