Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine

March 13, 2015

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: The consequences of Cocaine Abuse

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine. Having this drug around you all the time can be one of the reasons why you cant quite

We all know that drug abuse is not healthy for any one’s life. Any drug abused has with it great consequences. It may not matter the intensity of the drug used, the common denominator is that there are real consequences. Again it may not matter the different methods of their usage or why they are used because it does not change the consequences. A lot has been said about drug abuse and ideally good coverage has been done to create awareness of the seriousness of these drugs. Cocaine is one of the many abused drugs today and it has caught our attention. And for that reason having talked to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, we want to interrogate some of the methods and reasons why people abuse cocaine and drugs generally. In the meantime, as we get into the discussion, if you are struggling with drug addiction (not just cocaine) help is very close near you if only you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury for professional direction today. Now back to the discussion, we are going to be looking at cocaine abuse in relation to the US even though this is not just a problem affecting the US alone but it is a global problem.

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: Methods of abuse

This drug cocaine often come in the powdered hydrochloride salt form and it can be used in various ways including injection, mixed with liquor, swallowed, or applied to oral, vaginal, or even rectal mucous membranes. It is commonly snorted or sniffing as many would prefer. When snorted, the usual procedure is placing a thin line of coke say of about 0.3 cm wide by 2.5 cm long, on an uneven surface. The finely divided powder is then snorted (inhaled quickly) into a nostril through a cylindrical plastic tube or glass straw or a rolled currency bill. The procedure is then repeated within a few minutes using the other nostril. And besides these tools of snorting if you allow me, there are also other special spoons and paraphernalia available for snorting cocaine.

It must be noted that cocaine use is generally not taken orally by mouth for recreational purposes. Because the drug is illegal, people have done much wired things when smuggling the drug for sale. As a result of these toxic reactions, including death, have occurred in some people who swallowed the drug to avoid police detection or border authorities. It may sound funny but this is how far people can go to ensure that the drug is available for market. Therefore this means of transport or packaging in a smuggling attempt is known as body packing. This crystalline white powder (cocaine) can also dissolve easily in water and used intravenously (“slammed”). Under this form, it has a high melting point and therefore cannot be smoked. Nonetheless this is the most widely used form of the drug.

Freebasing involves the conversion of cocaine hydrochloride into cocaine sulfate that is “free” of the additives and nearly 100% pure. It does not dissolve in water easily and has a low melting point and therefore smoking it would be the better option for usage. Those using this runs the risk of being burned by the conversion process because of a highly volatile solvent, such as ether, is being used.

Crack is extracted from powder cocaine using baking soda and heat which is relatively safe method compared with the ether technique. The waxy base becomes rocks of cocaine, ready to be sold in vials. This rock cocaine is also easy to smoke, the most common form of use in the streets. Cocaine sulfate is also available as coca paste known as basuco, bazooka, piticin, pistol, pitillos, or tocos and is widely smoked in South America. Users of this drug prefers it because it is resistant to destruction by heat meaning that it can be either be smoked in cigarettes, including marijuana cigarettes, or in coke pipes. Remember that smoking the freebase produces a more powerful effect and quite swiftly, however it must be noted that it can also be more dangerous primarily because what is called the safe dose can easily be exceeded.

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: Why is cocaine very addictive?

It has been established by different researcher that when cocaine is involved, all laboratory animals can become compulsive cocaine consumers. Animals will work more persistently at pressing a bar for cocaine than for any drug, including opiates. In one of the studies an addicted monkey pressed the bar nearly 12,800 times just to get a single dose of cocaine. This therefore communicates that if the animal survives, then it will definitely make a return to the task of obtaining more cocaine. Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center agree that just like the animals reaction so is the human response being similar to that of the laboratory animal. The cocaine dependent human beings will prefer it to all other activities and will use the drug until the user or the supply is exhausted. The consequence of this is that such people will show behavior entirely different from their previous lifestyle.

