Coke, Real Talk

 

                    Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. A drug said to stimulate your body when snorted, smoke, or injected. According to studies cocaine is the most abused major stimulant in America. Also the most drug related emergency room trips have been from this substance. Some street names for this substance are: snow, flake and ice.

            Cocaine is an alkaloid found in the leaves of the Erythroxylum coca plant. The known effects for it are;

-         A feeling of well-being, exhilaration and euphoria

-         Delayed hunger or fatigue(loss of appetite)

-         An alertness and energy

-         Faster breathing, raised heart rate

-         An increase in body temperature, resulting in sweating

-         Dilated pupils

-         Strange erotic behavior

Along with the immediate effects of Cocaine there are also short term effects and long term effects. This includes somas of life threatening things such as;

-         Stroke

-         Seizures

-         Heart failure

-         destruction of tissue in the nose if cocaine is sniffed

-         respiratory problems if it is smoked

-         malnutrition/weight loss

-         exhaustion and disorientation as a result of sleeplessness

-         becoming paranoid (click here for more info)

When cocaine is ingested it travels quickly through your blood stream to your brain.  Once in the brain the drug interferes with the chemical messengers called the neurotransmitters. These messengers allow the nerves to communicate with each other. Cocaine blocks norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed. The resulting chemical buildup between nerves causes euphoria or feeling "high." (click click click) Though drug users describe how wonderful the high was, this drug effects your entire body since it travels through the blood.

-         Its effects your heart, by restricting your arteries from pumping blood into your heart, this cant result in heart attack, or heart disease.

-         Brain: Cocaine can constrict blood vessels in the brain, causing strokes. This can happen even in young people without other risk factors for strokes. Cocaine causes seizures and can lead to bizarre or violent behavior.

-         Lungs and respiratory system: Snorting cocaine damages the nose and sinuses. Regular use can cause nasal perforation. Smoking crack cocaine irritates the lungs and, in some people, causes permanent lung damage.

-         Cocaine constricts blood vessels supplying the gut. The resulting oxygen starvation can cause ulcers or even perforation of the stomach or intestines.

-         Kidneys: Cocaine can cause sudden, overwhelming kidney failure through a process called rhabdomyolysis. In people with high blood pressure, regular cocaine use can accelerate the long-term kidney damage caused by high blood pressure.

            Cocaine replaces the parts in your brain that “reward” us for “good behavior.” After long term use of the drug these parts of your brain are gone. With the absence of them you may feel; depression and anxiety, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, physical pains and aches, and inability to feel pleasure. This is known as “with drawl” and increases your craving for the drug. Cravings for the drug may bring up suicidal thoughts. Yet they should disappear within a week or 2 without the drug. However the craving may return, even years after use. This all happens because of the drug’s effects on your body. Crack. Is. Wack.