Cocaine in the Brain
Biology 202
2000 First Web Report
On Serendip
Cocaine in the Brain
Melissa Hoegler
"Cocaine delivers an intensity of pleasure - and despair - beyond the bounds of normal human experience."During the 1980s, Partnership for a Drug Free America began airing commercials that seem to either frighten or educate people about the use of illegal drugs. One of these commercials avowed, "No one ever says, 'I want to be a junkie when I grow up'." The comment is obvious, but very true. Probably very few people aspire to be drug addicts. But it happens, everyday. Why? What is so good about a drug that can potentially destroy a person's body? How does it work? What are its effects on the brain? Why is it so hard to quit?
Cocaine (C17H21NO4) comes from the leaf of an Erythroxylon coca bush. It is a drug that effects the central nervous system. It causes feelings of euphoria, pleasure, increased energy and alertness. People under the influence of cocaine often do not feel the need for food or sleep. They also feel energetic and may talk a lot. However, depending on factors such as environment, dosage, and the manner in which the drug is taken, cocaine can have adverse effects such as violent, erratic behavior, dizziness, paranoia, insomnia, convulsions, and heart failure to name a few. Long- term effects of cocaine include, but are not limited to strokes, heart attacks, seizures, loss of memory, and decrease in learning capability (1).
People may not always know the exact consequences of the drug they are taking, however, chances are that they do know that the drug is unhealthy for them. Schools across the country educate about the dangers of drug use and abuse through programs like D.A.R.E., television stations show anti-drug advertisements as a public service, and even city buses blazon anti-drug propaganda. People are aware that very rarely does anything good come from drug use, and still, everyday people fall victim to drugs. Why do people succumb to the urge to try drugs? It feels good...why else?
When a person takes cocaine, it causes a rush. There is between one or two minutes of intense pleasure. This is followed by five to 8 minutes of euphoria, then as the high comes down, an overwhelming urge for more, which may last for a day. (3) When a user is between cocaine doses or halts usage, the opposite effects occur. The user is depressed and tired (2).
Cocaine is attractive to users because it triggers dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is present in many regions of the brain. In normal mice, the introduction of cocaine increases dopamine by 150 percent. Dopamine regulates movement, emotion, motivation, and the feeling of pleasure. In a normal brain, dopamine is released by a neuron into a synapse and then it moves to dopamine receptors on other neurons. It is then moved back to the neuron that transmitted the dopamine initially.
When cocaine enters the area of the brain where the dopamine is located, it blocks the reuptake pumps that remove the dopamine from the synapse of the nerve cell. Thus, more dopamine gathers at the synapse and feelings of intense pleasure result. This feeling continues until cocaine is naturally removed from the system (2). Research findings by the National Institute of Drug Addiction (NIDA) demonstrate that cocaine not only effects the level of dopamine in the brain, but also the level of seratonin. In a study using mice without dopamine transporters, the mice were given cocaine and they still experienced rewarding effects. This was obvious because the animals kept on attempting to get or self-administer more. These researchers speculate that more than one neurotransmitter is responsible for the pleasurable feeling cocaine yields (2). Although main hypothesis as to why cocaine is so pleasurable, is that it alters levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and seratonin, some scientists report that cocaine effects approximately 90 different parts of the brain, not just the two main regions of the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens. However, it is interesting that it is these two regions of the brain that remain active after the cocaine has left the system, and the powerful, uncontrollable desire for the drug has set in. (3)
The first time people use cocaine and its effects fade, they want more. Such is the nature of the drug. The main reason cocaine use continues is the need to experience the "high" and the development of dependence. Dependence is, "the need to maintain a level of the drug in the brain to both satisfy the need and stimulate the reward center, and avoid physical withdrawal symptoms" (5). There is continual research occurring about dependence and how it can be streamlined.
