Research Paper On Cocaine Addiction

The findings and results of these case studies showed cocaine users in a dangerous light. The researchers reached the conclusion that “social factors influenced paranoia and hallucinations even at high consumption levels and [they] can attribute these findings to differences in learning between novice and experienced users” (Erickson, et al 206). The amount of cocaine using friends one has plays a role in the amount of cocaine consumed and the effects it has on the individual compared to if one took the drug alone. These factors are significantly different when it comes to the difference between crack and powder users. A study conducted in the early nineties found “significantly higher levels [of toxicity] than chewing or snorting occur after intravenous use [injection]” (Karch The Pathology of Drug Abuse 20). The drug enters the bloodstream immediately upon injection which helps bring the user to a faster “high.” This route of administration can be extremely addictive as the user will want more and more to achieve the same effect.

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).

One of the most common drugs use across the nation is Cocaine. Cocaine is classified as a stimulant, which is a group of drugs that cause short-term increase in the mental or physical state. Cocaine has a rich, long history dated back hundreds of years. The native people of South America first used it; they used to chew on it. The natives introduced this drug to the Spaniards when they landed on the continent. This lead to the research of Coca leaves a few hundred years later in Europe. Scientists sought o isolate and name the compound. After it was isolated, it was used as an anesthetic and other medical purposes for a couple of years. It was a useful anesthetic for eye and nasal surgery. However, today, it has very limited anesthetic use.

As a coach, I had a player, who was very polite and worked hard in practice. She was very timid around other teammates. She would stop in to talk to me and never had friends that I could see her relate to. Trying to fit in desperately, she was happy to be included in the “social” activities in college. She got pregnant and her boy friend and her were arrested for conspiracy to deliver cocaine and both sentenced to prison. This course states cocaine can cause an initial rush of pleasure that makes you alert, talkative and confident. With prolonged exposure to meth and cocaine, it can destroy up to 50% of dopamine – producing neurons in certain parts of the brain. This can lead to irreversible symptons of Parkinson’s disease. (Cocaine handout) After several letters from her in prison, she thanked me for being a good listener. I know her family closed their eyes thinking it’s not an addiction, but a social activity that they can quit at any time. This course explains how a higher level of dopamine on a regular basis is needed just to keep you feeling normal. Cocaine can make people feel paranoid, angry and hostile even when they are not high. Prolonged use causes sleep deprivation and loss of appetite. A person can become psychotic and experience hallucinations. It increases the risk that the user will experience a heart attack, stroke, or respiratory failure which can result in sudden death. (Foundation for a Drug-Free

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Cocaine originated from coca leaves grown in South America. People in South America tried the coca leaves. Due to the energy boost it gave them they had a feeling that there were drugs in the leaves. They then tested their theory. The test was putting the leaves in a special liquid and letting them dry out. They turned out to be right when they saw a powdery substance. This is how cocaine was first made. It now continues to be made with higher technology. The way they make it now is that they shrivel out the leaf like before. Then they compact the powder together to make cocaine. After the powder is made they refine it even more to make crack cocaine. Cocaine itself is very addicting. Crack cocaine is an even more addicting drug.

It can cause respitory failure, stroke and heart failure. People who continue to use cocaine may show symptoms similar to schizophrenia, it can cause severe mood swings, reduce libido, weight loss and insomnia. It is estimated that 1.3 million people in the U.S. use cocaine every month (Virtual Mass Spectrometry Laboratory 2003).

Cocaine is one of the most destructive and addictive drugs in recent history. The use of cocaine and other narcotics often results in incarceration and even death. This is the story of a form of Cocaine called Crack and the results of one's affiliation with this highly addictive substance.

The first time you are Introduced to cocaine addicted to the rest of your life until you get some help. The long-term effects are,stress become sensitive, leading to increased in negative moods and having a lack of interest in friends,family,school. When you are not taking the drug, which are signs of withdrawal. All of these effects make the person on the drug more likely to focus on seeking the drug instead of relationships.

Cocaine is one the most destructive and addictive drugs on the market. Cocaine leads to be one of the results of why people go to jail, do it while they are pregnant, and even death. This is the story of Cocaine, or one of the forms known as Crack, and the bare minimums of it.

Drugs have taken control over the lives of millions of people. From cannabis to heroin, and all the other drugs on the street, the one thing all these drugs have in common is how deadly they are. However, the one drug that is known to be deadly, yet so addicting at the same time is cocaine. Cocaine has developed over the years. This drug targets people of all backgrounds, the high affect’s people before, during, and after the use, and finally it does permanent damage to the body, if death caused by overdose does not occur first. No matter the cost, or how one will get inventory of this substance. People who have a serious need for cocaine will do just about anything for it to be in their possession.

Casual cocaine users often deny that they have a problem and do not seek out treatment - until the addiction has progressed.

For starters, cocaine physically changes the structure of the nerve cells. After prolonged exposure to cocaine, the cells begin to grow and extend on their respective dendrites (Nestler, 2005). This may sound like a positive reaction to cocaine but it is far from that. The increase in number of dendrites “theoretically will collect a greater volume of nerve cells” which will give the amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex more control over the nucleus accumbens, also known as the reward center in the brain (Kreek, Levran, Reed, Schlussman, Zhou & Butellman, 2012). This physical change can cause the user to recall drug-associate memories, as mentioned before. These alterations unfortunately leave the user with an altered limbic system – causing potential behavioral problems in the future. Cocaine also aids in more than unfavorable physical risks, which include spiked blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature, increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, seizures or respiratory failure. Cocaine has very unpleasant effects when it comes to the user’s heart. After cocaine inhalation, “cocaine is rapidly absorbed through the respiratory tract within seconds to minutes” (Keller, 2003). Not only does cocaine consumption affect the neurotransmitter dopamine, but it also affects the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. The natural presynaptic uptake of norepinephrine is blocked after cocaine is used which increases catecholamine

Cocaine’s mechanism of action includes delaying the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin from reuptake following their release. This contributes to these three neurotransmitters having extended effects and causing a large amount of stimulation. Cocaine can be absorbed at different rates depending on the route of consumption. Specifically, the chewing or sucking of leaves causes gradual absorption and onset of effects. Snorting cocaine contributes to fast absorption and onset of effects. Absorption and the onset of effects occur the fastest when crack is smoked. Outcomes of consuming cocaine include feeling alert, competent, and an increase in energy. However, there are negative effects which include paranoia, restlessness,

However, everything comes at a price, the short-term health effects are: constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, nausea, raised temperature and blood pressure, faster heartbeat, tremors and muscle twitches, and restlessness. The long-term effects of cocaine depend on how it is taken. If it is snorted effects include: loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, frequent runny nose, and problems with swallowing. Ingesting orally leads to severe bowel decay from reduced blood flow. If it is injected, the effects include higher risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne diseases. However, those who use non-needle forms of cocaine are still at risk for STDs because cocaine affects one’s judgement so one may lead to unsafe sexual behavior. Long term effects shared by all forms of cocaine include: being malnourished due to cocaine’s appetite suppressing properties, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, irritability, restlessness, and severe paranoia which can lead to the loss of touch with reality and cause auditory hallucinations. Along with all the previously mentioned effects, if someone becomes dependent on cocaine, withdrawal symptoms include: depression, fatigue, increased appetite, nightmares, insomnia, and slowed cognitive function. I personally know someone who has tried cocaine and here’s what they said on the matter: