The Truth about Cocaine
Cocaine is a Schedule II controlled substance.
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug of abuse. Individuals who
have tried cocaine have described the experience as a powerful high
that gave them a feeling of supremacy. However, once someone starts
taking cocaine, one cannot predict or control the extent to which
he or she will continue to use the drug. The major ways of taking
cocaine are sniffing or snorting, injecting, and smoking (including
free-base and crack cocaine).
Health risks exist regardless of whether cocaine is inhaled
(snorted), injected, or smoked. However, it appears that compulsive
cocaine use may develop even more rapidly if the substance is
smoked rather than snorted. Smoking allows extremely high doses of
cocaine to reach the brain very quickly and results in an intense
and immediate high. The injecting drug user is also at risk for
acquiring or transmitting HIV infection/AIDS if needles or other
injection equipment are shared.
Health
Hazards
Physical effects. Physical effects of cocaine use include
constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased
body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Some cocaine
users report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety,
both while using and between periods of use. An appreciable
tolerance to the high may be developed, and many addicts report
that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did
from their first exposure.
Paranoia and aggression. High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use
can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce
particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted
individuals stop using cocaine, they may become depressed. This
depression causes users to continue to use the drug to alleviate
their depression.
Long-term effects:
Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the
mucous membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough
to cause it to collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result
of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Added Danger.
When people mix cocaine and alcohol, they are compounding the
danger each drug poses and unknowingly causing a complex chemical
interaction within their bodies. Researchers have found that the
human liver combines cocaine and alcohol to manufacture a third
substance, cocaethylene, which intensifies cocaine's euphoric
effects and possibly increases the risk of sudden death.