It was recently discovered through newer imaging techniques that cocaine hinders blood flow. This is why is it can cause brain damage or defects. Recent research demonstrates that if a cocaine user even thinks about cocaine, the blood flow is altered . This suggests that the addictive nature of the drug is stronger than we think, because simply thinking about it produces similar results in addicts' brains' (4). This is likely to be a result of the way in which cocaine changes the structure of an abuser's brain. For example n experiments done with lab rats, scientists reported that after repeated exposure to cocaine, the rats' dendrites changed by becoming bigger and denser. This means that an increase in synaptic connectivity results from cocaine use which triggers people and animals to work harder to attain the drug (6).
Scientists are working furiously for a way to combat cocaine addiction. They specifically are examining the genetic factors that contribute to the addiction (5). However, even if scientists do identify all of the factors that cause addiction, they are still faced with the dilemma of how exactly to stop the addiction. New hope to end cocaine addiction lies in experimental drugs, such as one that is used to treat epilepsy and holistic approaches such as acupuncture.
Although it may seem like science knows a great deal about addiction and the effects of cocaine, scientific knowledge still cannot make the cocaine problem disappear. There is no sure cure for cocaine addiction. Once you try the drug, addiction strikes randomly, like a bullet in a game of Russian roulette. There is no cure for the addiction. Before trying the drug, really think, is a moment of pleasure worth a lifetime of pain?
WWW Sources
1)Facts About Cocaine, The Addiction Research Foundation out of Canada produced this site. It contains basic information about cocaine, its effects, and facts about addiction.2)Cocaine's Pleasurable Effects May Involve Multiple Chemical Sites, This site is a part of NIDA notes. It explains theories about the way cocaine effects the brain. There is a picture of how cocaine effects the neurotransmitter .
3) Intricate Effects of Cocaine on the Brain Seen In Scans , Some older (3 years), but more controversial research about cocaine use. It shows cool pictures of brain scans.
4) Researches see how cocaine Affects the Brain, Highlights an experiment involving images of butterflies and cocaine. Interesting results.
5) New Targets in the Brain's Reward CenterThis article concentrates on the genetic causes of coke addiction.
6) Repeated Exposure To Cocaine Alters Brain Structure", Talks about the long term effect of coke on the brain and nerves.
where the cool pictures mentioned. just another article with pictures. dont need to see what cocaine looks like but what the brain looks like after extended use ... Kelley, 22 November 2006
Chemicals
Cocaine takes a lot longer to recover from then people suppose. Even if you do it just once.
There are two major things that happen when you take cocaine. You will strengthen the synapses in your brain that tell you cocaine is good... and you will alter how your brain uses dopamine, norepinephrine, and seratonin.
Doing coke once may not noticeably change your ability to enjoy other activities, but it has nonetheless. Your brain "changes" itself to want cocaine. Your use of dopamine may be back to normal within 3 months (after doing it just once), but your synapses are a different, much longer-lasting matter.
I have an example I like to give people: everytime you use your phone number (call home, give it to somebody else, think about it) you're strengthening connections in your brain that correlate "my phone number" with "555-555-8888" (insert your own phone number).
When you move away, or get a new phone number... how long does it take you to forget that number? Those synapses slowly lesson in strength over time if they are not used (this is why we forget things). The stronger the connection, the longer it will take to forget.
Years later, even after you've forgotten the number, those numbers will ring a bell the moment somebody says them or you see them in an old phone book.
Even if you take cocaine once every 5 years - you may not become addicted... but you've altered your brain. Each time you do it, your brain becomes more familiar with it and is less likely to forget it.
Weather or not this is a bad thing is up for debate... but the fact that this happens is not.
Cocaine is a very powerful molecule and it needs to be accorded a similar degree of respect. Using cocaine is not bad in and of itself, but I would advise caution. Any brain capable of adapting (all human brains) will be changed by cocaine - addicts or otherwise.
hahaha yeah right!
I for one totally disagree with the "coke is good" comment.
sure i mean if u want to speed up the death process than more power to ya! But that is not the way to go about it! My father is a cocaine addict and from personal experience i can tell you that nothing NOTHING good comes from it! my father tore my family apart because that shit was more important to him than his own family was. He lost everythng and everyone because he couldn't give it up. He lost his family, his friends, his house, his job, his life, evertything! And he still doesnt understand, he thinks,much like you, that the drug is no problem and just "Dandy" but you guys dont see who you hurt in the process, or see that damage you do not only to yourself, but to the people around you. you believe the world revolves around you and your selfish for wanting to do it and thinking its okay!
