The Dangers of Cocaine Addiction.docx

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Table Of Contents
Introduction Seven Facts About Cocaine What to Do if You’re a Cocaine Addict Street Names Associated with Cocaine 10 Questions to Ask When Finding the Right Rehab Cocaine Detox How Long Will It Last Long-Term Health Hazards Long-Term Health Hazards What Are The Withdrawal Symptoms? What To Expect? What Is Cocaine? What Does Cocaine Look Like? Where Does Cocaine Come From? The History Of Cocaine How Cocaine Is Used How Long Does the Feeling Last? The Effects Of Cocaine The Long-Term Effects Of Cocaine The Short-Term Effects Of Cocaine 43 44 46 36 38 42 30 31 33 34 22 24 25 27 28 3 5 7 11 18

Introduction
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Cocaine and Addiction If to you know someone who is currently dealing with an addiction cocaine, the road the two of you have to travel down is not going to be a pretty one, but in the end, it is well worth it. Before you speak with your friend or family member who is going through the addiction, it is important that you get a step in the door by doing some research. You can use this eBook we are providing you as a way to step forward – in this guide, we are going to tell you about cocaine addictions, where the drug comes from, the history behind it, the street names, how it is used and much more. Basically, we have put this eBook together to give you more information, because obviously, if you are reading this book, you are in need of answers. In the late 1850’s, even though the dangers were known, Cocaine was created as a “Wonder drug.” Isn’t that sad? A powerful drug like this was originally created as a drug to help people! Professionals gave the drug out for “anesthetic” purposes. The side effects that are associated with cocaine led to the creation of safer drugs. Unfortunately, this drug is still around and thousands of individuals, both young and old, are addicted to it. Is Someone You Know Addicted to Cocaine? Do you have reason to believe that someone you know is addicted to cocaine? Signs of cocaine use include: • • • Restlessness Anxiety Irritability

Individuals who are using cocaine are always losing weight. This is because the drug suppresses the appetite. Addicts can lose up to fifty pounds in only two months (that is not healthy, so don’t even think of trying it). Losing weight at an excessive rate is a sure sign of cocaine abuse. Individuals who “use” are more prone to developing nosebleeds. Nosebleeds happen because the drug obliterates the membranes that are in the nose. The individual may constantly have a running nose. We encourage you to

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read further in this eBook, because we have a specific chapter that covers this topic.

What to Do If You Believe Someone is Addicted If you have reason to believe that someone is addicted to this drug, the way you approach them could make or break them. You should never approach an addict with a mean attitude. Start out by talking with your friend about the drug. During the conversation, do not blame your friend for their problem and never use the word “addict.” If the individual senses that you are attacking them in any way, shape or form, they may become defensive. It is okay to do research for your friend or family member and point them to some treatment centers, self-help groups and addiction counselors in their area. Did you know that if you approach the individual with a list, you will improve the chances of getting through to them? I invite you to seek the help you need and continue reading this book.

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Seven Facts About Cocaine
Here’s a fact for you – right after marijuana, cocaine is the second most commonly use drug in America. It has been estimated that around 2,500 people in the United States try cocaine for the first time every day. Those facts are shocking, right? Well, here’s some even more shocking facts about cocaine: Fact Number One: A Highly Addictive Drug Cocaine is a drug that is highly addictive. Even after an individual uses it for a short amount of time, they will develop strong cravings for it, which will make it almost impossible to not go back to it. Fact Number Two: The Euphoria Doesn’t Last Long Personally, we don’t understand why anyone would want to do this drug to begin with. Besides the side effects associated with the use of this drug, those “hyper” and euphoria feelings will last between 20 to 30 minutes. After this, you will start to feel the desire to do it again. Fact Number Three: Harmless? Once Upon a Time, it was Thought to be

That’s right, back in the day, when cocaine was first introduced, people thought it was a harmless drug and boy were they wrong. In fact, it was so “harmless,” that they used it as a main ingredient in Coca-Cola. Don’t worry, they have since taken the ingredient out of Coca-Cola. Fact Number Four: It is Hard to Quit Once you start doing cocaine, it is hard to quit. There are many withdrawal symptoms associated, including paranoia, anxiety, weight loss, convulsions, sleeplessness and depression (with suicidal thoughts). Fact Number Five: Using Cocaine While Pregnant Is No Good
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This may be an obvious fact, but we feel the need to add it in here, because so many women ignore this or simply don’t know it. When you use cocaine while pregnant, you are putting the baby in danger of low birth weight, having a short body and a small head. Fact Number Six: There Are a Lot of Health Problems It’s true, a lot of health problems are associated with this drug. The health problems include blurred vision, insomnia, loss of appetite, vomiting, irritability, high anxiety, nose bleeds, rapid breathing, nasal infections, chest pain, violent behavior and hallucinations. Fact Number Seven: Cocaine is a Paste from a Plant Did you know that Cocaine actually comes from a plant? It comes from the coca plant, which can be found naturally growing in South America. 1859 is the year they first extracted cocaine from the leaves of this plant, after which, it was marketed in a wine in France. Those are seven facts about Cocaine that we believe our readers should know. The bottom line to the story, even if you use it one time, it is dangerous. The more you use it, the more likely it is to harm your heart and your brain. Cocaine can cause seizures and cardiac arrest, followed by respiratory failure … this means you could stop breathing and die.

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What to Do if You’re a Cocaine Addict
Unfortunately, Cocaine gets the most of people – it catches people off guard. Some only plan on using it once, only to find that after they used it, even though they did not plan on continuous use, they are called back to it. Cocaine is a highly addictive drug, that, as you may already know, was once an ingredient in Coca-Cola. If you are currently a cocaine addict, we are here to help you (because we really do care). In the paragraphs below, we are going to give you a list of things you can do if you are hooked to Cocaine (don’t worry, we don’t even know you are reading this right now, but if you are, congratulations on taking the first step to saving your life)… Is it possible to help yourself get over an addiction without professional help? Yes, it is possible; almost anything is “possible.” However, it is easier to get over an addiction if you consult a professional. So many people have tried to get over an addiction on their own, only to find that they couldn’t do it. Those individuals who have chosen to quit using cocaine on their own and have succeeded could have quit at an earlier stage if they would have chosen professional help. In other words, while it is possible to quit without professional help, it is quicker to quit with professional help. Find a Rehab If you are addicted to cocaine, the first thing you need to do is find a good rehabilitation clinic. There are many good rehabilitation clinics that you can look into – these clinics are available to help you get past that bump in the road. If you put yourself in a rehabilitation clinic, you will get the treatment
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you need. We aren’t going to lie to you, the withdrawal will be harsh, which is why we do not recommend you quitting on your own, but the rehabilitation clinic may give you methadone to help you with those withdrawal symptoms. Speak with an Addiction Specialist The addiction specialist should be a psychiatrist who is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry or Neurology or a physician that has been certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine. The addiction specialist will be able to help you organize an intervention that will be effective. You may want to ask the specialist to attend the intervention so that he or she can keep track of what is going on. If you are currently addicted to Cocaine and you are a loved one, you definitely need to contact an addiction specialist right away – there is no room in life for you to wait. If you are addicted to cocaine, it is important that you seek treatment right away – you should not be ashamed of this addiction, but you should take a step forward to getting the help you need and deserve. Treatment programs are designed to help addicts get away from drugs. The programs will give addicts the tools they need to help them live a healthy life.

