Cocaine is a stimulant. This means it gets you up and keeps
you going. Unlike speed, cocaine is a natural stimulant extracted
from the leaf of the coca bush. Historically, in the U.S.,
pure cocaine was used as a mild anesthetic, primarily by dentists
and ear-nose-throat specialists. Cocaine is also what the
"Coca" originally stood for in Coca-Cola but the
cocaine was eventually replaced by caffeine. On the street
today, you don¡¯t get pure cocaine. Instead, to increase profits,
a variety of cuts are added. These can include lactose (which
makes you go to the bathroom), local anesthetics such as procaine
(which makes you lose feeling), and heroin (rarely) or other
drugs. People use cocaine in various ways. It is sniffed,
snorted through a straw or rolled up dollar bill, injected
into a vein (mainlining) and smoked (freebasing). Crack cocaine
has become a more common form of freebasing.
When
cocaine enters the body, it moves rapidly from the bloodstream
to the central nervous system where it affects the various
reward/pleasure centers of your brain- including an important
pleasure chemical, dopamine. Dopamine and these parts of your
brain aid with thought organization, concentration, fine motor
control, sex drive and energy. Cocaine initially increases
all these functions. Eventually though, as cocaine use increases,
the brain¡¯s natural receptor sites reduce or lose their ability
to produce dopamine and other chemicals. This can cause feelings
of depression or a ¡°crash¡±. These sites are not permanently
damaged and will begin functioning again after you stop using
cocaine, although it may take awhile depending on how long
you used for.
Your
body responds to cocaine use in other ways such as increased
heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Cocaine also increases
alertness, stamina and feelings of euphoria while reducing
fatigue, a desire to sleep and hunger. This allows some people
to work, dance or take care of business with little to no
sleep. Also, the more you use cocaine, the greater your tolerance
will be. Tolerance means your body needs an increasing amount
of cocaine in order to get high. Regular, heavy use of cocaine
can result in anxiety, depression, nausea, agitation, insomnia,
weight loss, loss of sex drive and compulsive behavior. Some
users may become psychologically dependent on the effects
of the drug and form a habit.
Special
thanks to the Harm Reduction Coalition for granting the Alliance
permission to reprint excerpts of their Straight Dope Education
Series. To learn more about cocaine, including risks and how
to prevent them, please see "C is for Cocaine".