Different effects on different people, but can be catastrophic
My ex-boyfriend and I are a living illustration of how cocaine (like other drugs) can be used differently by different people and can have very different effects. I was a recreational drug user for several years (late high school and college), and did cocaine many times, among other drugs. By "many times," I will clarify that I was never a daily user or even an every-weekend user, but for about 3 years I probably did a substantial amount of cocaine at least once a month, and during the rest of the month I was doing other drugs, including other stimulants such as ecstasy. The drugs (of which, as I've said, cocaine was only one, and not necessarily the primary) DID have an effect on my personality. I tended to be very moody, often depressed, lack motivation, and my way of making myself feel better again was, predictably, to do more drugs. I was thinking about going to a psychiatrist because I thought I was clinically depressed. Eventually, a few months before I graduated, I decided to try stopping drugs altogether, and to my surprise, my moods did a 180, and my depression was gone, my motivation returned, I felt better than I had in years. Since that time, I have done cocaine maybe once or twice, never enjoying it very much, and I rarely smoke pot or drink to the point of being "drunk."
My ex-boyfriend, on the other hand, is an example of the other kind of user...the addict. He started doing cocaine when he was about 15, moved up to smoking crack when he was 18, and he is now 38 and still battling his addiction, so far without a lot of success. He's been in and out of prison; he truly does want to lead a "normal," productive life with healthy activities and relationships, and he works on that, through Narcotics Anonymous and with his sponsor, and everything will be going pretty well, then he gets complacent, something snaps, and he disappears on a binge that lasts anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. He can go from 0 to 100 in five minutes' time, and once he starts, he cannot stop until his body basically won't let him do any more. Running out of money is a factor too, but addicts are very good at finding ways to get more, and that's why he has done prison time. I have just had to kick him out after his last binge, following 5 months of being clean and going to daily meetings. He has always said that he doesn't enjoy the binge at all, that it's only the first hit that gives any pleasure or satisfaction, and that after that it's just a chase for as long as the binge lasts, but once he's under its influence he is powerless to stop doing it until he simply cannot do or get any more. It has completely destroyed his life, and I can only hope for his sake and his family's that he will get it right this time before it kills him or sends him back to prison.
In conclusion, I think the way one does it matters (smoking or shooting crack is far more addictive than snorting it, though I have also known coke addicts who snorted, though they usually eventually progress to smoking it), but there are other factors involved in addiction, including genes (like most addicts, my ex comes from a long line of alcoholics and addicts) and environmental factors (he had little discipline in his childhood and adolescence, and his father was actually a drug trafficker and he had access to huge amounts of cocaine as a teenager that he was able to steal unnoticed). But since we can never be sure of our own predisposition to addiction until we use a substance long enough and frequently enough to either become addicted or prove that we do not have that "addictive" gene, I would say, despite the fact that drugs never ruined MY life, that it is not worth it to experiment, as the author says. The reward is definitely not worth the potential loss--even if it doesn't happen to everyone, or even most.
