Transcript Cocainex
COCAINE Also known as: “coke,” “Coca,” “C,” “snow,” “flake,” “blow,” “bump,” “candy,” “Charlie,” “rock TYPES OF COCAINE • Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America. Cocaine comes in two forms: • Powder cocaine is a white powder Street dealers often mix cocaine with other substances like cornstarch, talcum powder, or sugar. • Crack is a form of cocaine that has been processed to make a rock crystal that people smoke. The term “crack” refers to the cracking sound the rocks make when they are heated. HOW IS COCAINE USED? • Powder cocaine can be snorted up the nose or mixed with water and injected with a needle. Sometimes, powder cocaine is rubbed onto gums or other tissues in the body. Crack is smoked in a small glass pipe. The crystal is heated to produce vapors that are absorbed into the blood through the lungs. • In order to keep the “high” going, people may take the drug repeatedly within a short period of time, at increasingly higher doses HOW DOES COCAINE AFFECT THE BRAIN? • Stimulants like cocaine change the way the brain works by changing the way nerve cells communicate. • With repeated use, stimulants can disrupt how the brain’s dopamine system works, reducing a person’s ability to feel any pleasure at all. People may try to make up for it by taking more and more of the drug to feel the same pleasure. • After the "high" of the cocaine wears off, many people experience a "crash" and feel tired or sad for days. They also experience a strong craving to take cocaine again to try to feel better. OTHER EFFECTS OF COCAINE • The surge of dopamine in the brain affects the body in a variety of ways: • Constricted blood vessels and dilated pupils • Higher body temperature • Higher blood pressure and faster heartbeat • Feeling sick to the stomach • Restlessness • Decreased appetite and, over time, a loss of weight • Inability to sleep • Increased risk of heart attack or stroke due to high blood pressure • Increased risk of HIV • Strange, unpredictable behavior, panic attacks, or paranoid psychosis (losing touch with reality) PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF COCAINE • How cocaine is used leads to different physical problems. For example, regularly snorting cocaine can lead to a hoarse voice, loss of the sense of smell, nosebleeds, and a constant runny nose. • Cocaine taken by mouth can reduce blood flow in your intestines, leading to bowel problems. • Injecting cocaine can increase a person’s risk of getting HIV, hepatitis C (a liver disease), and other diseases transmitted by blood contact COCAINE AND ADDICTION • Because a cocaine high usually doesn't last very long, people take it again and again to try to keep feeling good. Once addicted, people who are trying to quit taking cocaine might: • Act nervous and restless • Feel very sad and tired • Have bad dreams • Not trust people and things around them • Feel a strong need to take cocaine