Cocaine-driven humans will compel themselves to perform unusual acts compared with their former standards of conduct. This is a very sad example but all the same it can happen. A cocaine user may sell his/her child just to get more cocaine. There are many stories of professionals, such as lawyers, physicians, bankers, and athletes, with daily habits costing hundreds to thousands of dollars, with binges in the range of thousands of dollars. Cocaine doesn’t have any respect for your status or office it can destroy you resulting in loss of job and profession, loss of family, friends and housing, bankruptcy, committing crimes, and death.

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: Effects

The method of use dictates the onset of activity and duration of its effects as follows:

If snorted for example, the effects will peak within 30 minutes with its duration of effect lasting one to three hours.
If swallowed with alcohol, effects peak in 30 minutes and last about three hours.
If used intravenously or inhaled/smoked, the effects peak in seconds to two minutes but last only 15-30 minutes.
The breakdown products of the drug will be excreted and can be detected in the urine for 24-72 hours and for chronic users, it can be detected for up to two weeks.

Finally this drug is not any you can play around with. You and I we have a duty to save the situation where we can. Therefore let us pool together and do the noble thing by calling the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for professional solutions today without any further delays.

Methods and Reasons Why People Abuse Cocaine: The consequences of Cocaine Abuse

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon

March 13, 2015

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon: Important Facts about Cocaine

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon and it use is causing more harm to life. Snorting cocaine is one of the most commonly used method

It is true that cocaine is currently one of the most abused major stimulant drugs not just in America but across the globe. Surprisingly it has recently become the drug most frequently involved in emergency department visits. Cocaine may not be newly abused drug but all the same it is often considered the “caviar” of recreational drugs. Nonetheless this difference is reflected in its descriptions. The cocaine abuse is an endless phenomenon and has been given called the champagne of drugs, gold dust, Cadillac of drugs, status stimulant, yuppie drug, and others. Besides those nouns it also has other street names which are used depending on its appearance or method of use. Such street names may include flake, snow, toot, blow, nose candy, her, she, lady flake, liquid lady “a mixture of cocaine and alcohol”, speedball [cocaine and heroin], crack, rock. In all these names cocaine is commonly known as coke. The name is actually not very important for us says doctor Akoury. Our interest is not in the name because the name alone doesn’t affect life. Whether you nick name it what the impact on its usage is the same and that is our point of concern. That is why we have the choice topic of cocaine abuse is an endless phenomenon.

Even though this is a global problem, we want to zero it down to US for the purpose of this article. The available statistics regarding the use of cocaine in the US is worrying. It is estimated that by 2012 children as young as 12 years representing the younger lot and moving to adulthood had used cocaine. That translates to about 1.7 minion people. And in that same time it is estimated that up to 1.1 million people had suffered from cocaine abuse or dependence. The other important facts about cocaine use include the drop in cocaine use is that men tend to be the biggest users of the drug more often than women. And in fact adults of between 18-25 years of age are by far the highest rate of cocaine use.

Even as we venture into this discussion of cocaine abuse is an endless phenomenon, myths about the drug will always be there and one common myth is that cocaine is not addictive because it lacks the physical withdrawal symptoms seen in alcohol or heroin addiction. In paper that may sound factual, however cocaine does have influential psychological addictive properties. This has been demonstrated by more than one user in the past and in quotes, “if it is not addictive, then why can’t I stop?” That is actually the common statement given by all users of cocaine further confirming the addictive power in this drug. Like for instance, currently the tendency in drug abuse in the United States is currently numerous or poly-drug abuse, and cocaine is not immune either. It is often used with alcohol, sedatives such as diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), or heroin, as an upper/downer combination. Normally in instances like this the other drug is used to moderate the side effects of the primary addiction.

If I may ask why do we say that cocaine abuse an endless phenomenon? The answer to that is in the pattern in which this drug is being used. It appears that at every stage of life there is a group of users who graduate to the next stages and the vicious cycle continues. For example, while college students tend to abuse alcohol more than teens the same age who do not go on to college, non-college students seem to abuse cocaine, as well as marijuana and tobacco, more than their peers who attend college. A common poly-drug abuse problem, seen especially in adolescents, is cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana. If nothing is done then this generation of cocaine, alcohol and marijuana will graduate to collage with this baggage on their shoulders then to adulthood and finally old age. In dealing with this problem, it is important that we appreciate that drug-use disorders spare no one and it cuts across all societies. It has no respect for gender, age, profession, race, religion, or physical attributes.