coke is no joke
Cocaine is the devil himself. They call it the devils drug. I dont know what it is about the drug that has this power to consume peoples thoughts, and lives. It truly does destroy a person. Im against it. Im no angel myself, Im not going to deny that I have never done it before, I have, and I liked it. But I got over that phase. Its not worth it. For some peole, its not that easy to just let it go. The man that I love is a victem of his addiction. H's a 43 intelligent, blessed, and successful individual who has been lucky in life. He's been getting high for 20 years he says. Part of how he's been able to support his habit was because of his carrer as a lawyer for the past 18 years. He's what you call a functionong addict who truly lives a double life. The past 3 years have been spiriling out of control. I have been a victim of circumstance. When he gets on this bullshit, I hate it. He becomes someone else, a complete and total asshole, a major prick. He becomes dilusional, thinks Im cheating on him, starts looking through my ceel calling every number, checking my voicemail, or when we have been out in public, he thinks Im looking at another man. This are his paranoia tendencies. I have pertaked in the use of the drug as well, but I dont suffer from addiction. I can use, and not have that trigger of want in my body. This past weekend, he went on a binge. I was not around. God knows how much money he spent, or the thousand of dollers he's made for his scum bag dealer.I dont know what got into him, but something knocked sense into his brain, TO STOP. Its about time. Im glad he's getting the help, that he needs so much. If you would personally know this man, you would think, what a shame,for such a remarkable human being to suffer from addiction. It couldve been a loyt worse, but it got bad enough, Ive never given up on him, and I dont plan to. Its been a journey with this piece of shit drug, and im glad, and truly hope, that its over. This drug is bad, everyones experience differs. I would like to understand it, in order to help him deal with it, to overcome this sickness of addiction, in order to LIVE. Im trying to save his life, to save his soul. People may not be interested in anything I have wriiten about, I just wanted to vent my emotions, one way or the other. DONT DO DRUGS>
Cocaine and families don't mix.
After 30 years of using Cocaine and trading everything in my life for it, I can honestly say that it is like no other drug. Cocaine only offers you a trade, 10 minutes of pain free living for your soul. You can use cocaine and never become addicted to it and you can use it once and be addicted forever. It's a gamble, a roll of the dice. It is a wonderful drug if you don't become addicted, it's a horrifying drug if you become addicted. Cocaine can allow you to connect to parts of your brain that you never knew existed, but it can also allow you to commit acts you never thought you were capable of. It is my strong recommendation that you do NOT experiment with it if you have a family. Hurting yourself is one thing, hurting innocent love ones is another. Cocaine can be your best friend, but it can become your worst enemy. Use cocaine at your own risk and remember there is NO lifeguard on duty. Don't be afraid of it, just be aware that it has a power to alter your thinking like nothing else. Cocaine is a different drug depending on how you ingest it, Snorting it is a waste, smoking it sucks, IV takes you to OZ....Be careful it's a long walk back from OZ!
doing cocaine is
doing cocaine is fucked up...PERIOD....there is nothing anyone can do to justify it....look at the constant users of coke...theyll do anything..ANYTHING to get coke.....thats how u kno this drug is fucked up....and the fact that its addictive makes it soo so badd...
if i kno anyone in my neighborhood does coke...i swere to god i will fucken kill them...dont want any of u sick mutherfuckers around my family or friends....
coke
ahhh ive been doing cocaine for 4 years now off and on weekend benchez and ive its ruined my life its made me do even worse drugs and made my relation ship with my girl friend and family "fucked" people dont trust me ive lost alot of friends and my all my dreams went down the drain...my boxing career desipeired with out a trace im now 20 years old with no education no trust and no power within myself to help my self and i use drinkin as an excuse to sniff coke i would say i only get erges when i drink but i would get erges and then drink just to doit and then just say i doit wheni drink ive had many break downs comming off of it and have called family member crying and freaking out becuase i dont know where my life has gone i try as much as possible not to doit but it dosent work well....i hate my life and know that i dont wanna die doin some stupid fuckin drug and missen out on the shit that coulda been but wasint and hurt my family so please if youve never tryed it dont try because if you do your a loser idiot like me and thats why im doin everything to stop this shit DONT TOUCH IT! thanks for reading and please listen to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Im 19 and tried coke for the
Im 19 and tried coke for the first and LAST time 3 weeks ago. I have never tried any other drugs except for weed once or twice in high school. Trying coke has been the biggest regret of my life,not because i had a terrible experience with it, but just the shame in doing something i honestly thought i'd never do and putting my life in danger like that. For anyone thinking of trying it i really dont reccomend it,its just not worth it, the high is not that great, and the possible consequences outweigh a few minutes of enjoyment by far! In fact the best outcome of taking the drug would be that u dont enjoy it. I hate myself for trying it,i feel like i've let my family and friends down,but most of all myself. I wish i could take it back but i cant. I agree that addiction is more to do with the person themself than the actual drug, and someone who is really stable may be able to do drugs recreationally without being affected, but who really is stable these days,and drugs can do some serious damage physically and mentally 2 even the most stable people.
