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Effective Solutions To Drug Addiction & Alcoholism Since 1966
FAQ About Cocaine
Cocaine addiction is one of society's greatest problems today.
Individuals addicted to cocaine will do almost anything to get the
drug. It has penetrated all levels of our society infecting the
rich, poor, and everyone in between. Family members connected to
individuals with a cocaine addiction live in chaos and confusion
because they do not understand the underlying mechanics of cocaine
addiction. At Narconon we do understand cocaine addiction. Narconon
United Kingdom is a leader in the field of cocaine addiction
treatment since 1966. If you have a loved one addicted to cocaine,
we can help.
A) Cocaine, the most potent stimulant of natural origin, is
extracted from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylon coca),
which is indigenous to the Andean highlands of South America. It is
a potent brain stimulant and one of the most powerfully addictive
drugs. Cocaine is produced as a white chunky powder. It is sold most
often in aluminium foil, plastic or paper packets, or small vials.
Cocaine is usually chopped into a fine powder with a razor blade on
a small mirror or some other hard surface, arranged into small rows
called "lines," then quickly inhaled (or "snorted") through the nose
with a short straw or rolled up paper money. It can also be injected
into the blood stream.
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A) Street drug language changes all of the time, so as soon as a
list is published it’s somewhat out of date. The slang used for
cocaine in your area may include some of these terms and/or some
totally new terms. Big C, Big Flake, Blow, Bump, C, Caine, Candy,
Charlie, Coca, Coke, Do a Line, Dust, Nose Candy, Powder, Snort,
Sniff, Soda, Speedball, and Yeyo (Spanish).
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A) Cocaine prices depend upon the purity of the product. In 2001,
cocaine purity declined by 8 percent, from 86 percent pure in 1998
to a 78 percent pure in 2001. The decrease in purity indicates a
decrease in the supply of cocaine in the United States. Cocaine
remained low and stable, which suggests a steady supply to the
United States. Nationwide, prices ranged from $12,000 to $35,000 per
kilogram.
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A) There are four primary methods of ingesting cocaine. These
are:
- "Snorting" - absorbing cocaine through the mucous membranes of
the nose.
- Injecting - users mix cocaine powder with water and use a syringe
to inject the solution intravenously.
- Freebasing - Cocaine hydrochloride is converted to a "freebase"
which can then be smoked.
- Crack Cocaine - Cocaine hydrochloride is mixed with ammonia or
sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and other ingredients, causing it
to solidify into pellets or "rocks". The crack is then smoked in
glass pipes.
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A) The symptoms of Cocaine use include but are not limited to:
- anxiety
- panic
- bloody nose
- increased energy
- talking rapidly
- rapid pulse and respiration
- paranoia
- confusion
- dilated pupils
- hallucinations
- altered motor activities (tremors, hyperactivity)
- stuffiness
- runny nose
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A) Paraphernalia associated with inhaling cocaine includes
mirrors, razor blades, straws, and rolled paper money. Paraphernalia
associated with injecting the drug include syringes, needles, and
spoons, along with belts, bandanas, or surgical tubing used to
constrict the veins. Scales are used by dealers to weigh the drug.
Sometimes substances such as baking soda or mannitol are used to
"cut" cocaine in order to dilute the drug and increase the quantity
of the drug for sale.
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A) Cocaine addiction can occur very quickly and can be very
difficult to break. Animal studies have shown that animals will work
very hard (press a bar over 10,000 times) for a single injection of
cocaine, choose cocaine over food and water, and take cocaine even
when this behaviour is punished. Animals must have their access to
cocaine limited in order to prevent taking toxic or even lethal
doses.
Researchers have found that cocaine stimulates the brain's reward
system inducing an even greater feeling of pleasure than natural
functions. In turn, its influence on the reward circuit can lead a
user to bypass survival activities and repeat drug use. Chronic
cocaine use can lead to a cocaine addiction and in some cases damage
the brain and other organs. An addict will continue to use cocaine
even when faced with adverse consequences. Dependency can develop in
less than 2 weeks. Some research indicates that a psychological
dependency may develop after a single dose of high-potency cocaine.
