Cocaine

Cocaine is a white powder that comes from the South American coca plant.  Users call it by a variety of names, including coke, snow, blow, toot, and lady.  Cocaine belongs to a class of drugs known as stimulants, which tend to give a temporary illusion of limitless power and energy.

 Crack cocaine is a form of cocaine that has been chemically altered so that it can be smoked.  Crack looks like small shavings of soap, but has the texture of porcelain.  The lumps of crack are called “rock” or “readyrock”, and some is pressed into pills.

 The immediate effects of cocaine include dilated pupils and a narrowing of the blood vessels.  Blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate and temperature increase.  There is a very real possibility of heart attack or stroke, even after one use.

 Cocaine addicts prefer the drug over all other drives and pleasures.  They quickly lose control over the drug and over their lives.  Family, job and relationship problems develop rapidly.  When cocaine becomes an obsession, thought is disorganized, judgment fails and existence becomes dismal.  Many people use cocaine to feel “normal” or to avoid the severe depression and fatigue that set in when they try to stop.

 Cocaine is addictive no matter how it is used.  Even occasional use can lead to an uncontrollable desire for the drug.  Crack is particularly dangerous because it causes a rapid “high” followed by a profound low, leaving the user craving more and more.

 Psychological effects of cocaine include profound personality changes, short tempers, anxiety attacks and severe depression.  Paranoia is common.  Continuing use of cocaine can cause a partial or total break with reality.

 People who stop taking cocaine or crack become intensely irritable, anxious and deeply depressed.  Above all else, they have an intense craving for the drug.

 The long lasting craving for cocaine makes addiction hard to treat without assistance.   The body must first be detoxified and then the addict may need to be treated with medications to control the cravings and treat the severe depression that occurs after cocaine is stopped.  Self-help groups are vital for the cocaine addict’s lasting recovery.