Cocaine
Addiction Treatment
Cocaine is derived from the leaves of
the South American coca bush, and has been used for centuries by Indians
to combat the effects of hunger, hard work, and thin air. In the mid
1800s its effects were praised by Freud, among others, and until 1906,
was a chief ingredient of Coca-Cola and a multitude of other elixirs
and product concoctions. Cocaine was also used as an anesthetic. Widespread
use and addiction led to government efforts to control cocaine in
the early 1900s. The danger associated with cocaine was ignored in
the 1970s and early 1980s, and it was proclaimed by many to be safe.
With the accumulating medical evidence of the deleterious effects
of cocaine addiction and abuse, and the introduction and widespread
use of the drug, the public and government once again became alarmed
about its growing use. Too many Americans, especially the health care
and social workers who have to deal with cocaine abusers and their
resulting cocaine addictions, have witnessed the personal and societal
devastation it produces.
Cocaine addiction is by far the most serious drug problem in the United
States today.
There are four primary methods of administering cocaine:
 1.
"Snorting" - absorbing cocaine through the mucous membranes
of the nose.
2. Injecting - users mix cocaine powder with water and use
a syringe to inject the solution intravenously.
3. Freebasing - Cocaine hydrochloride is converted to a "freebase"
which can then be smoked.
4. Crack Cocaine - Cocaine hydrochloride is mixed with ammonia
or baking soda and other ingredients, which causes it to precipitate
or solidify into pellets or "rocks". The crack is then smoked
in glass pipes.
In 1997, there were approximately 1.5
million people partaking in cocaine abuse on a regular basis. One
tenth of the population - over 22 million people - have tried cocaine.
Each day 5,000 more people will experiment with cocaine abuse. Cocaine
is a $35 billion illicit industry now exceeding Columbia's #1 legal
export, coffee. One in ten workers say they know someone who uses
cocaine on the job.
Currently the Office of National Drug Control Policy estimates
the number of chronic cocaine abusers at 3.6 million. Adults 18 to
25 years old have a higher rate of cocaine abuse and cocaine addiction
than those in any other age group. Overall, men have a higher rate
of cocaine abuse and cocaine addiction than do women.
Data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN)
showed that cocaine-related emergency room visits, after increasing
78 percent between 1990 and 1994, remained level between 1994 and
1996, with 152,433 cocaine-related episodes reported in 1996
Cocaine Addiction
Cocaine addiction
is one of society's greatest problems today. Individuals suffering
the ills of cocaine abuse and cocaine addiction will do almost anything
to get the drug. It has penetrated all levels of our society, rich,
poor, and everyone in between. Family members wanting loved ones to
get cocaine addiction treatment often live in chaos and confusion,
not understanding the underlying mechanics of cocaine addiction. At
Midwestdrugrehab.com we do understand cocaine abuse and cocaine addiction.
If you or someone you love has a cocaine addiction problem, we can
help.
Cocaine Addiction Treatment
Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the South American coca bush,
and has been used for centuries by Indians to combat the effects of
hunger, hard work, and thin air. In the mid 1800s its effects were
praised by Freud, among others, and until 1906, was a chief ingredient
of Coca-Cola and a multitude of other elixirs and product concoctions.
Cocaine was also used as an anesthetic. Widespread use and addiction
led to government efforts to control cocaine in the early 1900s. The
danger associated with cocaine was ignored in the 1970s and early
1980s, and it was proclaimed by many to be safe. With the accumulating
medical evidence of the deleterious effects of cocaine addiction and
abuse, and the introduction and widespread use of the drug, the public
and government once again became alarmed about its growing use. Too
many Americans, especially the health care and social workers who
have to deal with cocaine abusers and their resulting cocaine addictions,
have witnessed the personal and societal devastation it produces.
Cocaine addiction is by far the most serious drug problem in the United
States today.
Even though the public is often regaled with highly publicized accounts
of deaths from cocaine, many still mistakenly believe the drug to
be non-addictive and not as harmful as other illicit drugs. This is
so far from the truth it is at times disturbing when you consider
the number of people that actually ignore the mountain of evidence
supporting the addictive nature of the drug.
The effects of cocaine are immediate,
extremely pleasurable, and brief. Cocaine produces intense, short-lived
euphoria and can make users feel more energetic. Like caffeine, cocaine
produces wakefulness and reduces hunger. Psychological effects include
feelings of well-being and a grandiose sense of power and ability
mixed with anxiety and restlessness. As the drug wears off, these
temporary sensations of mastery are replaced by an intense depression,
and the cocaine abuser will then "crash", becoming lethargic
and typically sleeping for several days. The urge to administer more
cocaine becomes overpowering, thus the vicious cycle continues until
cocaine abuse becomes cocaine dependency, in other words cocaine addiction!
Physical effects of cocaine abuse and cocaine addiction
Cocaine's immediate physical effects include
raised breathing rate, raised blood pressure and body temperature,
and dilated pupils.
• Changes in blood pressure, heart rates, and breathing rate
• Nausea, vomiting and anxiety
• Convulsions and cold sweats
• Insomnia, restlessness and anxiety
• Loss of appetite leading to malnutrition and weight loss
• Swelling and bleeding of mucous membranes
• Damage to nasal cavities and/or lungs
• Possible heart attacks, strokes, or convulsions
Health effects of cocaine abuse and cocaine
addiction
By causing the coronary arteries to constrict,
blood pressure rises and the blood supply to the heart diminishes.
This can cause heart attacks or convulsions within an hour after
use. Chronic users and those with hypertension, epilepsy, and cardiovascular
disease are at particular risk. Studies show that even those with
no previous heart problems risk cardiac complications from cocaine.