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The Dangers Behind Using Cocaine
Some and will with no injecting it trying this learn the Injecting individuals try cocaine, thinking they are just “trying” it never use it again. Unfortunately, after trying it once, even intention of using it again, they find themselves snorting or in their skin for the twentieth time. If you are thinking of drug or if you have a loved one on this drug, you need to dangers behind using cocaine. the Drug is Even More Dangerous

By injecting the drug, you are putting yourself in even more danger than you do when you snort it. Apart from the “common” dangers associated with using cocaine, if you inject it, you will also be at risk of HIV and hepatitis if you share the needle. Pregnant and Using If you use cocaine while you are pregnant, you will be at risk of a miscarriage and low birth weight. Damages Your Lungs Using this drug will damage your lungs. It will cause you to have respiratory complications, which could cause death. Causes Aggression Aggression is a side effect of cocaine use that is frightening to say the least. It Can be Expensive This drug can get expensive, especially if the individual uses it regularly (they usually do). Many users have went into debt over this drug and some
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of them have been put in jail, prison or killed because they went out of their way to get money for the drug. Can Cause Panic Attacks Have you ever had a panic attack? A panic attack can make you feel as if you are dying, but you’re not. Either way, panic attacks are a scary part of using cocaine. Anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks are common among addicts. It is Bad for the Heart Cocaine is bad for the heart, point blank. While constricting the arteries that supply blood to the heart, it increase the blood pressure and heart rate. Even if you are young and do not have any current heart problems, this could cause you to have a heart attack. The use of cocaine can also cause arrhythmia, which is an abnormal heart rhythm that can be deadly. Harmful to the Kidneys Using this drug can cause kidney failure. The Sexual Function Yes, cocaine has a reputation for increasing your sexual desire, but it may make you hard to “finish” what you started in the first place. Frequent use of Cocaine can mess up the sexual function, regardless of your sex. For men, it can impair ejaculation. The Brain and Cocaine Cocaine can cause strokes, because it tightens the blood vessels in the brain. As with heart attacks, this can happen regardless of your age. This drug can also cause you to have seizures. Honestly, there are so many dangers to using Cocaine, so you shouldn’t do it. Why would you want to do something that can cause you to die? The “euphoria” doesn’t even last long – it can last up to 30 minutes. Do you think that is worth risking your life?

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Street Names Associated with Cocaine
It’s always interesting to learn the different street names behind drugs - this way, you will know what someone is talking about it when they use it in “code.” Cocaine, crack cocaine, inhaled cocaine and powder cocaine all have different street names. If you are a parent, we hope you never you’re your teen talk about the following:

using

Crack Cocaine Let’s start by giving you some street names for Crack Cocaine: • • • • • • Bopper Candy Beam Twinkie CDs Electric Kool-Aid

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• • • • • •

Pop Real Tops Rock Sevenup Space Yam

Cocaine Below are some street names for Cocaine: • • • • • • • • • • • • Aunt Nora All-American Drug Blow Coke Barbs Foo-Foo Dust Dream Snow Tardust Zip Witch Peruvian Lady

Inhaled Cocaine • • • Blow Coke Blow Blue Cork the Air

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• • • • • • • • • •

Booster Do a Line One and One Horning Pop Toke Snort Sniff Geeze Hitch up the Reindeers

Powder Cocaine • • • • • • • • • • • • • Aunt Candy Sugar Aspirin Uptown Devil’s Dandruff Tao White dragon Flave Pariba Shrile Shake Soft Sugar Boogers

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Fast White Lady

Now, when you hear someone talk about “fast white lady,” “Yam,” “Sniff,” “Bopper” or any of the other names we just gave you on this list, you will know exactly what they are talking about. Although, we personally hope you never have to hear these words mentioned. It is hard to ever imagine your child or someone close to you trying cocaine or any other form of drugs, but don’t let yourself be fooled. Research has showed that 7% of teenagers in the United States have tried this drug by the time they reached 12 th grade and half of the teenage population have tried some other form of drug by the 12th grade. If you have a child, the more things you know about him/her, the more likely you will be at spotting when they are messing with drugs.

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How to Tell If Someone Is On It
When you worrying signs suspect a friend or loved one is taking cocaine, it can be a very period in your life, and you need to know what the are so that you can either put your mind to rest or help your loved one get the help they need.

Luckily, because the drug is such a powerful stimulant, it creates big changes in the personality and behavior of the abuser, and as a result of this, it’s not too difficult to spot the signs of cocaine abuse or addiction. When a cocaine abuser takes the drug, their blood vessels will constrict and this leads to high blood pressure, a fast heart-rate and raised body temperature. Whilst these physical changes may be hard to spot as an observer, it’s still useful to know about them. The biggest visible changes to an abuser will be in their personality and the way they act. If they’ve just taken the drug you should be able to notice quite a drastic change in their mood and temperament and they’ll most likely appear hyperactive, full of energy, impulsive or violent, showing signs of an absence of hunger or desire to sleep and they may even become more promiscuous and open to high-risk sexual encounters and choices. When somebody is coming down from a cocaine high, they’re likely to be experiencing intense fatigue, lethargy, reduced desires to take part in their usual activities and very commonly, depression. In the long-term, regular cocaine abusers or addicts will become more withdrawn from society and their social obligations. You may notice them being more dishonest and unreliable than before. They may make up excuses to not attend family gatherings and may neglect their responsibilities at work. It’s likely that they’ll become secretive in order to try to hide their addiction from loved ones. Addicts may start neglecting their personal hygiene and upkeep of their house or apartment. You’ll also probably notice that they now have a new group of friends and acquaintances, who are all likely to also be involved in either taking or
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dealing of drugs. The reason behind an addict’s neglect of duties, hygiene and social contact with family is that for them, the next drug fix becomes their top priority. This can result in the addict turning to a life of crime, where they’ll start stealing, and even selling their own possessions in order buy their next dose. Over a period of time, an abuser will develop a tolerance for the drug and will need to take higher dosages in order to get the same high. Eventually, the user may be in the habit of taking the drug as frequently as every 10 minutes, or they may go on week-long binges. Other tell-tale signs of cocaine abuse are the appearance of certain objects in the user’s property, such as drug paraphernalia, rolled up paper or dollar bills, pipes, small plastic bags and, most tellingly of all, white powder on surfaces such as tables, kitchen counters and mirrors.

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How to Approach the Addict and Options
Because and wellbeing criminal the them cocaine addiction is very dangerous to the health of a person, and because it has been linked to activity and financial problems in the addicts it’s important that if you believe a loved one is abusing drug, you talk to them about it. It’s the best way to help get the treatment and professional help they need. However, because of the sensitive nature of drug addiction and the stigma attached to it, many cocaine addicts ashamed of their habit, and so bringing up the subject has to be very carefully and has to be well thought-out before you begin

will be done your talk.

