healthier you today

by MIKE HORLEY

Cocaine is a powerful drug used as a stimulant of the mind that can greatly increase a person’s alertness for about one hour, but also tends to interfere with their feeling of pleasure and hampers movement, both of which are controlled by chemical messengers from the brain. Cocaine is addictive and can result in some bad mental and physical complications for the user. It is commonly snorted up the nose and sometimes it is made into a solution and then self-injected. Cocaine is the second most commonly abused drug after alcohol and, perhaps surprisingly, the average age of a person using cocaine is in their early forties.

Cocaine Effects

The effects of cocaine usually occur within a few seconds of taking the drug and can last approximately three to six hours, but they can last longer depending on the person, and symptoms usually end within about an hour after the last use; there are many effects, most of them bad, and they are mainly summarized below:

• More self-confidence.
• A higher pain tolerance.
• More energy.
• Hallucinations.
• Increased risk of getting HIV and / or Hepatitis.
• Risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and heart irregularities.
• Elevated blood pressure and more possibility of having strokes and / or brain seizures.
• Paranoid or violent behaviour.
• Decreased sex drive.
• Decreased appetite.
• Less confidence and energy.
• Lack of interest in family and friends, sports, hobbies, etc.
• Pupil dilation.
• Insomnia.
• Schizophrenia.
• Depression.

Addiction

Cocaine is extremely addictive, particularly when smoked, but also when snorted. Addiction is not necessarily permanent, complete rehabilitation is possible and many people have achieved this, although conversely many people have not, and it is characterized by binges which last for several hours, sometimes several times a week, and progressive intravenous use and/or smoking, leading to a strong feeling of euphoria with an almost total disinterest in anything other than the drug, including sleep, food, sex, family and friends, and their own survival. Doctors have used cocaine to counter depression and morphine addiction, but a cocaine addict can then develop depression, so it is a vicious circle; cocaine addiction is sometimes treated with an antidepressant desipramine. Addiction treatment is often provided only in groups which appear to be too limited, and many addicts would like individual as well as group sessions.

Problems

Snorting cocaine can affect the nose and throat in many ways, including nosebleeds, a loss of sense of smell, unable to swallow, hoarseness, and an overall irritated nasal passage. Lung problems can result from smoking crack and injecting can lead to a greater risk of overdosing which itself leads to many other problems. Use of cocaine is not advised for anybody unless prescribed by a Doctor and especially should be avoided by anyone with problems of their heart or respiratory system, or anyone who has ever suffered from psychological problems. Cocaine is an anaesthetic, and hence the associated problems are not easily spotted in the early stages. Cocaine addicts often suffer behavioral, physical, and social problems and may well have problems in getting/keeping a job and maintaining any sort of relationship with another person and may get themselves involved in illegal activities which could lead to imprisonment; the overall problems can lead to homelessness.