As the person develops a tolerance to cocaine, higher and higher
doses are needed to produce the same level of euphoria.
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A) Through the use of sophisticated technology, scientists can
actually see the dynamic changes that occur in the brain as an
individual takes cocaine. They can observe the different brain
changes that occur as a person experiences the "rush," the "high,"
and finally the craving of cocaine. They can also identify parts of
the brain that become active when a cocaine addict sees or hears
environmental stimuli that trigger the craving for cocaine.
Researchers know that certain kinds of experiences, such as those
involved in learning, can physically change brain structure and
affect behaviour. Now, new research in rats shows that exposure to
stimulant drugs such as cocaine can impair the ability of specific
brain cells to change as a consequence of experience.
“The ability of experiences to alter brain structure is thought
to be one of the primary mechanisms by which the past can influence
behaviour and cognition,” says NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow.
“However, when these alterations in brain structure are produced by
drugs of abuse, they may lead to the development of compulsive
patterns of drug-seeking behaviours that are the hallmark of
addiction.”
The researchers conducted a series of experiments to examine how
drugs of abuse and experience might interact to produce changes in
brain structure. To accomplish this, they administered amphetamine,
cocaine, or saline repeatedly for 20 days to individually housed
rats. This pattern of drug administration was previously shown by
these investigators to produce both behavioural changes in response
to the drugs and structural changes in several brain regions.
However, in the current study, the researchers went one step
further. After the 20-day drug exposure, the rats were housed in a
new environment for 3 to 3.5 months. Half of the drug- and
saline-injected animals were placed in standard laboratory cages;
the other animals in each group were housed in a complex
environment. The environment contained a variety of stimuli:
multiple levels with ramps, bridges, a climbing chain, tunnels, and
toys that were rearranged once a week to encourage continued
exploration of the environment. At the end of 3 or 3.5 months, the
rats’ brains were analyzed for changes in dendritic branching and
spine density. Specifically, the researchers examined the spiny
neurons in the nucleus accumbens and the pyramidal cells in the
parietal cortex. These areas were shown in previous studies to be
altered by experience and/or drugs of abuse. The nucleus accumbens
is involved in motivation and reward, and the parietal cortex is
important for sensory-motor function.
Remarkably, animals that had been given amphetamine and then
placed in the complex environment did not show the same
environmental-induced structural changes in the nucleus accumbens
and parietal cortex as did saline-treated animals in the complex
environment. The results for those animals treated with cocaine were
similar, in that prior treatment with cocaine blocked the
environment-induced changes in the medium spiny neurons of the
nucleus accumbens (the only region examined).
“The findings from this study indicate that at least some of the
cognitive and behavioural advantages that accrue with experience may
be diminished by prior exposure to psychostimulant drugs,” says Dr.
Kolb. “This impairment of the ability of specific brain circuits to
change in response to experiences may help explain some of the
behavioural and cognitive deficits seen in people who are addicted
to drugs. More research is warranted to determine whether certain
experiences, such as exposure to complex or rewarding environments,
can alter the ability of drugs to induce structural changes in the
brain. If exposure to psychostimulant drugs can alter the effects of
subsequent experience, experience may be able to influence the later
effects of drugs. It may even be possible for certain experiences to
counteract the effects of psychostimulant drugs.”
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A) The symptoms of Cocaine addiction include but are not limited
to:
- cardiac problems
- neglect of family responsibilities
- ignoring job demands
- social isolation
- neglect of body needs and hygiene
- disintegration of the mucous membrane
- collapse of the nasal septum
- selling of personal property
- mood swings
- weight loss
- change in friends
- change in daily schedule (staying out all night)
- always having a stuffy, runny nose
- constant loss of appetite
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A) The effects of cocaine are immediate, extremely pleasurable,
and brief. Cocaine produce intense but short-lived euphoria and can
make users feel more energetic. Like caffeine, cocaine produces
wakefulness and reduces hunger. Psychological effects include
feelings of well-being and a grandiose sense of power and ability
mixed with anxiety and restlessness. As the drug wears off, these
temporary sensations of mastery are replaced by an intense
depression. The drug abuser will then "crash", becoming lethargic
and typically sleeping for several days.