An intervention is the best way of approaching the topic of cocaine addiction, as it involves enough people to show the addict that it’s not just the opinion of one person, yet doesn’t have so many people that the addict feels they’re being attacked. Ideally, you want to keep your intervention to just the closest friends and family members of the addict. They’re likely to be feeling defensive and secretive, and will probably be in denial, so it’s important that you choose people who are trusted by the addict. Make sure your intervention is calm and controlled, as it will help the addict feel less anxious and like an equal member of the group. If the addict is a shy person, you’ll need to keep your group smaller than for a more outgoing person. Once you’ve got the addict and your group sat down together, take it in turns to calmly and clearly voice your concerns about the situation. Explain that you’ve noticed the signs of addiction in them and explain why it worries you. Let them know that you’re all doing this because you care about them, and the addict will be less likely to rebuff your advances, and be sure not to make any accusations, as in doing so you’re more likely to push the addict away.
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It’s best to know all the facts about treatment options and what withdrawal symptoms are likely to occur, so that if the addict is open to discussing their treatment, you can give specific answers to their questions, and together, you can set them up with help. It’s likely to be a confusing time for the addict, and if you can readily tell them about treatment options, nearby clinics and community support sessions, they’ll feel a lot more ready and prepared to tackle the addiction. Just showing that people genuinely care is a good way to prompt a cocaine addict into talking openly about the situation. But if the intervention fails at first, that’s okay. Give the addict time to process what you’ve all said and eventually they should come around to the idea of getting help. You can try further interventions, but remember that no matter how frustrating it may be to see somebody you care about abusing drugs, getting angry and worked up will do more harm than good.

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10 Questions to Ask When Finding the Right Rehab

When choosing the right rehabilitation center, it’s only natural to want to ask questions about each option in order to make a well-researched decision. Because recovering from cocaine addiction is a difficult period in a person’s life, it’s important to make the right choice so that the patient can get the program that’s best suited to them. Listed below are 10 questions that you should ask when you’re looking for a rehab center. Any center worth considering should be able to readily answer all of these questions. • What kind of treatment does the clinic provide? Usually, each clinic will focus on one of the main forms of treatment, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or motivational incentives, or they may offer a more holistic and natural approach, with a focus on cleansing the entire body. • How long does the treatment last? Some have specific lengths for their treatment courses, with residential programs offering treatments for between 6 and 12 months, whereas
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some clinics will offer 12-step programs, where treatment is complete once the patient has progressed through the different stages. • Do they offer individual or group treatments? Some people prefer to be treated individually and others prefer to share the experience of recovery with people in the same situation. • Does the clinic deal with multiple addictions/relapsed addicts? Certain clinics are specifically tailored just to rehabilitation for cocaine addicts and others deal treat patients with addictions to various substances. Some centers are aimed just at relapsed addicts, and these centers will have a special way of treating those in this situation. • Which clinic is best for my stage of treatment? Some clinics are geared towards treating those who have only just come off cocaine and others are for those who have been clean for a long time but still need help in staying that way. This allows each clinic to offer a better, more specialized treatment. • Is there a waiting list? Unfortunately, as many medical institutions are understaffed, some rehab clinics may have a waiting list, so it’s good to check how long you could be waiting before you sign up to anything. • Is the clinic gender- or age-specific? There are clinics for just men or just women and there are clinics just for adolescents or just for older age-ranges. • Is it a residential or outpatient clinic? If you have friends and family or a job that you want to stay at home for, a residential clinic isn’t going to suit you, but if you feel you need to get away and immerse yourself in treatment for a while, then a residential clinic is what you’ll need. • How does this clinic fit my financial situation?

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It’s always wise to check that your insurance policy can work with a certain clinic before you set your heart on it, and some private clinics can be much more expensive than others. • Does the clinic also treat mental health disorders? Many cocaine addicts suffer from depression, anxiety or ADD, so getting help with conditions such as these alongside addiction treatment can really make a difference to your success rate.

Finding Treatment
It takes time and research to find the right rehab, as many focus on a specific drug or a specific treatment method. Choosing one that’s perfect is one big step towards getting clean and staying that way, and that’s why it’s so important to take the decision seriously. No matter where you are, there are bound to be either support groups, specialist medical centers or hospital wards, residential clinics or outpatient clinics of some kind within a reasonable distance.
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Some people like to focus on purely behavioural treatments, while others prefer holistic, all-natural approaches, and some people just want somewhere where they can talk about the way their withdrawal is making them feel, and where they can get support and advice from others in their situation or from professionals. Some treatment centers focus on CBT, or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and this method is especially effective in preventing relapse, so treatment centers offering CBT are most often used by those who have already been abstaining from the drug for a while. The process here works by using learning processes to break the cravings for the drug. Patients using CBT will learn to recognize the signs of cravings and what triggers them, and will learn to understand the psychological side of the addiction, so that they can fight it by coping better and finding emotional and psychological solutions to their cravings. Another kind of behavioural treatment involves MI, or motivational incentives. This kind of treatment is used mostly by those who are just starting to abstain from the drug and works by replacing the reward feeling that cocaine produces with rewards for abstaining from it. It’s very successful as it removes the source of the cravings, which is the brain’s reward response to the drug. Patients are regularly tested for cocaine, and if they’ve managed to stay clean, they’re given prizes that can help them get back on track with their everyday lives, such as gym memberships, vouchers for lunches and dinners at restaurants, tickets to the movies and other such rewards that also serve to improve the patient’s life by rehabilitating them into normal societal functions and events. Residential programs, also known as Therapeutic Communities (TCs), are different in that they require the patient to stay for a set period of time; for cocaine this is usually between 6 and 12 months. Their main point for treatment is the community that is created in the program, with the combination of the other patients who are going through rehabilitation after a cocaine addiction and the activities that patients take part in inside the community. The focus is primarily on preparing the patients to reintegrate fully into society so that they can go back to living a fulfilling, happy and clean life after cocaine. Certain 12-step programs put on by community-based recovery groups such as Narcotics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous can also help. These are

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useful for those who want to continue living at home, or who have jobs they have to continue whilst recovering from the addiction.

Cocaine Detox
and effect on
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Cocaine detoxification is different from many other drug substance addiction detoxes, in that due to its fast-acting the body, there are currently no specific drugs that can help

to get rid of the residual chemicals in cocaine whilst they’re in the body. In treating the addiction, medicines can only be used to reduce the side-effects and symptoms of cocaine withdrawal, and it’s the psychological and physiological effects of the withdrawal that physicians hope to reduce, in order to aid the process of treating the addiction. A cocaine detox is usually carried out under the supervision and care of an experienced physician and the aim is to safely and systematically remove the desire to take the drug from the patient, by eradicating both the mental and physical responses to cravings. Whilst every patient’s response to cocaine withdrawal is different, the most common responses are a development of anxiety, depression and incredibly strong cravings for the drug. The cravings are the most harmful to a patient, as if they’re not dealt with they possess the power to drive the patient back to the drug. There are several medications that can be administered to reduce the severity of cravings, although some are more effective than others and some come with risks to the health of the patient, as they can affect the heart in ways that somebody who has taken cocaine for a period of time cannot cope with, due to cocaine’s effect on the cardiovascular system. Amantadine is a drug which is used on patients with Parkinson’s disease and is used to reduce the cravings for cocaine in addicts. A beta-blocker drug, called Propranolol can also be used to reduce cocaine cravings in patients by reducing the palpitations and sweating that come with withdrawal. However, as it is a beta-blocker and affects the heart and blood vessels, this drug can only be taken under strict monitoring by the physician and will not be prescribed to every individual going through treatment for cocaine addiction. Only those who have been thoroughly cleared of high blood pressure and cardiovascular damage will be prescribed the beta-blocker medications. Antidepressants are also used in treatments in order to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients undergoing withdrawal and can reduce the additional risk of suicide in recovering addicts. Unfortunately, as there are no direct solutions to treating the addiction with medication, each person’s treatment will be different from the next person and the medical community is still pouring a lot of research and attention to finding drugs that can provide the most support and help to patients. Great strides are also being made in research to find a drug that can stop the addiction itself, but for the time being, physicians are learning more and more about how certain patients will react to treatments and combinations
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of drugs, and as a result, cocaine detoxification is becoming more efficient and more effective at curing cocaine addiction.

