Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug of abuse. Once having tried cocaine, an individual cannot 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 blood stream through the nasal tissues. Injecting is the act of using a needle to release the drug directly into the blood stream. Smoking involves inhaling cocaine vapor 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 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 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 (heated) persumably from sodium bicarbonate.
There is great risk whether cocaine is ingested by inhalation (snorting) injection, or smoking. It appears that compulsive cocaine use may develop even more rapidly if the substance is smoked ratheer 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 use is at risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV infection/ AIDS if needles or other injection equipment is shared.
Cocaine is a strong a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsoprtion process dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement. Dopamine is relaeased 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 administration. The faster the absoprtion, 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, that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. Increased use can reduce the period of stimulation.
Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irratibility 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 continual 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 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 make it to collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by a respiratory arrest.
When people mix cocaine and alcohol sonsumption they are compounding the danger of each drug and unknowingly forming a complex chemical experiment within their bodies. NIDA funded research has found that the human liver combines cocaine and alcohol and manufacture a third substance cocathylene, that intensifies cocaine's euporic effects while possibly increasing the risk of sudden death.
The widespread abuse of cocaine has stimulated extensive efforts to develop treatment programs for this type of drug abuse. In addition to treatment medications, behavioral interventions, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in decreasing drug use by patients in treatment for coaine abuse. Providing the optimal combination of treatment services for each individual is critical to successful outcome. More info can be found at nida.gov.cocaine about statistics of cocaine users.