umm
i tried coke when i 17 and the feeling it gave me i could not decribe by tellin it made me act weird and made me want more and more i remember coming off it cause i was feeling depressed cause i couldnt buy anymore as to this day i still think about it!! but i havent had some for 2 years as i will 20 this fall
Different Worlds
simply.... different things happen to different people. I know some people that coke has destroyed there life and other people coke has done nothing at all. but we live in a world where were told that drugs are bad becuase they destroy our lives but yet again they never tell us that for a lot people this drug doesn't do anything at all. People should stop listening to other people and just go out and try it for yourself. you wont get hooked on it your first time and my opinion on this drug is its not worth it not only becuase what it does to your body and mind but to me coke is such a boring drug. After all i don't just do coke i experiment with all that is around me. people up there leaving comments about how amazing it is believe me this drug doesn't do anything extraordinary if you want something fun to do and it also enhances your brain potential and if your an "addict" and cant break the addiction try some Psilocybin Mushrooms or some LSD you will see other realities that coke could never bring you to and you will learn more about yourself than with any other drug. if you use my advice on using the other drugs i suggested use it with friends and out side in nature don't use in doors it can be really scary and make you not want to try it ever again and take advantage of the thinking that takes place when your on it. I know what you people are thinking that im just promoting drugs but i used to suffer from depression and i tried committing suicide and i felt like shit all the time wondering when this pain was going to go away the pain and misery didn't go away until i tried LSD. after trying it i found out how beautiful the world really is and how life is so short and precious. but thats just how its helped me out but people live life find love and cherish the moments you still have left Peace.
COCAINE
I have a really really good job and when i first got it, it was like living in a different world to what i was use to, i was bringing in approx 1000 uk pounds, per week for around 4 hours work per day, id start at 9am and be home by 12 midday mon - thurs 16-18 hours per week only, I had more money then sense id used coke in the past but only when i was going out ie friday & saturday nights, one day i was happy but also bored so guess what? i phoned my local dealer and "got on the snout" as us scousers say, Scouser = a person from liverpool england, it went well so next night next night next night next night and so on for around 3 mths i was usings around 7 gram per day in u.k money thats 210 pounds as its the cheapest for drugs in my city, in london the same amount would cost 500 pounds upwards, so anyway i was ok getting up and going to work thats not what this is about cos i still have the same job! so i started seeing a few changes in my face i lost weight but that wasnt the bad thing because every one was saying you look good i use the sunbeds also so i didnt really look rough ever so to speak, then one night im sitting there minding my own buisness "off my cake" as we say and it felt as tho someone was watching me and id never had that off anything before so i felt uneasy next thing im thinkin all kinds, theirs people behind the couch, the curtains, upstairs and they were all monitoring my every move i shit my self but foolishly didnt relate it to coke as id been snorting for months daily, so i went to bed and lied there thinking people wer under my bed in the wardrobe the lot it was fucking horrible so i finally fell asleep then woke up and i was fine so i just laughed it off in fact it made me laugh while i was in work i was thinking "what the fuck am i on about" so i goes home then around 7pm i decided it was coke time gets 36 bags each weighing 0.5 gram special offer from my dealer haha goes in lines a fat one up an snorts it haaa i thorght 5 lines later the fuckin people wer back hiding behind the couch and that omg wtf so i knocked the coke on the head sold the rest of what id got in litrally 5 mins i phoned my friend and give him sale of the century he ran round and took it from me and about 8 long hours later i came back to reality and went to bed i wasnt addicted to it, otherwise i would of kept snorting wouldnt i ? but now if i have 2 lines i go back into that weird paranoid mood even tho i have snorted around 5 times in the last 6 years since the times i mentioned it still happens i had a line 3 weeks ago but before then it was 2 years ago and it still makes me weird so i think its blew something in my brain and i now associate being paranoid with cocaine so when i snort it i just become para anyone got any info or is that what will happen to me everytime i snort in the future even with 1-2 year gaps between sessions?
