Cocaine Addiction

Is drug addiction is a disease, not a choice? Or it is a choice and not a disease? Drug Addiction has become a serious issue in society today, with an increase in controversy leading towards the topic of whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Addiction and disease are two different things and understanding them is very important when it comes to drugs and how it affects the mind and body. Several people tend to jump the gun and think that drug addiction is a disease, when in fact it is a choice. Some scientists believe that that drug addiction is a disease and to an extent that it makes people powerless to control its prevalence, on the other hand some scientists believe that addiction is a choice and that people have

hit in the 60’s and as cocaine made its way in the 70’s, it was the “it” drug of the era. It was very popular amongst celebrities, executives, athletes, and the very rich. Even with its infiltration of the nation, the federal government didn’t get as involved as it did when crack hit the streets. The DEA mostly targeted big smugglers and major dealers. Cocaine started to get a negative rap only because of the violence and killings that started to come with it. Those who were out to stop the crack epidemic had something else in mind- to target the users. The users were the same users as those who used powdered cocaine. The Drug-Abuse Act of 1986 was the law that separated crack from cocaine in the eyes of the law. When crack cocaine first

Crack cocaine has been popular since the 1970s and mid 1980s. Crack cocaine is not a new drug; this drug is obtained from coca plant which grows mainly in South America. For many years, the native South American Indians chewed its leaves to develop strength and increased energy. By the 1800s, the cocaine was secluded from its leaves and used as a medicinal drug. By the late 1800s, it was used as an anesthetic and to avert surgical hemorrhage. The next century, people recognized crack cocaine an addictive narcotic and its non-medical use of the drug was ended by the Harrison Narcotics Act in 1914 (“How crack cocaine works?”).

The coca leaves used to make cocaine has played a large part in our history. However, crack cocaine was not synthesized until the 1970s when cocaine was very popular. Then came a source of a new drug, crack cocaine which swept the nation of America. Due to an immense influx of cocaine, the value decreased predominantly, though it was still considered a drug for the high class. So when crack hit, mainly in the inner cities, it took a drastic turn for the

During the 40's and 50's, drug use was seen as a symbol of counterculture. Jack Kerouac and other important figures of the Beat Generation all

cocaine is by far one of the most addicting drugs out there, it's been engulfing

These modern or alternative treatment techniques include options like recreational therapy, yoga, music and art therapy and dual diagnosis treatment. These treatment modalities are used to help patients regain the life skills and coping capabilities that may have been displaced while caught up in the cycle of addiction. This facility also focuses on family involvement in the treatment process through a formal family participation program. All of these options are available to experienced addiction counselors who are charged with developing tailored treatment programs for patients.

Today, cocaine is commonly derived from the coca plant that is most commonly grown in Columbia but also Peru and Bolivia. It is harvested and processed into a “coca paste” which the base of is extracted and turned into the white powder form of cocaine. Once the powder is made it is often mixed with laundry detergent, laxatives, or boric acid to cut down the potency and have more to distribute. Cocaine can be used snorting, smoking, injecting or swallowed. The United States outlawed cocaine in the early 1920’s but it wasn’t until the 1970’s and middle of the 1980’s that cocaine was at

The late 1900’s is where the U.S. really cracked down on the use of drugs and they started placing more laws in order. One of the biggest things in the late 1900’s were the mandatory sentences enacted for possession and use of drugs. This put minimum sentences in places for possession of drugs. This of course increased the amount of drugs arrests. At one point, over 50% of the arrests made in New York City were drug related. There were multiple documentaries made and programs set in place to prevent people, especially teens from doing

Cocaine usage is not as popular today as it was back in the 1900s but it continues to be abused as it was then. The drug has become addictive to those that used the drug intravenously, and free base (smoking crack). It has been said that individuals who try cocaine by inhaling, injecting, snorting would become addicted by using it for the first time. The individuals try to capture the pleasure or that high he/she first got when using the drug, the psychological effects of cocaine, addiction and dependence reports “only about 10 to 15% of those who initially try cocaine intranasally become abusers” (Gawin, 1991, p.1584).

The Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914 was made and passed to put a restriction on the legal use of the cocaine. This was made because once the patient was cured and well their body was still craving the drug. In the 1930’s the cocaine demand was lower because with this act and the creation of amphetamine. There were still a few people doing cocaine for recreation use. The Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914 was starting to fail in the 60’s as the use of cocaine started to increase again. This time people were not using it to get well. They were using it as recreation then they was going back to their normal lives. It’s almost like people use using it as a hobby therefore it was labeled harmless. It was harmless because only a

The interesting thing about the drugs were that they were first used in many over the counter products- as for cocaine, it was found in Coco-Cola drinks. As concern about cocaine grew, Coco-Cola stopped using cocaine as part of their formula in 1903 . Some of the concern of course was fueled by prejudice against African Americans; it was felt that the Africans who consumed the Coco-Cola drink would become violent, and acquire super strength, as well as become insusceptible to bullets . There was obviously no evidence to support the propaganda, but it helped lead to the exclusion of cocaine use in Coco-Cola products, and the Harrison

By the 1970's, however, the war on drugs took a turn towards the more conservative end of the spectrum. The Nixon administration chose to attribute crime to drug use; Nixon personally disliked all illegal drugs, and convinced Americans that if more arrests were made on drug related charges the crime rates would go down. It is almost unbelievable that the drug has been unable to shake this stigma. Compared to the policies Nixon introduced, policies nowadays are even

cocaine is by far one of the most addicting drugs out there, it's been engulfing

They speed up the action of the brain. They make people feel more alert, more confident and less tired.