Long Term Drug Rehab Centers
The Dangers of COCAINE
Crack and Cocaine - Cocaine is a powerfully
addictive drug of abuse. Once having tried cocaine, an individual cannot
predict or control the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug.
The major routes of administration of cocaine are
sniffing or snorting, injecting, and smoking (including free-base and crack
cocaine). Snorting is the process of inhaling cocaine powder through the nose
where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Injecting
is the act of using a needle to release the drug directly into the bloodstream.
Smoking involves inhaling cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs where
absorption into the bloodstream is as rapid as by injection.
"Crack" is the street name given to cocaine
that has been processed from cocaine hydrochloride to a free base for smoking.
Rather than requiring the more volatile method of processing cocaine using
ether, crack cocaine is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking
soda) and water and heated to remove the hydrochloride, thus producing a form
of cocaine that can be smoked. The term "crack" refers to the
crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked or heated, coming presumably from the
sodium bicarbonate.
There is great risk whether cocaine is
ingested by inhalation (snorting), injection, or smoking.
Compulsive cocaine use develops even more rapidly if the substance is smoked
rather than snorted. Smoking allows extremely high doses of cocaine to reach
the brain very quickly and brings an intense and immediate high. The injecting
drug user is at risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV infection/AIDS if
needles or other injection equipment are shared. The most virulent or rapidly spreading disease transmitted by IV drug use is Hepatitis and especially Hepatitis C. Some estimate that over 80% of IV drug users are infected with the Hepatitis C virus.
Health Hazards
Cocaine is a strong central nervous system
stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption process of dopamine, a chemical
messenger associated with pleasure and movement. Dopamine is released as part
of the brain's reward system and is involved in the high that characterizes
cocaine consumption.
Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted peripheral
blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood
pressure. The duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include
hyper-stimulation, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity, depends on the route of
administration. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. On the
other hand, the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The
high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking may last
5 to 10 minutes. Increased use can reduce the period of stimulation.
Users of cocaine report feelings of
restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. An appreciable tolerance to the high
may be developed, and many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as
much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Scientific evidence
suggests that the powerful neuropsychologic reinforcing property of cocaine is
responsible for an individual's continued use, despite harmful physical and
social consequences. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use
of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. However, there is no way to determine
who is prone to sudden death.
High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use
can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce a particularly
aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using
cocaine, they often become depressed. This also may lead to further
cocaine use to alleviate depression. Prolonged
cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous
membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to
collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac
arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Added Danger: Cocaethylene
When people mix cocaine and alcohol
consumption, they are compounding the danger each drug poses and unknowingly
forming a complex chemical experiment within their bodies. NIDA-funded
researchers have found that the human liver combines cocaine and alcohol and
manufactures a third substance, cocaethylene, that intensifies cocaine's
euphoric effects, while possibly increasing the risk of sudden death.
Extent of Use
Monitoring the Future Study (MTF)
The MTF assesses the extent of drug use among adolescents and
young adults across the country.
The proportion of high school seniors who have used cocaine at
least once in their lifetimes has increased from a low of 5.9 percent in 1994
to 9.8 percent in 1999. However, this is lower than its peak of 17.3 percent in
1985. Current (past month) use of cocaine by seniors decreased from a high of
6.7 percent in 1985 to 2.6 percent in 1999. Also in 1999, 7.7 percent of
10th-graders had tried cocaine at least once, up from a low of 3.3 percent in
1992. The percentage of 8th-graders who had ever tried cocaine has increased
from a low of 2.3 percent in 1991 to 4.7 percent in 1999.
Of college students 1 to 4 years beyond high school, in 1995,
3.6 percent had used cocaine within the past year, and 0.7
percent had used cocaine in the past month.
