COCAINE 101

Cocaine (benzoylmethylecgonine)

1. What is cocaine?

a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix-ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant. Specifically, it is a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor, which mediates functionality of such as an exogenous catecholamine transporter ligand. Because of the way it affects the mesolimbic reward pathway.

Pure cocaine was first used in the 1880s as a local anesthetic in eye, nose, and throat surgeries because of its ability to provide anesthesia as well as to constrict blood vessels and limit bleeding.

Cocaine was formerly used in Coca-Cola. It was supposed to relieve people from fatigue and made them feel good.


2. Why do people use cocaine? What does it feel like? How do people use cocaine?

People use cocaine because it is a stimulant that is highly addictive and it is an appetite suppressant. It has been thought of as producing a euphoric sense of happiness and increased energy.

This substance can be snorted, smoked, or injected. When snorted, cocaine powder is inhaled through the nose where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. When injected, the user uses 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.

Cocaine can also be chewed or sucked on. If you chew or suck on it, the cocaine can be slowly absorbed through the mucous membranes. This results in lower blood levels than compared to snorting cocaine or sniffing it. When it is snorted, the cocaine usually travels high up into the nasal passages. It is absorbed from there quite rapidly and reaches the brain rather quickly.


3. What are the effects of cocaine on the body?

It can cause the user to feel a primary "rush" or sense of well-being, of having more energy, and being more alert.

Deaths related to cocaine effects are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures and respiratory failure. Some of the short-term cocaine effects first time users experience includes increased energy, decreased appetite, and increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Short-term cocaine effects include:
·Increased blood pressure
·Constricted blood vessels
·Dilated pupils
·Mental alertness
·Increased energy
·Increased heart rate
·Decreased appetite
·Increased temperature

People who try cocaine often get hooked to the short-term cocaine effects, namely feeling as though they have increased energy. The quick high keeps users feeling energetic and able to endure longer in physical activities. New cocaine users often try cocaine to increase productivity at work and in other areas of their lives so that they can work longer and harder. While these results may seem promising in the beginning, increased tolerance and dangerous life choices often follow repeated cocaine use.

YOU CAN BECOME ADDICTED TO COCAINE THE VERY FIRST TIME YOU USE IT, SO DON'T START!

Long-term cocaine effects are noticeable as cocaine abuse continues and tolerance builds. Since cocaine is a highly addictive drug, it can lead to major medical complications and health problems. Some of the these complications include heart disease, heart attacks, respiratory failure, strokes, seizures, and gastrointestinal problems and profuse bleeding from the nose. Other physical symptoms include convulsions, nausea, blurred vision, chest pain, fever, muscle spasms, and coma.

As the habit of using cocaine becomes increasingly important, behavior such as lying, cheating, stealing, absenteeism at work and denying the use of cocaine, is an evident side effect. While these behaviors are not directly related to the use of cocaine, these cocaine effects are often present due to the lifestyle of the addict.

Other long-term cocaine effects include:
·Addiction
·Paranoia
·Irritability
·Restlessness
·Auditory hallucinations
·Mood disturbances

With continued use, many cocaine addicts develop a higher tolerance for the drug over time. Addicts are also said to "chase the high"; meaning they continue to use cocaine seeking the feeling they felt the first time they used it. For people addicted to cocaine and cocaine effects, this high will never again be felt in the same way, and this addiction can lead to insanity and death.

There are also some reproductive effects from cocaine. Newborn babies have been reported to be below the normal size. The mothers of the babies admitted to abusing cocaine. They are known as "crack babies." It takes about three months for the deficiencies to lessen. It takes 24 months for them to fully recover.


4. What are the effects of cocaine on the mind?

Some effects of cocaine on the mind are restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. Many addicts report that they seek but are not able to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure.


5. What are signs of cocaine addiction?

Cocaine smokers also suffer from acute respiratory problems including coughing, shortness of breath, and severe chest pains with lung trauma and bleeding.

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COCAINE IS BAD BUT IT IS FUN!

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