I got into a serious fight with who I thought was one of my best friends. He was a great guy and we seemed to have a lot in common. Both got out of college and quickly found a career path. We had responsibilities and were both doing great at our jobs. One of the reasons I think we clicked is because we had similar situations. With a group of a few friends we would usually at least once or twice a week alternate between each other's houses for dinners and to chill.

Last summer we were really excited about a particular concert. We planned a month ahead of time, got a small pony keg, food, and some tailgating games. Now, my friend really enjoys cocaine. I personally don't really see the fun in it but I have dabbled before. We do some, go in and the show starts. He ends up disappearing with another person in our group and we don't see them for the rest of the concert. After it's over we meet back at his truck. Can't find the one guy he left with. So I went searching for him, to find out he got cited for being so drunk by the cops...at a country concert. Anyway we get back to my friend's truck and my friend is livid. No idea why. He seemed sober since he said he was going to drive. He proceeds to rail about 3/4 of a gram of coke while he is driving out of the venue. He starts yelling at everyone in the back to find the bottle of whiskey so he can drink it...while driving. We refuse because obviously that's dumb and we were already being reckless letting him drive in the first place. He starts throwing insults at everyone.

We finally get back to his place where we all initially met up and he tells everyone to get the fuck off of his property before he calls the cops. I am pretty fucking pissed at this point. I did nothing to deserve to be spoken to that way or to be treated with such disregard. I said to him "you are acting like a child" and he does the macho "Tell me I am acting like a child once more, you won't like it." So I said it again. He then throws everything he had in his hands on the ground and charges towards me trying to tackle me. I grabbed his upper body and used the momentum to spin him around and throw him to the ground. I get on top of him, put my knees directly on top of his shoulders. The entire time he has that blood lust rage where you can't form sentences you are just grunting and gritting your teeth. In my head my instincts are telling me to just start punching since he is a threat but my rational mind took over: "you will regret this. you have the upper hand." so I just kept yelling at him "I won't hit you! Calm down!" and finally someone came and pulled us apart. The entire time I am like what the fuck just happened.

Turns out I ended up dislocating his shoulder in the tussle. He had to go to the hospital. I texted him asking if everything is alright. Thinking this is was just one of those childish situations that happens when drunk like back in college. He tried making it all my fault as if I did something wrong. No apology. No attempt to make amends. He even threatened to shoot me if I went on his property to pick up my car.

That's the day that I learned how powerful cocaine can be. I never realized how insane it can make someone or the hold it can have. I also didn't realize he was doing coke on like a wednesday night just for fun or how much he was actually doing. We aren't friends anymore but occasionally see each other in social settings. It isn't really that awkward beside the point that we were once good friends but his outburst ruined it. The thing that really bothered me was the lack of an apology. Nothing I did was wrong in the situation. He just acted irrationally due to his drug and alcohol use that night. Every time I have done something stupid like that when drunk I have realized in the next morning. I just honestly think he was incredibly embarrassed and figured that losing a friend is better than admitting you have a problem with drugs and alcohol.

Just want to finish up by saying that cocaine is a crazy powerful drug. In my case I never realized it because for me it doesn't seem to have the effect it does on a lot of other people. I sort of wrote it off as not as dangerous as DARE and others have pointed out. Here is the catch though, even if you occasionally do it there is always that one guy who LOVES it that is doing it with you. It turns him into a piece of shit. You are out on the town having a good time? "We need to meet up with my guy" and you are now running around the city at all hours of the night going to crazy places trying to track this guy down. Your friend is going to buy a bag for everyone? No he is telling you the price of the bag, then collecting everyone's money, then he just gets an quarter of an ounce, gives everyone their grams, and he gets his for free since he bought wholesale and you bought retail.