Increased use may sensitize the brain to the drug's effects so that
less of the substance is needed to induce a seizure. Those who inject
the drug are at high risk for AIDS and hepatitis when they share
needles. Allergic reactions to cocaine or other substances mixed
in with the drug may also occur.
Short term effects of cocaine abuse and cocaine
addiction
Cocaine's effects appear almost immediately after a single dose,
and disappear within a few minutes or hours. Taken in small amounts
(up to 100 mg), cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric, energetic,
talkative, and mentally alert, especially to the sensations of sight,
sound, and touch. It can also temporarily decrease the need for
food and sleep. Some users find that the drug helps them to perform
simple physical and intellectual tasks more quickly, while others
can experience the opposite effect.
Short-term effects of cocaine abuse and cocaine
addiction
• Increased energy and mental alertness
• Decreased appetite and dilated pupils
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Constricted blood vessels and increased temperature
In rare instances, sudden death can occur
on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. Cocaine-related
deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed
by respiratory arrest.
The duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects depends upon
the route of administration. The faster drug is absorbed, the more
intense the high and the shorter the duration. The high from snorting
is relatively slow in onset, and may last 15 to 30 minutes, while
that from smoking is instantaneous and may last 5 to 10 minutes.
Long term effects of cocaine abuse
and cocaine addiction
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. Once having tried cocaine,
an individual may have difficulty predicting or controlling the
extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug. Cocaine's
stimulant and addictive effects are thought to be primarily a result
of its ability to inhibit the re-absorption or reuptake of dopamine
by the nerve cells. Dopamine is released as part of the brain's
reward system, and is either directly or indirectly involved in
the addictive properties of every major drug of abuse.
.
Long-term effects of cocaine abuse and cocaine addiction
• Irritability
• Mood disturbances
• Restlessness
• Paranoia
• Auditory hallucinations
An appreciable tolerance to cocaine's high may develop, with many
addicts reporting that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure
as they did from their first experience. Some users will frequently
increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects.
While tolerance to the high can occur, users can also become more
sensitive (sensitization) to cocaine's anesthetic and convulsant
effects, without increasing the dose taken. This increased sensitivity
may explain some deaths occurring after apparently low doses of
cocaine.
Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly
and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability,
restlessness, and paranoia. This may result in a full-blown paranoid
psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and
experiences auditory hallucinations
.
Medical complications of cocaine abuse and cocaine addiction
• Cardiovascular effects and stroke
• Disturbances in heart rhythm heart attacks
• Respiratory effects chest pain and even respiratory failure
• Neurological effects and seizures
• Headaches and gastrointestinal effects
• Abdominal pain and nausea
Cocaine abuse and cocaine addiction has been
linked to many types of heart disease. Cocaine has been found
to trigger chaotic heart rhythms, called ventricular fibrillation,
accelerate heartbeat and breathing, and increase blood pressure
and body temperature. Physical symptoms may include chest pain,
nausea, blurred vision, fever, muscle spasms, convulsions and coma.
Different routes of cocaine administration can produce different
adverse effects. Regularly snorting cocaine, for example,
can lead to loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, problems with swallowing,
hoarseness, and an overall irritation of the nasal septum, which
can lead to a chronically inflamed, runny nose. Ingested cocaine
can cause severe bowel gangrene, due to reduced blood flow. And,
persons who inject cocaine have puncture marks and "tracks,"
most commonly in their forearms. Intravenous cocaine abuse may also
cause an allergic reaction, either to the drug, or to some additive
in street cocaine, which can result in death. Because cocaine abuse
and cocaine addiction has a tendency to decrease food intake, many
people lose their appetites and can experience significant weight
loss and malnourishment.
Research has revealed a potentially dangerous interaction between
cocaine and alcohol. Taken in combination, the two drugs
are converted by the body to coca ethylene. Coca ethylene has a
longer duration of action in the brain and is more toxic than either
drug alone. While more research needs to be done, it is noteworthy
that the mixture of cocaine and alcohol is the most common two-drug
combination that results in drug-related death.
How does cocaine produce its effects.
A great amount of research has been devoted
to understanding the way cocaine produces its pleasurable
effects, and the reasons it is so addictive. One mechanism is through
its effects on structures deep in the brain. Scientists have discovered
regions within the brain that, when stimulated, produce feelings
of pleasure. One neural system that appears to be most affected
by cocaine is located deep within the brain, called the ventral
tegmental area (VTA). Nerve cells originating in the VTA extend
to the region of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens, one of
the brain's key pleasure centers. In studies using animals, for
example, all types of pleasurable stimuli, such as food, water,
sex, and many drugs of abuse, cause increased activity in the nucleus
accumbens.
In the normal communication process,
dopamine is released by a neuron into the synapse, where it can
bind with dopamine receptors on neighboring neurons. Normally dopamine
is then recycled back into the transmitting neuron by a specialized
protein called the dopamine transporter. If cocaine is present,
it attaches to the dopamine transporter and blocks the normal recycling
process, resulting in a build-up of dopamine in the synapse which
contributes to the pleasurable effects of cocaine.
As cocaine abuse continues, tolerance often develops. This means
that higher doses and more frequent use of cocaine are required
for the brain to register the same level of pleasure experienced
during initial use. Recent studies have shown that, during periods
of abstinence from cocaine use, the memory of the euphoria associated
with cocaine use, or mere exposure to cues associated with drug
use, can trigger tremendous craving and relapse to drug use, even
after long periods of abstinence.
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