Cocaine Abuse an endless Phenomenon: History

The ultimate objective of this article is to understand the effects of cocaine abuse and dopamine deficiency syndrome. But before we get there, let us get an overview of the history of this drug. Cocaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid usually extracted from the leaves of the coca shrub, which was originally found in the Andes Mountains of Peru and Bolivia. With its appreciation as a lucrative cash crop, it is now cultivated in Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, the West Indies, Ecuador, and Java. Coca leaves were mixed with lime and chewed by the Peruvian Indians as early as the sixth century to allay the effects of cold, hunger, and fatigue. It is still used as such as a gift from the Sun God. In this sense, coca is an important sociocultural tradition for Peruvian and Bolivian Indians and should not be confused with the cocaine snorting, smoking, and injecting of the Western abuser. Coca was later introduced to Europe, where the alkaloid cocaine was isolated. Its medicinal effects on depression, alcohol and morphine addiction, fatigue, and as a local anesthetic were discovered. However, these discoveries were not without cost to those who experimented with it. The result was addiction and dependency on the drug.

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon: A brain tonic

Interestingly around 1886, an elixir containing cocaine from the coca leaf and caffeine from the African kola nut was introduced in Atlanta. It was traded as a brain tonic recommended as a medication for headaches, alcoholism, morphine addiction, abdominal pain, and menstrual cramps. This elixir, appropriately named Coca-Cola, rapidly became one of the most popular elixirs in the country. However because of the adverse effects of cocaine, appreciated even then, the Coca-Cola Company decided to use a de cocainized coca leaves in 1903. At this time cocaine was under strict control in the United States in 1914 with the Harrison Narcotic Act. It was finally listed as a narcotic and dangerous. Though its use is dangerous, it is not a narcotic, but its use is subject to the same penalties as those for opium, morphine, and heroin.

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon: Limited medical use

Cocaine has little medical use. Because of its anesthetic effect, it was used for eye surgery. But because of its profound ability to vasoconstriction blood vessels (that is, make veins and arteries narrow, thus stopping bleeding), it can lead to scarring and delayed healing of the cornea. Medications that are chemically similar to cocaine are available for use in the nose for surgery, stopping nosebleeds, and as a local anesthetic for cuts in children. We are going to continue with is discussion looking at how and why people abuse cocaine both in the past and present but in the meantime if you have any concern about cocaine abuse, you can schedule for an appointment with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and doctor Dalal Akoury will be of great help to you.

Cocaine Abuse is an endless Phenomenon: Important Facts about Cocaine

Effects of Crack Cocaine

July 14, 2014

Effects of Crack Cocaine-Drug Addiction

Crack cocaine addiction, it does not matter how you take it the bottom line is that it is death in waiting. Good news is that you can stop it.

It is everybody’s wish to be healthy and remain so in their whole life time. This desire is always under attack from all directions by all manner of things. Drug addiction is one of the most dreaded conditions that reverse the live healthy wish. In an attempt to trying to unlocking the this we have chosen to use this link to post informatory addiction articles to educate the public of the dangers involve in life if one associate with drugs. There are so many drugs being abused today however for the purpose of our discussion we will zero into cocaine and revel how it affect the addicted individuals and the general public. Our discussion will be in broken in two segments that is:

i. Short term effects

ii. Long term effects

Short term effects of crack cocaine

Crack cocaine will temporarily lift your spirit as an addict but this feeling when the concentration dies off in your blood stream the addict experiences extreme depression and craves for more of the substance.
Individuals addicted to crack cocaine normally skip meals and often don’t have enough sleep.
They also experience high heart rate, muscle spasms, convulsion etc.
This dug can make users feel obsessed, irritated, unfriendly and nervous even when they are not high.
The risks of experiencing heart attack, suffer stroke, seizure or respiratory failure are systematic with crack cocaine users irrespective of quantity used. These can be very fatal killing the individual.
Smoking crack further presents a series of health risks. Crack is often mixed with other substances that create toxic fumes when burned. As crack smoke does not remain potent for long, crack pipes are generally very short. This often causes cracked and blistered lips, known as “crack lip,” from users having a very hot pipe pressed against their lips.