How Long Will It Last?
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There is no simple, one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as each person’s experience will vary, depending on how long they’ve been taking cocaine, how heavily they’ve been using the drug, whether they have any other physical illnesses, whether they have a mental condition, such as depression or anxiety, and whether they have access to a strong support network of friends, family or medical professionals. As a general rule, withdrawal symptoms can last from as little as 24 hours to as long as several months, while the rehabilitation process usually takes between six and 12 months in total, depending on how easy it was for the patient to go through the detoxification process. Residential programs usually last for six or 12 months, so this the standard length of time quoted when people ask how long breaking the habit will take. Some medical trials and experiments have been carried out, and in their clinical settings, some people lost the withdrawal symptoms within 24 hours, while others took months. If a user was an habitual, long-term abuser of cocaine (so, for several years on a weekly or daily basis), they’re likely to have the toughest detox period, whereas those who have been using the drug for several months or a year are likely to find it easier to get through the process. Whilst the physical manifestations of cocaine withdrawal may subside after a short while, it’s the psychological side that takes much longer to heal and requires a lot more effort and willpower to beat. This is because the drug creates such a strong reaction on the brain, and once the addiction has taken hold, cocaine creates a reward-sensation on the user. When an addict stops taking the drug, the brain has to adapt to not being rewarded with the drug anymore, and this results in very strong cravings as well as causing the patient to suffer from conditions such as depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Obviously, these are important conditions to treat, and that’s why it takes the knowledge and help of qualified professionals in order for an addict to become well again. All an addict needs to remember, is to not expect everything to be how books and articles say it will be, because each addict has had a different journey that led them to taking the drug, and each addict will react differently to taking themselves off the drug. But what they should expect is for there to be a wide, helpful and supportive community that can help them through the process. Whether it be their own friends and family or their local NA (Narcotics Anonymous), they can expect to find many people who have
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been through the same experience of getting (and staying) clean, and this, ultimately, is what can make all the difference to kicking the habit once and for all.

Long-term health hazards
As with the short-term side effects, any time cocaine is taken, it can result in a heart attack or full respiratory failure, followed by fatal seizures. Whilst this outcome is rare, the more doses a cocaine addict takes, the more likely it is that they will overdose or experience these adverse effects, especially as long-term addicts develop a tolerance for the drug and find themselves constantly increasing their dosages in an attempt to recreate the high they experienced the first time they took the drug. As well as increased tolerance for the stimulatory effects of the drug, long-term abusers can develop an increased sensitivity to the convulsant and anesthetic effects of the drug, which can lead to death after even small dosages and is the cause of many cocaine-use deaths in long-term users after small doses of the drug. After a long period of cocaine abuse, users will develop both physical and psychological side-effects. The most serious of the psychological developments is paranoid psychosis, in which the abuser loses touch with, and becomes detached from, reality. They’ll also experience hallucinations and delusions. The condition is a serious one and requires medical treatment if the sufferer is to get better. The physical effects of long-term use can range from seemingly small signs, such as headaches, an irregular heartbeat and chest pains to the more serious worries of seizures, abdominal pain and frequent nausea and seizures. In addition to this, regular, long-term cocaine users are highly likely to suffer from malnutrition, due to the appetitesuppressing properties of cocaine. The method used to take the drug can also present specific sideeffects after a long-period of time. When a long-term cocaine user snorts the drug as their method of ingestion, they’ll begin to develop regular nosebleeds and a persistently runny nose, they’ll lose their ability to smell and they’ll also develop difficulties swallowing, which
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can further exacerbate the malnutrition that many cocaine users suffer from. If a cocaine user most frequently injects the drug, they can develop severe allergic reactions to it and, at first, will notice the typical signs of a reaction on the skin, such as hives, redness and swelling, but the reaction can quickly develop to life-threatening levels in which the sufferer will have difficulties breathing as their airways constrict. As well as this, users who inject face all the risks that drug injection comes with, such as a greatly inflated risk of contracting a number of blood-borne diseases, such as Hepatitis and HIV. Regular ingestion of the drug as the means of taking it can result in what is considered the most gruesome of the side-effects, which is severe gangrene of the bowel. This is caused by the reduced blood flow to the intestines caused by the drug. It is a very serious condition.

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Short-term health hazards
Because cocaine is an incredibly powerful stimulant, its effects can be seen and felt very quickly after a dose has been taken. A cocaine user can be affected almost instantly or after as little as several minutes, but will also find that the effects of the drug vanish very quickly, too. Depending on how the drug is taken, the effects can wear off after just a few minutes or a number of hours. Snorting cocaine causes the effects to last for around 15 to 30 minutes, which is considerably longer than the five or 10 minute highs that smoking the drug brings. Generally speaking, the faster the drug is absorbed, the more intense the high will be, although this also varies by dosage. Whilst uncommon, it’s not unknown for people to die after taking cocaine just once. The effects can be so strong that the user can die from a heart attack or can suffer from full respiratory failure, which leads to fatal seizures. It doesn’t necessarily always happen because of an overdose, either, as people have been known to suffer heart attacks and seizures after taking just a small dose. The more noticeable physical manifestations of the drug are reactions such as muscle twitching and shakes or tremors, which are most often noticeable in the hands. These may be accompanied by symptoms indicative of anxiety, such as high blood pressure or heart palpitations, excessive sweating, restlessness and paranoia. You’ll probably notice mood swings in the cocaine user, too, and they may become irrationally angry and violent, which not only poses health risks for themselves but also for those around them. Another big short-term health hazard that comes with taking cocaine is that it lessens the effects of alcohol on the abuser. They’ll be able to drink large amounts of alcohol and won’t show the same signs of inebriation that non30 | P a g e

drug users would show, and as a result, the cocaine user is likely to consume more alcohol than their body can and should be handling. This is in addition to the fact that when cocaine and alcohol combine, they create a substance called cocaethylene, (also known as benzoyl ethyl ecgonine) which has a stronger and longer-lasting effect on the user than cocaine by itself. This newly created chemical is highly toxic and is what causes many cocaine overdoses and deaths. It’s the reason that cocaine is involved in the majority of substance-abuse related hospital admissions. Luckily, these effects only last for a short period of time, and the chemicals and toxins in cocaine are very quickly flushed out of the system. Another, slightly rarer, short-term health hazard with cocaine that can occur at any time is the danger of unknown chemicals being mixed with the drug. Rat poison is a fairly common additive to cocaine and, unsurprisingly, can have serious consequences for those who take doses that contain such additives.