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A) A great amount of research has been devoted to understanding
the way cocaine produces its pleasurable effects, and the reasons it
is so addictive. One mechanism is through its effects on structures
deep in the brain. Scientists have discovered regions within the
brain that, when stimulated, produce feelings of pleasure. One
neural system that appears to be most affected by cocaine originates
in a region, located deep within the brain, called the ventral
tegmental area (VTA). Nerve cells originating in the VTA extend to
the region of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens, one of the
brain's key pleasure centres. In studies using animals, all types of
pleasurable stimuli, such as food, water, sex, and many drugs of
abuse, cause increased activity in the nucleus accumbens.
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Cocaine in the brain - In the normal communication process,
dopamine is released by a neuron into the synapse, where it
can bind with dopamine receptors on neighbouring neurons.
Normally dopamine is then recycled back into the transmitting
neuron by a specialised protein called the dopamine
transporter. If cocaine is present, it attaches to the
dopamine transporter and blocks the normal recycling process,
resulting in a build-up of dopamine in the synapse which
contributes to the pleasurable effects of cocaine.
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Researchers have discovered that, when a
pleasurable event is occurring, it is accompanied by a large
increase in the amounts of dopamine released in the nucleus
accumbens by neurons originating in the VTA. In the normal
communication process, dopamine is released by a neuron into the
synapse (the small gap between two neurons), where it binds with
specialised proteins (called dopamine receptors) on the
neighbouring neuron, thereby sending a signal to that neuron.
Drugs of abuse are able to interfere with this normal
communication process. For example, scientists have discovered
that cocaine blocks the removal of dopamine from the synapse,
resulting in an accumulation of dopamine. This build up of
dopamine causes continuous stimulation of receiving neurons,
probably resulting in the euphoria commonly reported by cocaine
abusers.
As cocaine abuse continues, tolerance often
develops. This means that higher doses and more frequent use of
cocaine are required for the brain to register the same level of
pleasure experienced during initial use. Recent studies have shown
that during periods of abstinence from cocaine use, the memory of
the euphoria associated with cocaine use or mere exposure to cues
associated with drug use, can trigger tremendous craving and
relapse to drug use even after long periods of abstinence.
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A) With the accumulating medical evidence of
cocaine's deleterious effects and the introduction and widespread
use of cocaine, the public and government have become alarmed
again about its growing use. To many, especially health care and
social workers who deal with cocaine users and have witnessed the
personal and societal devastation it produces, cocaine addiction
is by far the most serious drug problem.
Cocaine use increases the risk of sudden heart
attack and may also trigger stroke, even in users who otherwise
are not at high risk for these sometimes fatal cardiovascular
events. The risk is related to narrowing of blood vessels and
increases in blood pressure and heart rate. Recently, NIDA-supported
researchers at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Centre at
McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, have identified changes
in blood components that may also play a role in cocaine-related
heart attack and stroke.
The physical effects of cocaine addiction include
but are not limited to:
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Changes in blood pressure, heart rates, and
breathing rates
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Nausea
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Vomiting
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Anxiety
-
Convulsions
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Insomnia
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Loss of appetite leading to malnutrition and
weight loss
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Cold sweats
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Swelling and bleeding of mucous membranes
-
Restlessness and anxiety
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Damage to nasal cavities
-
Damage to lungs
-
Possible heart attacks, strokes, or convulsions
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Even though the public is often regaled with
highly publicized accounts of deaths from cocaine, many still
mistakenly believe the drug to be non-addictive and not as harmful
as other illicit drugs. Cocaine's immediate physical effects
include raised breathing rate, raised blood pressure and body
temperature, and dilated pupils.
