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The Facts Behind Cocaine

Cocaine is a central nervous system stimulant that conflicts with reabsorption of dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure and movement. The buildup of dopamine causes stimulation of "receiving" neurons, which is associated with the euphoria reported by cocaine abusers.

Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted blood vessels alopng with increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. The duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include hyperstimulation and mental clarity, depends on how it's administered. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. But the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while the high from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. Increasing the amount can reduce the period of time a user feels high and increases the risk of addiction.

Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. A tolerance to the "high" may develop - many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure.

Some users will increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users can also become more sensitive 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, may lead to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. This can result in a period of full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the user loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.

Crack is the street name given to a freebase form of cocaine that has been processed from the powdered cocaine hydrochloride form to a smokable substance. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked. Crack cocaine is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water, and heated to remove the hydrochloride.

Because crack is smoked, the user experiences a high quite often in less than 10 seconds. This rather immediate and euphoric effect is one of the reasons that crack became enormously popular in the mid 1980s. Another reason is that crack is inexpensive both to produce and to buy.

Please call (888) 373-4133 to find the right drug rehabilitation center for you or your loved one.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)