What Are the Withdrawal Symptoms?
Cocaine is a very powerful drug, and so the withdrawal symptoms experienced by users can also be very strong, and because it’s so fast-acting and released from the system so quickly, the crash of a withdrawal appears almost immediately. Whilst symptoms will vary on an individual basis, the one symptom that affects every user is an intense craving for more cocaine. The cravings and the crash from a cocaine high can manifest themselves in many ways, and the most commonly experienced are irritability and mood swings, general anxiety, fatigue and lethargy or restlessness, paranoia and a lack of pleasure from things that would normally bring pleasure to the sufferer. Cocaine withdrawal doesn’t usually present the same physical symptoms that other addictive substances such as alcohol or heroin do, so nausea and shaking are not a common response. If somebody going through cocaine withdrawal does present these symptoms, it could be an indication that they’re also suffering withdrawal from a substance such as alcohol or heroin, and should be investigated. In the past, the general consensus was that cocaine cravings were not as strong as cravings for other addictive substances, although now it’s shown that cocaine cravings and withdrawal symptoms are just as strong, if not
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stronger than those of other addictive substances, and so treatments are now being applied with this in mind and as a result, success rates for beating cocaine addiction are steadily increasing. The longer-term symptoms of cocaine withdrawal are depression, fatigue, irritability, restlessness, lethargy, malaise, an increase in appetite, and in some patients, vivid and traumatic dreams. Some will also experience suicidal thoughts and so suicide becomes a risk, in addition to the standard risk of relapse and overdose. Around half of all cocaine addicts suffer from some form of mental disorder, with depression and ADD (attention deficit disorder) being the most common, and during the withdrawal phase of treatment the symptoms of these disorders can have an increased effect on the patient, and should be treated accordingly. Many patients start to self-medicate in an attempt to reduce their withdrawal symptoms and they may turn to sedatives, alcohol and anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications, such as diazepam (commonly known as Valium). This is not recommended at all by medical professionals, as all that happens in these situations is that the addiction transfers from cocaine to another substance instead, and in addition, these self-applied medications can interfere with those prescribed by the physician and can have adverse and sometimes deadly outcomes. As long as the patient sticks to the recommended program and course of medication that their doctor prescribes, their chances of success will be higher than if they start taking alternative medications or attempt to treat the withdrawal themselves. It will be hard for the patient, but if they appear to be tempted to self-medicate, you should try to talk to them to make them aware of the negative outcomes and remind them that all those supporting them believe they’re strong enough to kick the habit without turning to alternative substances.

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What to Expect
There’s no hard and fast solution to kicking any addiction, and this applies even more so to cocaine addiction because there aren’t any specific drugs or treatments to help reduce the withdrawal symptoms or to help the detoxification process. And because every person’s journey to recovery is different, there are no definitive answers to how successful a person will be or how long it will take them to get clean. However, generally speaking, an addict can expect to have the most success at kicking the habit if they have a strong support network, whether it’s from friends and family, medical professionals, or other people going through withdrawal at community support groups. Those who don’t seek help from professionals or who selfmedicate might succeed in breaking the addiction, but their chances of success are much lower, and the chances of them transferring the addiction

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to another substance is much higher than for those who withdraw from the drug with professional help and advice. All patients starting cocaine detox will experience the immediate symptoms that accompany the crash after cocaine’s high, but there will also be more long-term symptoms, and their severity and the length of time that they persist for will vary, depending on how long the patient had been using the drug for and how heavy a user they were. The higher the dosages that were being taken, the stronger the body’s response will be to being deprived the chemical. In clinical trials, some people saw their withdrawal symptoms disappear after just 24 hours, although in reality, many people will suffer for up to weeks or months. People will usually have a desire to take cocaine again during the withdrawal period because they either want to recreate the feeling of euphoria the drug produces or because they want to stop the withdrawal symptoms they’re suffering from. Because the cravings during cocaine withdrawal are so powerful, relapse is a very big concern to physicians and is one of the biggest hurdles that addicts face when getting clean. Recovering addicts also need to expect to not be able to start the rehabilitation process until they have completely finished the detox process and until their withdrawal symptoms have subsided. It will take time, and it’s an ongoing process that requires a lot of effort and willpower, but everyone has the ability to break the cycle and kick the habit. It’s not unusual for exaddicts to experience cravings years after they’ve quit the drug, but as time goes on and they stay clean, it becomes easier to deal with the feelings and the mental pain that comes with craving an addictive substance. Addicts should not be put off by the challenges of detoxification and rehabilitation, and should be made aware that with the strong support groups and with all the information and help that’s available, they have a very good chance of getting rid of their addiction to cocaine and to leading a happy and healthy life after the drug.

What is cocaine?
Cocaine is a bitter and addictive drug that comes in

different forms. In modern times, cocaine is usually and commonly used as a recreational drug.

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Cocaine, chemically, is a crystalline tropane alkaloid. It acts as a serotoninnorepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor, which is also known as a triple reuptake inhibitor, or TRI. It is a stimulant, an appetite suppressor, and a topical anesthetic. In other words, it is an energetic pain blocker that makes you not feel hungry. The compound itself violates what is known as the rule of hydopphilic-lilophilic balance, due to the molecule having pockets with high levels of hydrophilic and lilphilic efficiency. This causes cocaine to cross the blood-brain barrier better than other psychoactive chemicals, which may lead to a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. Once in the system, cocaine affects the brain and central nervous system. The compounds in cocaine involve a dynamic and complex bond regarding neurotransmitters. The most researched effect of cocaine on the central nervous system is what is known as the blockade of the dopamine transporter protein. When researchers study cocaine use, and cocaine addiction and abuse, many look at dopamine-rich brain regions including but not limited to the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. Dopamine is linked to the ‘natural reward’ centers of the brain, and is a compound that is in the brain when ‘natural rewards,’ such as food and sex, trigger it. Cocaine comes in many different forms and can be taken in many different ways. Hydrochloride cocaine comes in the form of what is known as ‘salts,’ and is the most common, almost powdery form of cocaine. Freebase cocaine is not soluble like the salt version, and is often smoked, allowing the cocaine compounds to directly enter the bloodstream. This version of cocaine is made by neutralizing the compounding salt. “Crack” cocaine is a freebase cocaine at a lower purity level, that is derived from neutralizing hydrochloride cocaine usually with a baking soda and water solution. This produces a harsh, off-white-to-brown material, which still contains sodium carbonate as well as entrapped water. While the powdery version of cocaine is often administered via inhalation through the nostrils or insufflation (‘snorting’), freebase cocaine and crack cocaine are often smoked and inhaled orally. ‘Crack’ gets its name from the crackling sound it is known to make after heating the substance. Other ways cocaine is administered include injection, rubbing on the gum lines (known as ‘numbies,’ ‘gummers,’ or ‘cocoa puffs’), or as a suppository.

The name ‘cocaine’ comes from the plant it is extracted from Erythroxylon coca, and is considered the most powerful stimulant derived from a natural
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place. The coca plant itself comes from the Andes mountain region in South America. Today, cocaine is not always derived naturally, but can also be synthetically made.

