Cocaine is a powerful stimulant drug made from coca plant leaves native to South America. It is commonly known as a white, crystal powder that is snorted or smoked. Cocaine floods the brain with dopamine for a euphoric high but also causes immediate short term effects like extreme happiness and long term health problems. Withdrawal is difficult and includes depression, fatigue and other symptoms. While there are no approved medications, treatment focuses on counseling, community support, and lifestyle changes to end cocaine addiction.
2. What Is Cocaine?
■ Powerful addictive stimulant drug made from
the leaves of a coca plant
■ Native to South America
■ The street drug looks like a fine, white, crystal
powder
■ Street dealers will mix cocaine with substances
such as corn starch, talcum powder, or flour to
increase their profits
■ They also add other drugs to it as well, a widely
known one right now is Fentanyl
4. Medicinal Uses
■ Derivatives of Cocaine are used as anesthetics for surgeries of the ears, nose, and
throat
■ It is also used to alleviate pain, both mental and physical, of terminal diseases
5. Street Use
■ People either snort cocaine through their nose or rub it
into their gums
■ Some dissolve the powder and inject it into their
bloodstream
■ A “Speedball” is a combination of heroin and cocaine
■ Can be processed into a rock crystal called “Freebase
Cocaine”
-The rock crystal, also known as “Crack”, is then
smoked and inhaled into the lungs
-The name “Crack” is given to the drug due to the
crackling sound it makes when heated
6. How does Cocaine affect the brain?
■ Cocaine increases a persons level of Dopamine (related to control of movement and
reward)
■ Normally Dopamine is recycled but Cocaine prevents that from happening causing
large amounts of buildup
■ The flood of Dopamine STRONGLY reinforces the use of this drug but it adapts very
quickly, causing the user to be less sensitive after every use
■ This ends with the user taking stronger, more frequent doses in an attempt to receive
the same high and avoid the feeling of withdrawal
7. ShortTerm Effects
■ Extreme Happiness and energy
■ MentalAlertness
■ Hypersensitivity to light, sound, and touch
■ Irritability
■ Paranoia, extreme and unreasonable trust of others
8. Other Health Effects
■ Constricted Blood vessels
■ Dilated Pupils
■ Nausea
■ Raised body temperature and blood pressure
■ Fast or irregular heart beat
■ Tremors
■ Restlessness
9. LongTerm Effects
■ Snorting: Loss of smell, Nosebleeds, Frequent
Runny Nose, Problems with Swallowing
■ Smoking: Cough, Asthma, Respiratory Distress,
Higher Risk of Infections like Pneumonia
■ Consuming Orally: Severe bowl decay from
reduced blood flow
■ Needle Injection: Higher Risk for Contracting HIV,
Hepatitis C, and other Bloodborn Diseases, Skin or
SoftTissue Infections, Scarring or CollapsedVeins
11. Treatment
■ Cognitive BehavioralTherapy
■ Community based recovery groups, such as 12 step programs
■ Therapeutic communities such as drug free residencies in which people in recovery
help each other understand and change their behaviors
■ Currently there are no government approved medicines to treat cocaine addictions
12. Q&A
Currently there are government approved drugs that have been assist with
treatment for things such as Alcoholism and Opiod Addiction…
Should there be more of a focus on finding a medication that will assist a
person with ending their addiction to cocaine or do you think they need to
make the decision themselves to stop, have others to rely on to help them
change their behavior, and go through things such as a 12 step program or
drug free residency? Is this enough support to help them through
withdrawals?
13. Quote that Stuck Out
“Getting sober was one of the three pivotal events in my life, along with becoming an
actor and having a child.Of the three, finding my sobriety was the hardest thing.”- Robert
Downey JR.
14. References
■ Addressing CocaineAddiction &Treatment Needs. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2019,
from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/cocaine-treatment
■ Brain, P. F., & Coward, G. A. (1989).A review of the history, actions, and legitimate uses
of cocaine. Retrieved March 19, 2019, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2485453
■ National Institute on Drug Abuse. (n.d.). Cocaine. Retrieved March 19, 2019, from
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cocaine
