Cocaine teachback

1. COCAINE
BY ANGELO DEMALIA

2. WHAT IS COCAINE?
• FOUNDED IN SOUTH AMERICA, COCAINE IS EXTRACTED FROM THE COCA BUSH.
THE POWDERY SUBSTANCE IS MOST COMMONLY KNOWN FOR ITS MIND
ALTERING RELAXING ABILITIES. CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS
AND ADDICTIVE DRUGS COCAINE RELATED DEATHS HAS BEEN INCREASING OVER
THE PAST DECADES AMOUNTING TO AROUND 13,000 AS OF 2017.

3. HISTORY
• COKE, BLOW, SNOW CANDY, THROUGHOUT TIME COCAINE HAS BEEN GIVEN
MULTIPLE LABELS. WHAT IT HAS BEEN BEST KNOWN FOR IS ITS UNDENIABLE
ABILITY TO ALTER THE MENTAL STATE OF A SUBSTANCE ABUSER. IN FACT AT
ONE POINT COCAINE WAS SO EFFECTIVE THAT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
WANTED TO IMPLEMENT IT FOR POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER CHANGE.
PSYCHOLOGIST SIGMUND FREUD WAS AMONG THOSE PROFESSIONALS WHO
ACTIVELY USED COCAINE AND ADVOCATED FOR IT STRONGLY. COCAINE EVEN
MADE ITS WAY INTO SCANDALS WITH POPULAR SOFT DRINK COMPANY COCA
COLA, WHO WAS CLAIMED TO HAVE COCAINE IN ITS PRODUCT TO ENHANCE ITS
ADDICTIVE PROPERTIES.

4. HISTORY CONTINUED
• THOUGH THE EFFECTS WERE ASTONISHING AT FIRST THEY WERE IN NO WAY
POSITIVE. RESEARCHERS SOON DISCOVERED THAT THE SUBSTANCE HAD
PROPERTIES THAT WERE FAR TO ADDICTIVE FOR CONSUMPTION.
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE LONG TERM EFFECTS WERE SO DAMAGING THE
DANGEROUS DRUG ACT DECLARED IT TO BE BANNED IN 1920. UNFORTUNATELY
THIS DID VERY LITTLE TO SLOW DOWN THE TRACTION OF COCAINE SALES.
DRUG DEALERS TO THIS DAY STILL CONSIDER IT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST
RELAXING, PURE, AND PROFITABLE DRUGS ON THE MARKET.

5. HOW IT IS USED: METHODS
• INJECTION: USING A NEEDLE COCAINE IS INJECTED INTO THE BLOODSTREAM WHERE
IT MAKES ITS WAY TO THE BRAIN.
• SNORTING: WHEN SNORTING THE SUBSTANCE ENTERS THE BLOODSTREAM THROUGH
NAVAL PASSAGES AND IS CONSIDERABLY JUST AS DANGEROUS AS INJECTION.
• SMOKING (CRACK COCAINE):WHEN SMOKED COCAINE REACHES THE BRAIN FASTER
THAN IT WOULD IF SNORTED PROVIDING ADDICTS WITH A MORE SPEEDY HIGH.
• GUMS: RUBBING REMAINDER OF COCAINE INTO A PERSONS GUM IS TYPICALLY DONE
TO REDUCE WASTE. THIS PROVIDES A NUMBING SENSATION TO THE USER WITHIN
THEIR SKIN AND MOUTHS.

6. RISKY FACTORS
• GENETICS: PEOPLE WITH
ADDICTIVE TENDENCIES
ARE LIKELY TO BE MORE
PRONE TO USING THAN
OTHERS.
• ENVIRONMENTAL:
BECAUSE OF ITS
POPULARITY AND PURE
ESSENCE COCAINE IS
USED IN MOST STREET
GANGS AND DRUGS
AREAS.

7. SHORT TERM EFFECTS
• DIZZINESS
• HEADACHES
• IRRITABILITY
• OVERDOSE
• HEART ISSUES
• FLUCTUATION OF BODY TEMPERATURE
• RISK OF STROKE AND HEART DISEASE
• INCREASED BLOOD PRESSURE

8. LONG TERM EFFECTS
• DIFFICULTY FINDING PLEASURE IN OTHER AREAS OF LIFE.
• WEIGHT LOSS
• PARANOIA
• ANXIETY
• PANIC ATTACKS
• DEHYDRATION

9. SEEKING HELP
• FINDING HELP TO CURE ADDICTION OF COCAINE IS ONE OF THE MOST
CHALLENGING STEPS IN THIS ADDICTION PROCESS. WITH SO MANY LONG TERM
EFFECTS IT IS CRUCIAL THAT A PERSON SEEKS PROFESSIONAL HELP
IMMEDIATELY. REHAB CENTERS FOR COCAINE ADDICTION ARE DESIGNED TO
HELP PEOPLE REGAIN THEIR SOCIAL ACTIVITY AND PERSONALITY BACK.

10. QUOTES
• WE WERE TALKING BRIEFLY ABOUT COCAINE… YEAH. ANYTHING THAT MAKES
YOU PARANOID AND MORE IMPORTANT GIVE ME MORE OF THAT!- ROBIN
WILLIAMS

11. CLASS QUESTIONS
• IF COCAINE WAS ONCE LEGAL AND CONSIDERED BENEFICIAL TO MENTAL
HEALTH IS IT POSSIBLE THAT SOME OTHER MEDICATIONS ARE BEING USED THAT
ARE MORE HARMFUL THAN BENEFICIAL?
• SHOULD MORE RESEARCH BE PERFORMED ON DRUGS BEFORE THEY ARE
ADVOCATED FOR IN THE PUBLIC EYE?

12. SOURCES
• COCAINE. (2019, JANUARY 15). RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://MEDLINEPLUS.GOV/COCAINE.HTML
• NESTLER, E. J. (2005, DECEMBER). THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF COCAINE ADDICTION. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTPS://WWW.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV/PMC/ARTICLES/PMC2851032/
• NIDA. (2016, MAY 6). COCAINE. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTPS://WWW.DRUGABUSE.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/RESEARCH-REPORTS/COCAINE ON 2019, MARCH 20
• SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF COCAINE USE. (N.D.). RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.NARCONON.ORG/DRUG-
ABUSE/SIGNS-SYMPTOMS-COCAINE-USE.HTML
• THE RISKS & EFFECTS OF COCAINE ABUSE ON THE BODY. (N.D.). RETRIEVED FROM
HTTPS://AMERICANADDICTIONCENTERS.ORG/COCAINE-TREATMENT/RISKS