not good mate
the shit has gotten to ya, u know that when they give that shit to mice ,via a little despenser that has a leaver that the mouse pushes for more coke, the mice always keep pushing the leaver till they die......dont be like that little mouse.... effects of taking cocaine for a long time include "stimulant psychosis", a permanent disorder that closely resembles schizophrenia. when u sniff it, its sounding like its triggering these evernts i would seriously stop using 100% just on the fact that one time u very well might be stuck in that perinoid state for awile....then u will probably have a breakdown in those days to follow.... I REALLY WOULD NOT SUGGEST EVER TAKING LARGE DOES'S AGAIN, UNLESS YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THE PEOPLE HIDING UNDER YOUR BED WITH UR NEW ROOMAMTE AT A MENTAL HOSPITAL<<<<
I can see that the author,
I can see that the author, despite being intelligent and a good writer as well as having good information about cocaine, is wrong to call all people who do cocaine "abusers". Some are simply users.
You obviously have no clue
You obviously have no clue about what you are speaking. I would guess that:
1.) You do not purchase it yourself.
2.) You haven't done enough (purchased or for free) to reach the pentacle of what it does to you.
I did it for four years, and it ravaged my bank account, my love relationship, and my stability. I would pray to God every night to help me stop as I lay awake in bed remembering and hating myself for everything I had not accomplished or could even think of because I would rather be doing coke. GET REAL EARLY. YOU DO NOT NEED TO WASTE YOUR HEART, SOUL, AND LIFE. You may be a user now, however if you continue, it won't be long, I PROMISE. I'm going to say this as truthfully and meanly, yet politely, as possible - if that's what you need - YOU SOUND LIKE A NIAVE CHILD.
Simply users
Did you know that a lab rat, when given unlimited supply of cocaine in the lab dispenser will 'hit' it time and time again, only stopping long enough to let the bitterness of its taste to subside, until its death?
I would suggest to you, simple user, that you continue to simply use until it catches up to you. Then, perhaps you wouldn't be so smug and glib in your attitude. Why are you nosing around here anyway?
I know why I am. I'm in treatment for simply using too much for too long.
weak people
Ok, Listen. First off, everyone needs to stop telling their sob stories about how coke screwed up their lives. Really? Cocaine destroys some peoples lives? hmmmmm......I've never heard that before? No kidding some people get really messed up on stimulants. This is always been true. But listen carefully....for every single individual case, the inherent problem has always been with the user, not the drug. Every ADDICTED user has always had some latent, sometimes unrecognizable issues with themselves which can be the result of a number of possibilities, but we wont get into potential causes for why people have voids in their lives. That's irrelevant to this specific topic. Cocaine is simply an enabling tool which aids in filling these voids by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, flooding the synaptic void with the chemical and providing a person with with a conscience and subconsciousness reflection of what they may be missing. So for all the people confessing these typical overblown "this is how drugs ruined my life" stories. Realize that you are not only speaking of the affects of the drug, but much more specifically, your own personal weak nature.
Don't be tempted!