What Does Cocaine Look Like?
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Cocaine looks like a crystalline powder, that is white in color. It can often be mistook for other white powders as it looks almost identical to baby powder, or flour. Sometimes cocaine will even be mixed with things like baby powder or flour, or even sugar. Cocaine goes by many names on the street, including but not limited to: ‘coke,’ ‘dust,’ ‘line,’ white pony,’ ‘flake,’ ‘snow,’ ‘blow,’ and even ‘The Lady.’ Cocaine powder is almost always a stark white, while pure cocaine is described as white with a small tint of pink. Held under a black light, pure cocaine will appear to be a dark shade of purple. Although cocaine appears powdery, it normally is a clump of powder that is broken up before use. Cocaine often comes in bales of plastic, and is sold in small plastic bags. Cocaine is often sold by the gram, and a gram looks like a small bag of sugar. This is known as the ‘salt’ form of cocaine. The more crystalline the cocaine looks, the more pure is revered to be. Cocaine can also come in a paste-like form, which is derived from the mixing of coca leaves with water and bicarbonate. This form is generally smoked and is popular in the streets of South America. Paste has the lowest purity rate. Paste is also white to off-white, sometimes with shades of brown or pink. The most popular form of cocaine, called freebase cocaine, more commonly known as crack cocaine, is much more solid than the salt or paste forms of the drug. It’s texture is waxy, and it looks like little rocks. This is how it gets its street name ‘rock.’ It can be snorted like salt cocaine but is more often than not smoked out of a crack pipe. A crack pipe can look like a normal glass pipe (such as pipes used to smoke marijuana out of) but can also look like a long clear cylinder. A crack pipe is often cloudy at the end and is made to heat the chunks of crack cocaine and turn them into vapor for the user to inhale. Its color ranges from an off-white shade, to gray, to brown and yellowish chunks of rock. Crack is regarded as the purest form of cocaine because it is boiled down, reducing additives. The smoke that crack gives off when being smoke is reported to smell like a combination of burning plastic with a hint of a sweet smell. Some users even obscurely report the smell to be similar to that of a ballpoint pen. Cocaine is often mixed with other additives that pose more harm to the user, but may amplify (or in some cases take away from) the affects cocaine has on the mind and body. A user knows their cocaine is ‘cut’ with additives
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especially if the powder has a smell to it. Cocaine is known to not have a smell, unless it is cut with something such as ether, or baby powder.

Where does cocaine come from?
Cocaine comes from the coca plant. The coca plant’s leaves and extract turn into what is known as powder or rock cocaine. The coca plant is native to the highlands of the Andes Mountains in South America. It used to be used medicinally to either stimulate or numb the user. Sigmund Freud was the first to use it medicinally, and he marketed it as a safe medication to aid depression and sexual problems. Since the 1980’s, cocaine has become one of the significant means of revenue for many non-wealthy South American countries. In Peru, cocaine became a licensed export and even was pharmaceutically backed and regulated by the government’s National Enterprise of Coca. It is reported that in 2000, around 1000 tons of refined cocaine was exported from South America. Coca is also grown commercially in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan. Globally, the three largest nations that produce cocaine are Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia, which are all situated around the Andes Mountains. The main customer for the drug that comes from this region is America, buying up to 90 percent of the production. Although most think Columbia is the largest cocaine supplier (it did used to be), Peru is now the superpower, producing an estimated amount of 325 metric tons of cocaine a year. Following America is Brazil, neighbor of these three countries. Cocaine comes to America via a complex and large drug cartel and drug trafficking system. These systems and routes are known to be very dangerous and leave many bodies in their wakes. Research shows that in Guatemala circa 2008, 40% of the countries 6,200 murders were related to drug trafficking. The final product departs north from South America and rendezvous with Central American countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. These trade routes then work to get drug across the border into America for sales. Although a lot drug trafficking occurs by land up and down the stretch of the Americas, an increase in shipping the substance via the ocean has come to
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notice. Due to a lull in government oversight on the Pacific coast, more and more cartels are using the seaboard to deliver their product to America. Shipments come through Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. Once on solid ground again in these countries, cocaine is turned into smaller shipments and brought by boat to location such as southern Florida. It is reported in 2009, America took in 157 tons of cocaine, compared to Europe’s 123 tons. To put this in perspective, Europe population-wise, has twice as many people. Cocaine powder and crystals have evolved over time, and can now be synthetically derived. New methods were created to amplify the effects of the drug, which is how the strongest and more addictive form of cocaine, crack, came to be. Although cocaine’s heyday as a party drug didn’t start until around the 1980’s cocaine has had a long history in the world and America.

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The History of Cocaine
The coca plant was originally used by natives of South America. The stimulant nature of the drug would help workers in the highlands increase their oxygen intake at the high altitudes where they would do their work. Workers could get the endurance to keep working in the thin air. Eventually, science began studying the stimulant and maximizing the strength of coca leaves and their extracts leading the drug to what it is today. In 1855, cocaine was first synthesized, but it wouldn’t be until 1880 that physicians and medical personnel would investigate the effects of cocaine. Sigmund Freud was the first to market cocaine as medicine. Cocaine would often be advertised to help with various aches and pains, especially those of the mouth and those of a dental nature. Elixirs in the early 1900’s were often made with opiates and cocaine, and marketers would claim these effects to me life-saving. Along with opiates such as heroin, cocaine became a go-to for medical ‘cure-all’ tonics. This was acceptable in the time period because there was no such thing as the FDA, and there were no restrictions on what could or could not be sold on the medicinal market. In 1886, John Pemberton would start a business that the world knows as Coca-Cola, one of the most popular soft drinks ever created. One of the main ingredients in Coca-Cola was indeed cocaine, and people loved it because of it would make them feel euphoric and energized. Cocaine eventually became a staple in the film industry, which was really beginning to rise in the early 1900’s. Silent films were the wave of the future, and film stars would influence the masses. This included normalizing the use of cocaine. Stars would be doing cocaine, or drinking Coca-Cola, and of course the public would want to be like the celebrities. Eventually, the public began to catch on to the negative effects of prolonged cocaine use, and began to take a stand against it. The negative effects are actually what

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invented the colloquial terms “dope fiend” and “fiend” which are still broadly used today for someone who has a cocaine addiction or problem. In 1903, the public pressured John Pemberton to take cocaine off the ingredient list for his soft drink product. As more time passed, cocaine made an appearance on The Dangerous Drug Act of 1920 as an outlawed narcotic. This set in motion the state of cocaine today, as its history in America began early. It is noted that use of cocaine really sparked in the 1980’s, especially the use of crack cocaine. It is reported violence and crime rates began to increase after this newfound, yet familiar drug made its reappearance in America. America was running into problems regarding the smuggling of drugs over the southern border via human drug mules, small vehicles, even helicopters, just to name a few. The DEA, as well as the coast guard and border patrol have been cracking down more and more trying to stop the drug from being brought into America, yet people find more and more creative ways to bring the drug in. People are also finding more and more creative ways to use cocaine.

