Facts About Cocaine
Cocaine is a Stimulant Drug...
Cocaine is a white powder made from the leaves of the South American
coca plant. Cocaine belongs to a class of drugs known as stimulants, which
tend to give a temporary illusion of limitless power and energy. Cocaine
is usually snorted through the nose; occasionally it may be injected.
The drug bought on the street is often a mixture of cocaine with other
substances. "Crack" is a smokeable form of cocaine that usually looks
like small rocks or lumps of soap.
Cocaine Affects Bodily Functions...
The immediate effects include dilated pupils and narrowing of blood vessels.
Cocaine and crack also cause increases in blood pressure, heart rate,
breathing rate, and body temperature. Users lose their appetites and have
trouble sleeping. At first, the drug elevates the user's mood, but the
effects soon wear off. Then the user's mind and body slide into a depression
characterized by a "let down" feeling, dullness, tenseness, and edginess.
Cocaine is an Addictive Drug...
A very great danger for all cocaine and crack users is addiction. Dependency
on cocaine and crack is so strong that these drugs dominate all aspects
of an addict's life: it can destroy physical and mental health, drain
financial resources, drive away family and friends, and destroy careers.
Addiction to crack can be especially rapid, because it causes such a quick
and dramatic "high" followed by such a miserable "low" that leaves the
user craving more.
Cocaine is Dangerous to Your Health...
Besides addiction, cocaine and crack can cause other medical problems,
including death. In some people, a single dose of cocaine can produce
seizures, heart and respiratory failure, or strokes (ruptured blood vessels
in the brain). Users who inject cocaine, and who use unsterile or shared
needles, may infect themselves with the organisms that cause hepatitis
or AIDS.
Cocaine Affects Brain Function...
In addition to causing strokes and brains seizures that may cause the
heart and breathing to stop, cocaine's effects on the brain may include
impaired thinking, confusion, anxiety, or depression. Tempers are often
short, panic attacks common, and users may become very paranoid and suspicious.
Continued use may result in psychosis.
Cocaine Affects Brain Function...
The obsessive, drug-seeking behavior of cocaine and crack users seems
to be due to the drug's overwhelming influence on the "reward center"
in the brain. "Cocaine psychosis" - violent erratic, or paranoid behavior
- can sometimes accompany use of these drugs. Users may believe they have
superhuman powers. Hallucinations are also common - users may hear or
see things that don't exist. Profound personality changes may occur. Continued
use may cause a partial or total break with reality.
More Facts
Is Cocaine or Crack Bought on the Streets Pure?
- When users snort or inject cocaine or smoke crack, they are almost
always ingesting something else besides the drug.
- The purity of powdered cocaine obtained by most users range widely
from 30 to 95 percent, since most is "cut" with other substances by
the seller to increase profits. These fillers include sugars, inexpensive
stimulants, anesthetics, and other drugs.
- The impurities increase the hazards of taking already risky drugs,
because users have no way of knowing how much cocaine they are giving
themselves.
- In addition, some of the added impurities can cause serious side
effects, such as stomach cramps, high blood pressure, nervousness, and
increased heart rate.
What About Cocaine Use During Pregnancy?
- Cocaine or crack use any time during pregnancy, even one-time use,
may cause miscarriages, stillbirths, or premature labor and delivery.
- Sometimes, when the drug causes the placenta to separate early, the
lives of both mother and baby are in danger due to bleeding and shock.
How Are Babies Affected?
- Babies exposed to cocaine in the womb often don't cuddle or nurse
well, and may be generally irritable and unresponsive, making them hard
to take care of.
- Some cocaine-exposed babies have suffered strokes before birth or
heart attacks after delivery. Infants born to cocaine-using mothers
may have congenital birth defects, including brain damage.
- Nursing mothers can pass cocaine to their babies through breast milk.
Although the effects of such exposure are as yet unknown, babies fed
cocaine-containing milk may be likely to suffer some of the same heart
and brain problems as adults.
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