Long term effects of crack cocaine

Besides the common dangers related to cocaine use, addicts are likely to suffer respiratory complications, alongside coughing, shortness of breath bleeding and lung damage.

Long-term effects from use of crack cocaine include:

It causes severe damage to the heart, liver and kidneys. Users are more likely to have infectious diseases.
Continued daily use causes sleep deprivation and loss of appetite, resulting in malnutrition.
Smoking crack cocaine also can cause aggressive and paranoid behavior.
Since crack cocaine also interferes with the way the brain processes chemicals, one needs large quantities of the drug just to feel “normal.”
Those who become addicted to crack cocaine lose interest in other areas of life.
Crack cocaine causes depression and when this becomes intensified, the addict can do anything to get the supply. They can be very extreme even to the point of committing murder. If for whatever reason the supply is not fourth coming, depression can drive the addict to the wall of suicide.

Physical and Mental effects- Short term

Because it is smoked, the short term effects of crack cocaine are more immediate and more intense than that of powdered cocaine as discussed below:

Loss of appetite
Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature
Contracted blood vessels
Increased rate of breathing
Dilated pupils
Disturbed sleep patterns
Nausea
Hyperstimulation
Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behavior
Hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability
Tactile hallucination that creates the illusion of bugs burrowing under the skin
Intense euphoria
Anxiety and paranoia
Depression
Intense drug craving
Panic and psychosis
Convulsions, seizures and sudden death from high doses (even one time)

Physical and mental effects-Long term effects

Permanent damage to blood vessels of ear and brain, high blood pressure, leading to heart attacks, strokes and death
Liver, kidney and lung damage
Severe chest pains
Respiratory failure
Infectious diseases and abscesses if injected
Malnutrition, weight loss
Severe tooth decay
Auditory and tactile hallucinations
Sexual problems, reproductive damage and infertility (for both men and women)
Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion
Irritability and mood disturbances
Increased frequency of risky behavior
Delirium or psychosis
Severe depression
Tolerance and addiction (even after just one use)

Effects on the young Children

It is so painful that very innocent babies in their mother’s wombs become victims of cocaine. When pregnant women uses cocaine in whichever form the mother and the unborn child will all be in danger. This may increase the risk of losing the pregnancy especially in the early stages of the pregnancy. The consequences of cocaine use by pregnant women may result in the unborn baby suffers stroke, heart attack or have permanent brain damage.

Drug dealers/supplies

Research has established that most young people in drugs today got into it because of pressure from their friends. They wanted to belong, feeling cool and famous. These pressures from friends are known by the supplies and they will use this as your weak point to lure you into drugs because they are only motivated by their need of making money. You must be careful with the drug dealers because all they care about is money, money and more money. They care less if the drugs ruin your life as long as they get money.

The truth you need to know

To help you be safe you must get to know the facts at fingertip so that you do not fall prey to these heartless drug dealers.

You must distance yourself from drugs by all means.
Drugs are basically poisons. The quantity taken determines the damage caused.
A small amount acts as a stimulant (speeds you up).
A greater amount acts as a sedative (slows you down).
An even larger amount poisons and can kill.

This is true of all drugs. Only the quantity needed to achieve the effect differs nonetheless many drugs have other liabilities like: they affect the mind directly distorting the user’s perception of what is happening around them and as a result, the person’s actions may be odd, irrational, inappropriate and even destructive.

Drugs block off all sensations, the desirable ones with the unwanted. So, while providing short-term help in the relief of pain, they also wipe out ability and alertness and muddy one’s thinking.

Finally all the medicines we use are drugs whose objective is to correct something about the way your body is working with a view of trying to making it work better. These drugs are sometimes necessary but all the same they are still drugs: they act as stimulants or sedatives, and too much can kill you. So if you do not use medicines as they are supposed to be used, they can be as dangerous as illegal drugs. Therefore you must ensure that you are always seeking guidance from the experts to avoid doing wrong things. At AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care you will get all the information and guidance you need and you will also be attended to by a team of experts who will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Effects of Crack Cocaine-Drug Addiction

Tag Archives: Cocaine and stroke