Cocaine is a stimulant that speeds up the processes of the body and mind. When injected in the form of crack or freebase, cocaine reaches the brain very quickly and makes for an intense and powerful high.
When snorted up the nose, powder cocaine still offers an intense high but is slightly less addictive although often more expensive as it is meant to be a purer form of the drug.
When injected all types of cocaine will reach the brain rapidly and are highly addictive.
Cocaine makes you feel energised, clever, funny, confident and wide awake.
Like amphetamines coke can stave off feelings of hunger and raise the heartbeat so that you sweat and feel excited. The high from cocaine does not last as long as speed.
The effects of crack smoking are immediate but do not last very long – about 10 minutes. Snorted coke lasts a little longer.
Cocaine addiction
Because the effects of cocaine are so immediate and make you feel so good so quickly the drug is highly addictive. Cocaine can cause changes in the brain that make you crave it and have a hard time giving it up.Withdrawal will include depression and worthlessness and symptoms similar but more intense than giving up speed.
Cocaine laws
Cocaine and its derivatives such as crack are a Class A drug making it illegal to possess, give away or sell. Doing any of these will land you in jail with a minimum 7 year jail sentence.
How Cocaine is used
Cocaine is most commonly snorted in lines through a straw or rolled up piece of paper, it can also be injected.
Crack is usually inhaled through a crack pipe. It can also be prepared in a liquid for injecting.
Contamination risk
Cocaine like speed can be cut with all sorts of products in order to increase its bulk. Common substances are talcum powder, sugar and flour. Crack cocaine depends on the purity of the original cocaine.
Side Effects / Health Risks of Cocaine
There is a risk of overdose with both cocaine and crack
The high of cocaine is very intense and quite short lived leaving the taker craving more and more
Depression, feeling flu like or run down
Anxiety and paranoia
Cocaine is extremely risky for the heart, even a healthy heart
The loss of sexual desire or sexual performance
On cocaine you can be come overly confident and put yourself at risk with a feeling of bravado
Mixing the D’s what to avoid
Mixing cocaine with any other drug including alcohol can be potentially lethal. All side effects increase as the substances mix to form toxic chemicals that put the body at risk of overdose, heart problems and psychosis.
Cocaine overdose
It is very possible to overdose on cocaine especially when it is mixed with other substances. Particularly dangerous is speedballing, when cocaine is mixed with heroin.
Cocaine withdrawal
Cocaine is very addictive and can be very difficult to give up. The symptoms of withdrawal will be psychological rather than physical with the user feeling low and depressed and craving more of the drug to feel ‘normal’ again.
Cocaine drug test
There isn’t an individual drug test available, but you can test for a number of drugs at once.
Cocaine is a stimulant that speeds up the processes of the body and mind. When injected in the form of crack or freebase, cocaine reaches the brain very quickly and makes for an intense and powerful high.