By causing the coronary arteries to constrict, blood pressure
rises and the blood supply to the heart diminishes. This can cause
heart attacks or convulsions within an hour after use. Chronic
users and those with hypertension, epilepsy, and cardiovascular
disease are at particular risk. Studies show that even those with
no previous heart problems, risk cardiac complications from
cocaine. Increased use may sensitize the brain to the drug's
effects so that less of the substance is needed to induce a
seizure. Those who inject the drug are at high risk for AIDS and
hepatitis when they share needles. Allergic reactions to cocaine
or other substances mixed in with the drug may also occur.
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A) Cocaine's effects appear almost immediately
after a single dose, and disappear within a few minutes or hours.
Taken in small amounts (25 to 150 mg), cocaine usually makes the
user feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert,
especially to the sensations of sight, sound, and touch. It can
also temporarily decrease the need for food and sleep. Some users
find that the drug helps them to perform simple physical and
intellectual tasks more quickly, while others can experience the
opposite effect.
The short-term effects of cocaine include but are
not limited to:
The duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric
effects depends upon the route of administration. The faster the
absorption, the more intense the high. Also, the faster the
absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from
snorting is relatively slow in onset, and may last 15 to 30
minutes, while that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes
The short-term physiological effects of cocaine
include constricted blood vessels; dilated pupils; and increased
temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Large amounts
(several hundred milligrams or more) intensify the user's high,
but may also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behaviour.
These users may experience tremors, vertigo, muscle twitches,
paranoia, or, with repeated doses, a toxic reaction closely
resembling amphetamine poisoning. Some users of cocaine report
feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. In rare
instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or
unexpectedly thereafter. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result
of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Various doses of cocaine can also produce other
neurological and behavioural effects such as:
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dizziness
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headache
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movement problems
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anxiety
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insomnia
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depression
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hallucinations
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A) Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. Once having tried
cocaine, an individual may have difficulty predicting or controlling
the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug.
Cocaine's stimulant and addictive effects are thought to be
primarily a result of its ability to inhibit the re-absorption of
dopamine by nerve cells. Dopamine is released as part of the brain's
reward system, and is either directly or indirectly involved in the
addictive properties of every major drug of abuse.
The long-term effects of cocaine include but are not limited to:
- Irritability
- Mood disturbances
- Restlessness
- Paranoia
- Auditory hallucinations
- Addiction
An appreciable tolerance to cocaine's high may develop, with many
addicts reporting that they seek but fail to achieve as much
pleasure as they did from their first experience. Some users will
frequently increase their doses to intensify and prolong the
euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users can
also become more sensitive (sensitization) to cocaine's anaesthetic
and convulsant effects, without increasing the dose taken. This
increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after
apparently low doses of cocaine.
Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken
repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of
increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. This may result
in a full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the individual loses
touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.
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A) There are enormous medical complications associated with
cocaine use.
Medical consequences of cocaine abuse:
Cardiovascular effects
- disturbances in heart rhythm
- heart attacks
Respiratory effects
- chest pain
- respiratory failure
Neurological effects
- strokes
- seizures
- headaches
Gastrointestinal effects
Cocaine use has been linked to many types of heart disease.
Cocaine has been found to trigger chaotic heart rhythms, called
ventricular fibrillation; accelerate heartbeat and breathing; and
increase blood pressure and body temperature. Physical symptoms may
include chest pain, nausea, blurred vision, fever, muscle spasms,
convulsions and coma.
Different routes of cocaine administration can produce different
adverse effects. Regularly snorting cocaine, for example, can lead
to; loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, problems with swallowing,
hoarseness, and an overall irritation of the nasal septum. This can
lead to a chronically inflamed, runny nose. Ingested cocaine can
cause severe bowel gangrene, due to reduced blood flow. Persons who
inject cocaine have puncture marks and "tracks," most commonly in
their forearms. Intravenous cocaine users may also experience an
allergic reaction, either to the drug or to some additive in street
cocaine, which in some cases can result in death. Because cocaine
has a tendency to decrease food intake, many chronic cocaine users
lose their appetites and can experience significant weight loss and
malnourishment.