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How Cocaine is Used
Cocaine and variety of its many forms can be used and administered in a ways. One of the most popular ways is known as insufflation, more commonly known as ‘snorting’ or ‘sniffing.’ This involves the user making a narrow line of cocaine, making sure the powder is fine and not rocky. These lines are sometimes called ‘lines,’ obviously but also known as ‘rails’ or in the smaller amount, ‘bumps.’ The user then (normally plugging one nostril) inhales the line, where the drug travels through the nasal cavity and is absorbed through the nasal tissues. Some users prefer to have the powder go directly from the surface to the nasal cavity, while some use a straw of sorts such as a rolled up dollar bill or piece of paper. Another way cocaine users administer cocaine is by swallowing it or orally using it. It can be rubbed on the gums where it is absorbed via the tissues in one’s mouth. It can also be crushed up and swallowed, which associated with the method of ‘parachuting.’ Parachuting involves the powder being placed on a small piece of thin paper, such as bath tissue, which is then swallowed like a pill.

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Cocaine can also be smoked. The most popular form of cocaine to smoke (and also the most popular form of cocaine) is called freebase cocaine, also known as ‘crack’ or ‘rock.’ Cocaine becomes freebase cocaine after the cutting agents and hydrochloride salt is reduced or taken away. Crack cocaine comes in small jagged pieces that have a rock-like appearance. Crack cocaine is popular because when it is smoked it hts the brain in a matter of seconds. It also relatively inexpensive but is highly addictive being it must be repeated often.

Cocaine can also be injected intravenously. Users may obtain syringes and needles pharmaceutically. Cocaine is often combined with a bit of water, where it is then injected via the needle into the bloodstream usually in the arm. Because the drug directly interacts with the bloodstream, the effect is near instant. High quality cocaine will dissolve easily in water, but some users prefer to boil it down (as if making freebase cocaine) before injecting. Cocaine can also be mixed in the same syringe as morphine or heroin and injected, which is known as a ‘speedball’ or ‘powerball.’ Injection greatly increases the chances of overdose, especially when combined with other opiates such as heroin. Cocaine is used for a variety of reasons. Some use cocaine to maintain a skinny and slim look, which in modern times is becoming a “fashionable” thing to do. It helps maintain the look that is known as ‘heroin chic.’ Some may use cocaine simply because they find the euphoric experience enjoyable. As with all drugs, many use the drug to escape from the unwanted reality of life, perhaps because they don’t like the way their life is playing out. A majority of people may also use the drug simply due to peer pressure, or to fit into a scene. The drug is highly addicting though, and some users try it a few times and become addicted to the feeling they get after they administer the drug.

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How Does Cocaine Make You Feel?
slew of Cocaine has an array of positive affects, as well can have a negative affects. The high cocaine gives the user involves different psychological changes. It changes how the user feels emotionally, and thinks. Users are attracted by the euphoric feeling cocaine is said to give off. These changes occur in different brain receptors, as well as the central nervous system. Some euphoric feelings are brought by the user to the experience, which is why cocaine does not affect every user in the same way.

The most prominent feeling cocaine brings to the table is the intense happy feeling known as euphoria. Cocaine directly affects the brain’s natural reward centers, boosting good feelings throughout the user. It gives the brain a false sense of accomplishment, which in turn also provides the user with self-confidence. After administering cocaine, users report a stronger ego and confidence level. This may or may not be an illusion, but many feel better about themselves after the initial use of the substance. This self-confidence effect can lead to the extreme of feeling like others are inferior and that the user has superiority compared to their peers. This is one of the reasons those with low self esteem may be attracted to use the drug. Cocaine is also known to diminish anti-social tendencies, causing the user to become a social butterfly. The energetic nature of the stimulant allows people to not fear social anxiety and to become more talkative and more
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social. That is also why cocaine is popular as a party drug, as users claim it makes it easier to talk and have a good time meeting people and to go out and do things. Users report the combination of all these effects allows them to feel bouncy and happy. People admire the quality in cocaine that allows them to lose their inhibitions (specifically socially) without having a lessened alertness to the world. Some users actually report a heightened awareness of sight, sound, and other senses. Reports also say the user makes you feel numb. The mouth is especially a source of numbness if administered by rubbing on the gums. Other reported effects include a stronger sexual drive, clearer thinking, decreased fatigue, wakefulness, and increased athletic performance. Negative feelings can also arise as well. It is based on the time and place one chooses to do cocaine. One may feel twitchy, and anxious after cocaine use. Users may also find the numbing of the face and mouth to be uncomfortable and perhaps frightening. Although some users like the feeling, others may find sensation of feeling ‘wired’ uncomfortable. Users who take high doses report feelings of paranoia, and can even exhibit patterns of psychosis. The mind can become confused and disorganized, is more prone to experience hallucinations, and may even become more aggressive and antisocial. Prolonged use can lead to different ups and downs in the lasting effect of different feelings cocaine presents to the user.

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How Long Does the Feeling Last?
The euphoria, alertness, and hyper-stimulation cocaine gives to the user can last a varying amount of time, depending on how much cocaine was ingested. Users feel the effects of the drug almost instantly, and it is said one has been ripped off if they do not feel anything within ten to twenty seconds. It is also reported that the length of the ‘high’ depends on the quality and purity of the cocaine. It is reported an average time for the feelings to last is about half an hour. Cocaine’s sister substance crack, lasts a shorter amount of time, peaking at ten minutes. Some users experience negative side effects such as restlessness, bad mood swings, nervousness, and anxiety. Negative factors increase if the user participates in what is known as a cocaine binge, or when the drug is used over and over in a period of time. These users experience increased restlessness and paranoia, as well as irritability. These negative factors can also cause extended episodes of paranoid psychosis, along with hallucinations (especially auditory hallucinations), and a feeling of being disconnected from reality. Overall, it is hard to determine how long cocaine stays in a user’s system. The factors that need to be taken into account include the amount consumed, how it was consumed, the quality of the drug consumed, how many times it was used in the time period, the gender of the user, the
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tolerance level of the user, the effects of other medications the user may or may not take, the age of the user, and how the state of the user’s metabolism. The average time for cocaine to stay in the system is about 4872 hours. It can be detected in the urine of a user for one to three days (under the assumption it was only consumed once). Cocaine may still be detectable for up to 12 weeks in the urine of an addict, or chronic user of cocaine. It is also said that cocaine can be detected in a user’s hair for three months after its intake. Although in these time frames, the user will most likely not feel the effects, cocaine is still present in the system until the body flushes it out. An interesting note on cocaine comes from its chemical makeup. Being that cocaine is a water soluble substance, the body tries to detoxify itself using this advantage, meaning the body tries to get rid of the toxins through fluidrelated body activity. This includes sweating, as well as urination. Along the lines of drug tests, drug tests don’t only test for the presence of cocaine, but often the metabolites of cocaine. In this case, the body produces what is called benzoylecgonine. Benzoylecgonine can be in the system for about a month after cocaine has been in the body. The metabolism is responsible for trying to flush out foreign substances, especially
if the body sees them as hazardous to one’s health and well being.