as fare as coc goes for me i hope u all listen an read this carfully an think about the next time u want to use it. Coc really screwed up my life no one knows what its cut with anymore. i was dealing a lot in high school,making great money, havin fun with friends at partys, i started hard core when i graduated. On Febuary 29, 2008 i was blown an peranoyide to the extreme. I just finished the sack that i had but still had another waiting for me when i got home. I was about a mile an half from home just got of the phone with gf befor i new it i blacked out OD'd my truck jit a light pole spunn around and i hit a tree uncontious i broke a a few ribs, both ankles, my heel in two places, my wrist, dislocated my shoulder and elbow broke a few fingures and serious head injurys. If u all new what driving under the influence can do to u, u would STOP! I was in a wheel chair an told i wouldn't be able to walk for atleast 8 mnths. an have a guard watching ur every move. i learned the hard way
BL0W
-this is just coming from my own experience: I've tried cocaine only a couple times..while smoking bud too and it actually was a really good feeling. I will say at times I felt like my heart was beating fast so I would smoke a ciggarette and that would help calm me down. The first time I ever blew a line I wanted another one almost 5 minutes later, because I felt a different feeling; but it wasn't that intesne..and i really wanted to feel it. After I blew the second line I was feeelin real good. I think cocaine will effect you depending on how much of an addicting personality you have, so I wouldn't reccomend it for everyone. It's fun once in awhile, but don't make it a habit because then you'll blow all your cash on blow. I've literally seen people buy a couple grams of coke and then blow it all then call and get a couple more. It's rediculous. & I've also seen families ripped apart from that shit. So all I'm sayin is think about what your doin before you do it. Aight I'm out.
I tried coke about two years
I tried coke about two years ago, and I think it is wonderful... I was on a combo of wet, weed and bars... I stayed high for 2 days and only ate once only b/c I still had enough since to nourish myself, even though I was not hungry..When I came down I don't remember feeling depressed or anything of the sort.. I believe only the weak become fiends. I have only did coke once after that episode and would like to do it again... .I see no problem usings drugs for recreation, life is mean't to be enjoyed...!!!
How can a sane human being
How can a sane human being ever try to justify drugs? how many times have you taken it by now?
coca-cola
hello everybody. let's see if i can lighten up the mood by saying i'm going to be using cocaine for the 2nd time tonight. i remember i did cocaine for the first time during my lunch break senior year in high school. we had off campus lunch and my friends and i would smoke some pot before we came back to class. of course one group of people and friends were into doing a little cocaine. so i was high for the rest of the day and by the time school ended i really felt like crap. the three feelings i remember experiencing were irritability (if anyone came up to talk to me i wanted to tell them to shut the fkkk up), fatigue (i really wanted to lie down and just go to sleep), and depression (i felt like an idiot for making a stupid choice). and of course, i kept thinking about the fact that i had done it and wanted to try it again and those thoughts and feelings were persistent for like atleast 2 weeks. they wouldn't fully go away for probably 6 weeks. on top of that, i still decided in my head that i would never go out to buy some on my own from anyone, but that if one day someone i did know had some and would let me do 1 line i would most likely agree to do it again! i dont know why it's that powerful, but it just is. and so now its been 2 years after i graduated and after all that time without thinking about it or doing it, i feel like ill give a try once more to experience it like i haven't done it before, but you see my plan is...the way my personality is set up...is to just try it again for my 2nd time and wait a while before i do it again for a 3rd time. and i mean a long while. atleast 1 month before i decide to even come back close to it. im not a drug abuser, just a recreational user of course, and my drug of choice (or should i say medicine) is psilocybin mushrooms. i love to hallucinate and experience transcendental reality. and to all the people who are "FOR" cocaine or "AGAINST" it...your opinion means nothing. if you think living life without ever trying cocaine is better than living life completely hooked, you're simply speaking from your own personal experiences, perception, and beliefs. but it doesn't make it true. i am telling my story from my own personal experience and that is what shapes my perception of reality and truth, but it can never make it true for anyone else. well, i'm off. thanks and goodnight.
Your reality versus scientific truths
All I can say is,"Wow!" You have obviously already experienced substantial brain damage. As a psychologist working in a prison I see daily the damage these drugs do to people. Did you know that a heart surgeon can tell whether someone has used Coke one time due to the damage done to the heart. These are not perceptions or beliefs. These are the cold hard facts. Hope I don't see you in prison!