Research has revealed a potentially dangerous interaction between
cocaine and alcohol. Taken in combination, the two drugs are
converted by the body to cocaethylene. Cocaethylene has a longer
duration of action in the brain and is more toxic than either drug
alone. While more research needs to be done, it is noteworthy that
the mixture of cocaine and alcohol is the most common two-drug
combination that results in drug-related death.
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A) Regular use of cocaine can lead to strong psychological
dependence (addiction). Those who abruptly stop their cocaine use
can experience cocaine addiction withdrawal symptoms as they
readjust to functioning without the drug. The length of cocaine
addiction withdrawal varies from person to person and also depends
on the amount and frequency of use.
Cocaine addiction withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited
to:
- agitation
- depression
- intense craving for the drug
- extreme fatigue
- anxiety
- angry outbursts
- lack of motivation
- nausea/vomiting
- shaking
- irritability
- muscle pain
- disturbed sleep
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A) The symptoms of a cocaine overdose are intense and generally
short in nature. Although fairly uncommon, people do die from
cocaine overdose. The exact amount of cocaine that causes an
overdose varies from person to person and is dependent on a variety
of factors including weight, metabolism, health etc. Cocaine is
often "cut" with various adulterants. This increases the risk of
overdose, since the purity of cocaine is difficult to determine. An
overdose from cocaine can cause a serious increase in blood
pressure, which can cause bleeding in the brain leading to a higher
possibility of a stroke. A cocaine overdose can cause heart and
respiratory problems resulting in death.
Symptoms of cocaine overdose may include some or all of the
following:
- Dangerous or fatal rise in body temperature
- Seizures
- Heart attack
- Brain haemorrhage
- Kidney failure
- Stroke
- Repeated convulsions
- Tremors
- Delirium
- Death
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A) Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the coca bush, which
grows in South America. Cocaine has been used for centuries by
Indians to combat the effects of hunger, hard work, and thin air. In
the mid 1800s its effects were praised by Freud, among others. Until
1906, this substance was a chief ingredient of Coca-Cola and was
also used as a anaesthetic. Widespread use and addiction led to
government efforts against cocaine in the early 1900s. The danger
associated with cocaine was ignored in the 1970s and early 1980s,
and cocaine was proclaimed by many to be safe. With the accumulating
medical evidence of cocaine's deleterious effects and the
introduction and widespread use of cocaine, the public and
government have become alarmed again about its growing use.
We had the following letter from the mother-in-law of a girl who
died from a cocaine overdose. We can't comment as to whether or not
she's correct in her assertion that a hot bath can triple the
effects of cocaine use but our staff members who are ex-addicts
thought it was valid and that we should publish it as a warning.
"I wish I could have found this website to have maybe helped my
21yr. old daughter-in-law. She DIED in Feb. 2007 of a fatal overdose
of cocaine, also had marijuana in system....she took a hot bath
after doing these drugs which compounded the problem and which
raised her temperature even more, resulting in a cocaine overdose.
She had her little 22 month old boy at the time in the bathtub with
her, he witnessed her death, and was in the bathtub with his dead
mother for 2 to 3 hrs. before they were found. Thank God he is ok. I
don't think many realise that taking a hot bath after using cocaine
and marijuana can cause the effects of the drugs to triple, and
cause death by overdose. It's too late for my daughter-in-law, she's
dead, leaving behind a 2 yr. old little boy (my grandson) who
doesn't understand now where his mummy is at.....it's heartbreaking!
I think it would help if you could put on your website about this
factor of taking a hot bath after using a lot of cocaine and
marijuana, that it triples the effect and cause of a fatal overdose.
Maybe it might help someone else before it's too late, if it just
helps one person, that would be great."
Joan Seatton
If you have a problem with cocaine addiction, call Narconon drug
rehab centre. We can help. Call 0800 - 169 4803 now.
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