Cocaine Addiction & Recovery Support Group

eek i wish i knew x

well doesnt people wonder? its like a whole nother world, it takes away your humanity and pretty much makes you a robot HOW WHY ..

Maybe this will help explain:

How cocaine makes you feel depends on:

-how much you use
-how often and how long you use
-how you use it (by injection, orally, etc.)
-your mood, expectation and environment
-your age
-whether you have certain medical or psychiatric conditions
-whether you've taken any alcohol or other drugs (illicit, prescription, over-the-counter or herbal).

Cocaine makes people feel energetic, talkative, alert and euphoric. They feel more aware of their senses: sound, touch, sight and sexuality seem heightened. Hunger and the need for sleep are reduced. Although cocaine is a stimulant, some people find it calming, and feel increased self-control, confidence and ease with others. Other people may feel nervous and agitated, and can't relax.

Taking high doses of cocaine for a long time can lead to:

-panic attacks
-psychotic symptoms, such as paranoia(feeling overly suspicious, jealous, or persecuted), hallucinations (seeing, hearing, smelling, etc., things that aren't real) and delusions (false beliefs)
erratic, bizarre and sometimes violent behaviour.

With regular use, people may become tolerant to the euphoric effects of cocaine. This means they need to take more and more of the drug to get the same desired effect. At the same time, people who use the drug regularly may also become more sensitive to its negative effects, such as anxiety, psychosis hallucinations, loss of contact with reality) and seizures."

Taken from http://www.camh.net/About_Addictio...

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What we don't understand can usuall be explained by science !!

ya i know all that, but its not like other drugs, what is in it what gets altered in your brain??

Is this what you are looking for?

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant, creating what has been described as a euphoric sense of happiness and increased energy. Though most often used recreationally for this effect, cocaine is also a topical anesthetic used in eye, throat, and nose surgery. Cocaine can be psychologically addictive, and its possession, cultivation, and distribution is illegal for non-medicinal and non-government sanctioned purposes in virtually all parts of the world.

The stimulating qualities of the coca leaf were known to the ancient peoples of Peru and other Pre-Columbian South American societies. In modern Western countries, cocaine has been a feature of the counterculture for well-over a century

Cocaine is a potent central nervous system stimulant. Its effects can last from 20 minutes to several hours, depending upon the dosage of cocaine taken, purity, and method of administration. The initial signs of stimulation are hyperactivity, restlessness, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate and euphoria. The euphoria is sometimes followed by feelings of discomfort and depression and a craving to experience the drug again. Sexual interest and pleasure can be amplified. Side effects can include twitching, paranoia, and impotence, which usually increases with frequent usage. With chronic cocaine intake, brain cells functionally adapt (respond) to strong imbalances of transmitter levels in order to compensate extremes. So receptors disappear from or reappear on the cell surface, mechanisms called down-upregulation. Chronic cocaine use leads to a upregulation, further contributing to depressed mood states. All these effects contribute to the rise in an abuser's tolerance thus requiring a larger dosage to achieve the same effect. The lack of normal amounts of serotonin and dopamine in the brain is the cause of the dysphoria and depression felt after the initial high. Cocaine abuse also has multiple physical health consequences. It is associated with a lifetime risk of heart attack that is seven times that of non-users. During the hour after cocaine is used, heart attack risk rises 24-fold.

All drugs are unique in their function and purpose...nothing compares to cocaine just like nothing compares to heroin or morphine or Vikaddin.

Oops. I forgot to cite where my information above came from.

http://www.3dchem.com/molecules.as...#

Dear ~paigeyxo~
Perhaps this series of cartoons express it best!

LATE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hv...

PARANOID http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roO...

NARC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xpx...

MAZE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN4...

PREGNANT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDW...

Recognize anybody?