cocaine
I have a relative who is an addict....drives intoxicated....on the drug ..oses conciosness shoots it..snorts it smokes it etc etc..in fact hes a slave to the drug..for thirty years hes been a constant worry and burden..when hes sober hes overbearing but helps other peole too.....a good heart but a troubled mind....hes also diagnosos of bipolar...which means in order to feel good he does coke..hes half insane and half joy riding..I care for him..hes truly tried to overcome his addictin only to find himself a lave to the drug doing the most ridiculous and self destructive things to himself.I could also go on about the stress has cuased family the stealing lying and conning.Its not comprehensible the insanity of it all.This drug[and those who sell it]have [as with alcohol]allowed misery into peoples lives while some of them get rich selling it.I belive all drugs have a use but human beings do not have the capacity it seems to use them wisely.Ive never done coke or any classified illegal drug I admit..Im sure they are pleasurable etc too and all that but its a gamble is it not?There are many roads we can choose to go down in life that are selfdestructive these drugs are one of those roads.
cocaine
I would like to say,I have recently done cocain,3 times in the last 2 months,I have since felt really depressed and i find myself thinking about the drug a lot.I cant stop wanting more and i find that i need something to keep my mind free from thinking about it.I know that in the future i will most likely do it again because I am trying my best to stop thinking about it,and i will spend my next wage on it.im trying ways to stop it but it is to hard.I urge anyone who thinks about doing this,"you will only have a nice buzz for a really short while but it aint worth going insane".
Not everyone who does
Not everyone who does cocaine is missing out on the real world and is going to wake up with their life spinning out of control. I'm sure your experience was terrible, and cocaine had a big part in it. I do agree that people who are addicts, tend to lose sight of what should be important in their lives and use the drug as an escape and a crutch. Cocaine can be a drug with serious repercusions if abused.....but then again what drug doesn't? Drug abuse is a symtom of the real problem, not the problem in itself. The terms abused and addicts do not tie directly into a drug, they tie directly into the person. How many people in the world have tried cocaine or any other drug and have never done it again, or do it in a social settings in moderation. My friends husband died because he drank anti-freeze, is it the anti-freeze's fault? Have you had a glass of wine with dinner before? Does that make you an alcoholic? Alcohol kills WAY more people each year than cocaine, and don't say it's because cocaine is illegal. I can go into any city in the US at anytime and find some, it's available to those who want it. I'd love to see people start looking for the REAL cause of addiction, what is missing in that persons life that they are willing to throw it all away for a drug. Cocaine has powerful addictive characteristics, and can be a great test of how true you are to your convictions. Addicts are liars, coke just exposes them. Find the problem and you'll help the person, it's not the drug.
I wouldn't classify addicts
I wouldn't classify addicts as liars. Lack of will power is not the same as dishonesty. Everyone has a different brain chemistry. Some people are more inclined to drug-seeking behaviors than others, simply because they are more affected by the drug, have more dopamine receptors in the right region of the brain, etc. Just as many aspects of an individual's dispostion are determined by physical phenomena in the brain (formation of synapses, etc.), lack of self-control may be pre-determined, also. With that being said, many individuals are able to use cocaine occasionally, however, one person's experience in using a recreational drug should never be applied to everyone.
Coke is good
I Think some of the comments I've read are interesting, I've been a user of cocaine for 10 years, I think the drug is fine and dandy.
Yes it causes a little tiredness and general dis-interest in everything
However, given that old age and death are immanent and the constant search for 'the answer' or 'happiness' prevail and torment the healthiest of people, but more often result in dissapointment and delusion, then perhaps we should speed up the inevitable.
maybe on day ull come back
maybe on day ull come back to reality and find out what u did to others and are missing.
MY answer to your comment
I can see that not only are you in denial but you are a person with low self esteem who does not realize that, yes perhaps you are right that old age and death are inevitable but that it is better to live in reality and not miss out on the real world! Then to live in a state of high or depression, nerves, paranoia, wrecked nerves and not even get a chance to snap before it's to late and when you wake up on the other side because you will!!! Then you will relize that the second time you wake up is the end of your trip. The resault of your life here will not be any good, try to figure out what I mean... that's if you can still cope with reality?I love someone who is an addict and I tried helping but he would not take my help... I still love this person but I now know that you only he can help himself and pray for him because I also learned that people who addicts don't love any one or themselves.
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