The Effects of Cocaine
The effects of cocaine range from long and short-term health effects, to effects on life as a whole. The drug effects areas of the brain that process and use dopamine, the body’s natural reward system. Cocaine users describe the feeling as being euphoric, with a greater sense of energy, feelings of superiority, self-confidence, and even an elevated mood. While some users report good feelings, others may report paranoia, dread, anxiety, and just an overall bad feeling. The physical effects of cocaine are also relevant. The user will exhibit different physical signals that include the dilation of pupils. This means the pupils become larger in size, noticeably in most cases. Physically, the user will also become much more energetic and active. This directly affects the user’s speech as well, causing them to speak with more excitability and enthusiasm. Cocaine can also create a loss in appetite, as well as a feeling of not needing to sleep. These physical changes cannot be measured, though cocaine also affects very physiological things in the body.
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A user of cocaine will often experience muscle twitches, and may cause the user to have difficulty in performing remedial or routine tasks, while others may experience the opposite and have more ease performing tasks. Users experience tremors, and vertigo on occasion. Though most may think cocaine only affects the brain, the substance makes its way around the body, affecting different organ functions. For one, cocaine increases blood pressure, and heart rate. Almost instantly, after cocaine has been used, the heart begins to beat faster which can lead to serious and sometimes fatal health problems. Cocaine also constricts blood vessels in the brain, which can lead to behavior described as odd, or even aggressive and violent. Also, if the cocaine is ingested nasally, the drug can badly damage the tissues of the nose and cause nosebleeds, and in bad cases holes in the nose known as nasal perforation. Cocaine is also known to be an aphrodisiac, but this is often a myth and a false reputation. Cocaine and actually make it harder to have sex and reach orgasm. Cocaine can impair sexual function, and in men, can even cause problems regarding ejaculation. Cocaine, as most hard drugs do, also has a negative affect on the user’s life as a whole. Cocaine use can cause depression and anxiety due to the bad feeling users get when they begin to come down. Especially in chronic users, this bad feeling can affect the people around them because behavior can become erratic and irritable. If a user becomes addicted to cocaine, his or her life may begin to revolve around the use of the drug, and not having the drug available may also lead to depression or suicidal ideations. Cocaine has a pretty bad reputation and stigma due to its dangerous nature and is often described as a slippery slope. The drug interferes with the chemicals in the brain and an addict will eventually need to take more and more to feel baseline or a sense of normalcy. Health effects also have a big reflection on the mental effects the drug may cause, in the short-term and long-term.

The Long-Term Effects of Cocaine
The lasting effects of cocaine are often fatal, or life altering. Cocaine instantly affects the heart and blood vessels. The heart rate and pressure both rise, and blood vessels are constricted. Consistent cocaine use or addiction can lead to an irregular heartbeat (known as arrhythmia), and/or heart attacks, especially in younger people with heart disease. Arrhythmia and heart attacks can obviously be fatal symptoms. High blood pressure can lead to brain hemorrhage, which may b seen on cocaine overdoses.
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As blood vessels constrict, the brain has a harder time receiving blood and the oxygen the blood carries. This can lead to severe and often fatal strokes. Strokes can be life altering, and can forever affect motor function, speech, as well as many other routine processes the brain aids in. Cocaine can also cause seizures and headaches that can permanently affect the brain as well. The process of ingesting cocaine into the respiratory tract via the nose, or through smoking can have a serious impact on the lungs and sinuses. Nose perforation can occur in users who snort, causing severe damage to the membranes within the nasal cavity. Smoking can cause permanent lung problems and damage. Cocaine can also directly affect the gut in some painful ways. Due to the constriction of blood vessels, cocaine causes blood to have a harder time to get to the bowls and stomach. This causes what is known as oxygen starvation, which can cause stomach ulcers, or even holes (perforation) in the stomach or intestines, which can become very fatal and deadly. Cocaine is also known for causing long-term chronic abdominal pain and nausea. Ingesting cocaine can also cause gangrene of the intestines due to the low level of circulation. Kidneys are known for flushing toxins out of the body, and if cocaine is ingested, it is possible for the kidneys to immediately fail. This kind of kidney fail is called rhabdomyolysis, and is most often fatal. This in synergy with high blood pressure can cause long-term and life-threatening kidney damage. One of the biggest hazards and long-term dangers of prolonged cocaine use is the risk of contracting diseases. This worry stems from injecting cocaine intravenously. Some users may share needs with one another, greatly increasing the risk of contracting disease. The most prominent diseases contracted by the sharing of needles include HIV (which may lead to AIDS), and Hepatitis. These diseases depend on blood-to-blood contact. Another long-term hazard of cocaine is the development of cocaine addiction. Cocaine addiction hurts the body, mind, and the user’s wallet. Cocaine addicts try to recreate the first high they had from it, and eventually use more and more, building a tolerance to the drug that causes the high to be short-lived. Cocaine addicts trying to get off cocaine also experience the horrors of withdrawal, which includes a depression, lack of pleasure, strong cravings, anxiety, and irritability. Some ‘crashing’ users even experience

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extreme agitation and suspicion onset by paranoia. Though, with help, cocaine addicts can get over these symptoms and recover.

The Short-Term Effects of Cocaine

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Cocaine immediately effects the user not only in a mental sense, but also a lot in a physical sense. First the body’s temperature rises, along with the blood pressure and heart rate. The result can be a heart attack in some cases. This is one of the biggest dangers in cocaine use because not only does heart pressure and rate rise, but cocaine constricts arteries at the same time, making a user’s heart work double-time. This directly affects the user’s respiratory tract, causing the user to have a very increased rate of breathing which can lead to hyperventilation. Especially the smoking of crack cocaine can cause severe lung irritation, and even permanent lung damage in some cases. This may cause oxygen starvation, which is directly in conjunction with the constriction of blood vessels.

Cocaine can also cause a loss in appetite, along with nausea in some cases. This can lead to a slew of other problems such as restlessness and fatigue. Down the road this can also lead to eating disorders, panic, and even depression.

Other physical short-term effects include hyperstimulation and hyperexcitablility, dilation of pupils, and in high doses, convulsions, seizures and sudden death. Even when only used a handful of times (sometimes even just once) many of these symptoms can begin affecting the body. Snorting does not only cause nosebleeds, but can also cause hoarseness and problems swallowing, as well as a chronically runny nose. Ingesting cocaine can also lead to bowel problems such as gangrene of the bowel. Injecting intravenously short-term can cause allergic reactions, and some blood-borne diseases.

Another short-term problem cocaine users may run into is what is now as the ‘come down,’ or the feeling one gets when the high of the drug begins to wear off. Cocaine latches on to the dopamine transmitters in the brain (the natural reward system), and the body’s routine process of taking in extra dopamine is cut off. This is where the cocaine high comes from, but once the drug begins to wear off, the brain must try to rebalance itself, which can cause uncomfortable feelings and emotions in the user. Cocaine tricks the brain into thinking it has produced more than enough dopamine for a period of time, and shut downs the dopamine factories in one’s brain. The brain
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becomes completely out of dopamine, and this is what causes the bad feelings. This is also one of the reason’s cocaine is so addictive, because the user while coming down immediately ingests more of the drug to try to recreate the euphoria that was before present in their mind. Unfortunately, for the user, the high will never be as ‘good’ as the high before, and the comedown will only become harder and harder to experience.

If a user does fall into cocaine addiction, long-term health effects become a large concern. Many fatal maladies can happen to a user, especially with prolonged use.

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