Cocaine has become the third most commonly used illicit substance after cannabis and primarily affects people aged 25–34 from a wide range of social backgrounds. This drug exists in various forms (powder, cocaine base) and is used in different ways (snorted, smoked, injected). Cocaine users constitute a highly heterogeneous group. While it may take several years for an individual to become dependent on alcohol or benzodiazepines, cocaine dependence typically sets in more quickly. This multifactorial condition follows a cycle comprising a phase of intoxication, where euphoria predominates, a withdrawal phase, an irresistible craving for cocaine triggered in various ways, a loss of control with impaired decision-making, and drug-seeking behavior involving multiple risk-taking behaviors. [author’s abstract]