Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the coca bush, which grows in South America. Cocaine 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. Until 1906, this substance was a chief ingredient of Coca-Cola and was also used as a anesthetic. Widespread use and addiction led to government efforts against cocaine in the early 1900s. The danger associated with cocaine was ignored in the 1970s and early 1980s, and cocaine was proclaimed by many to be safe. With the accumulating medical evidence of cocaine's deleterious effects and the introduction and widespread use of "crack" cocaine, the public and government have become alarmed again about its growing use. To many Americans, especially health care and social workers who deal with crack users and have witnessed the personal and societal devastation it produces, cocaine addiction is, by far, the most serious drug problem in the United States.
There are four primary methods of ingesting cocaine. These are:
- Snorting - absorbing cocaine through the mucous membranes of the nose.
- Injecting - users mix cocaine powder with water and use a syringe to inject the solution intravenously.
- Freebasing (inhaling) - Cocaine hydrochloride is converted to a "freebase" which can then be smoked by inhalation.
- Smoking (Crack Cocaine) - Cocaine hydrochloride is mixed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and other ingredients, causing it to solidify into pellets or "rocks." The crack is then smoked in glass pipes.
Cocaine or Crack addiction is widespread. In 1997, there were approximately 1.5 million regular users of crack cocaine or powdered cocaine.
The effects of cocaine are immediate, extremely pleasurable, and brief. Cocaine and crack cocaine both produce intense but 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 drug abuser will then "crash," becoming lethargic and typically sleeping for several days.
The physical effects of crack cocaine addiction are:
- changes in blood pressure, heart rates, and breathing rates,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- anxiety,
- convulsions,
- insomnia,
- loss of appetite leading to malnutrition and weight loss,
- cold sweats ,
- swelling and bleeding of mucous membranes,
- restlessness and anxiety,
- damage to nasal cavities,
- damage to lungs, and
- possible heart attacks, strokes, or convulsions.
Other types of addictive drugs