Drug Use Is Not Something That Just Happens Overnight

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Drug use is not something that just happens overnight. There are many things that led up to a person deciding they want to try a drug for the first time. It might be that they were exposed to it at an early age and perceived it to be the norm to use them. They might have experienced peer pressure at a party or just wanted to fit in with a certain crowd. Or they may have gotten a prescription for one and liked the high they felt when they were on it so they wanted to find a way to continue feeling that same high. Each situation is different, and the drugs that were most likely used in each scenario are also going to be different. A drug that is rather common for someone to be exposed to from an early age is cocaine. Cocaine is classified…show more content…
Then the coca paste is dissolved in a small amount of dilute sulfuric acid and potassium permanganate is added (How Cocaine Is Made. (n.d.).
When cocaine is in this form it is most often snorted or mixed with water and injected into the blood stream. The high people get from cocaine use does not last very long, which is what causes them to binge use, and why addiction can be caused so quickly. The user is constantly chasing that initial high and wanting it to last longer. Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in brain circuits regulating pleasure and movement (Cocaine (2013, April). It can also cause bursts of energy, talkativeness, increased heart rate and blood pressure, dilated pupils, and increased body temperature. The most serious side effect can be death if the manufacturing process was not done correctly.
Learning theory is probably the best explanation as to why one would chose to use cocaine. Cocaine produces a high that can be rewarding because of the euphoria it produces. When the high wears off the user experiences a crash and wants the high back. They have learned through continued use that in order to get the euphoric feeling they must continue to use the drug. Although chemicals such as cocaine might initially have been used for social reasons, the substances ' ability to provide physiological and psychological
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