Cocaine Addiction: The Facts

Cocaine addiction, according to one famous drug treatment center in Pennsylvania, is one of the worst addictions, a human being can ever have. Also known by names like snow, blow, crack and coke, this is one addiction that is very difficult to break away from. There have been studies on animals that have shown that animals tend to work very hard, pushing themselves beyond their normal strength. For instance, it has been found that they can press a bar more than ten thousand times after a single cocaine injection!

Similarly, in human beings, it has been seen that people are able to do a lot of thing that cannot be done by normal human strength after consuming cocaine. But since it is a drug and a deadly one at that, there are too many negative consequences of this drug. For instance, the person who is into cocaine, can beg, borrow or steal to get more of it. Relationships, college grades, performances at work are not important anymore for the person high on cocaine

Some of the main ways of administration of cocaine are snorting, sniffing, injecting, and smoking, including free-basing and crack cocaine. Snorting is the method of taking in cocaine powder through the nose where it is taken in the blood through the tissues of the nose. Injecting is the process of using a needle to discharge the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking involves breathing in cocaine vapor or smoke moving towards the lungs where inclusion into the bloodstream is as quick as it is done by injection. Crack Cocaine is a street name given to cocaine that has been made from cocaine hydrochloride to a free base for smoking. The term crack is actually the crackling sound that is audible when the mixture of cocaine, ammonia, water and baking soda, is smoked (heated),

Cocaine abuse signs include blocked peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, high body temperature, fast heart rate and blood pressure, lack of fatigue/sleeplessness, hyper-alertness, panic, talking rapidly; seizures, runny or bloody nose etc. Some of the marks or clues that are identifiable with a cocaine addict includes white powder seen on the clothes or face of the person involved, small spoon type items used for snorting, razor blades and mirror edges used for making lines, rolled money bills that are used for snorting, little bottles with lids for storing and possession of cocaine, and small plastic packets that has the white powder.

According to a drug treatment center, snorting of cocaine can give you a high that last for 20 to 30 minutes while smoking can give you a high that lasts for 5 to 20 minutes. Increased use can decrease the period of stimulation. Scientific evidence shows that the powerful neuropsychological characteristic of cocaine is accountable for an individual's sustained use, despite damaging physical and societal consequences. In rare instances, there have been incidences of sudden deaths due to the first time use of cocaine. So, it is better that people are alarmed and know about cocaine abuse, you never know when death can strike and what exactly an overdsoe for the brain is. So if you are snorting or consuming cocaine, it is better to go to a drug treatment center and seek therapy.