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Cocaine usually comes in a powder or rock form. Powder cocaine is generally sold in small baggies, and looks like a fine white powder. Crack looks like white or slightly yellowish rocks.

Cocaine, and cocaine use, is known by a variety of slang terms, i.e. crack, rocks, nose candy, snow, girl, tooting, doing bumps, getting skied, c., flake, coke, blow, free-base, base, Peruvian marching powder, doing lines, blowing lines, doing rails, etc. Cocaine is one of the most frequently abused drugs in the United States. Crack cocaine is a particularly dangerous and addictive form of this drug.

Cocaine is derived from an alkaloid found in the leaves of the coca plant, a plant indigenous to the Americas. Cocaine produces a euphoric high, followed by a depressing low once the drug has worn off. The intensity and duration of the euphoria produced when an individual ingests cocaine varies depending on the method of ingestion and the quantity of drug consumed, as well as the frequency of administration of the drug. The greater the amount of cocaine a person ingests and the faster the drug gets to the brain, the more intense the euphoria. Paradoxically, the greater the euphoria, the shorter the duration of time the high will last and the deeper the low.

Incas and other indigenous peoples in South America ingested cocaine in small amounts by chewing the leaves of the coca plant. Coca, which has a small amount of cocaine occurring in its leaves, produces only a mild increase in energy, but lasts a longer time.

In the 1800's cocaine was isolated from the leaves of the coca plant. From this point on, cocaine was available in a much more concentrated, potent form. It could now be snorted, inhaled into the nose in a powder form or injected in a solution form directly into the blood stream.

An easy way to understand the different forms of ingesting a drug and how that relates to intensity of effect and duration of effect, is to look at the path a drug will take to the brain. This goes for any drug, not just cocaine. In order for a drug to start to work it needs to get to the brain. The most direct path that it can take is the quickest and potentially the most addicting. Smoking crack, or freebase, cocaine is the most direct path to get cocaine into the brain. Cocaine vapor is inhaled into the lungs, goes to the heart, then to the brain. Injecting cocaine is the next quickest. Snorting cocaine, would come in third. Crack cocaine, or freebase, is then the quickest way to get the most amount of cocaine directly to the brain. It is consequently the most addictive method of use, and produces the worst lows after the drug has run out.

No matter how an individual consumes cocaine, the potential for abuse and for addiction is high. With prolonged cocaine use, the user is forced to spend greater and greater amounts of money on cocaine. What had perhaps been a casual party pastime has now become a mental obsession coupled with a compulsion to use despite the consequences. With cocaine addiction, there are little or no physical withdrawal symptoms once the drug has stopped being ingested. There are significant psychological factors present, such as the craving for more, deep depression, extreme exhaustion, hunger, despair, a sense of deep remorse, etc. When a cocaine user continues to go on a run, for several hours or days of continual cocaine use, they can experience what is known as cocaine psychosis. This is a complete psychological break from reality, where a person becomes completely unpredictable and possibly violent. Consistent cocaine users also develop a characteristic paranoia, a sense of mistrust of the environment around them, including loved ones and family members.

There is recovery available for addicts who abuse cocaine. The process can be long, but reaching out for help is the first step in any program of recovery. If you have any questions about you or a loved one, please reach out and call us any time at 800-706-9190

Heroin is an opiate drug with a long history of abuse. It has no medical uses. Its effects are similar to that of opiate pain medications, however, heroin is a street drug, and its strength can be many times that of any medication. Deaths resulting from accidental and intentional overdoses are very common among heroin users. Heroin causes physical dependence, and the withdrawal symptoms are extremely uncomfortable. Most heroin users need to enter a medical detox to be able to break the habit. Heroin can be injected, snorted or smoked. Signs of heroin use are extremely small pupils ("pin eyes"), difficulty staying awake, slurred speech, and excessive scratching.

Ecstasy (Also know as E, fantasy, doves, mitsubishis, dolphins, rolexes). XTC (Extacy) is a drug available in pills and capsules, in different colors and shapes, and often with a logo. The active substance in XTC is called MDMA and has a double effect. It is a stimulant with boosting effects and also has a hallucinogenic effect. The perception intensifies as well as the feeling of increased empathy toward others. Often the pills are sold as XTC, but instead of MDMA contain different and unpredictable substances or placebos.

Crystal Meth A very pure and smokeable form of methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant. The effects of crystal meth are similar to cocaine but are known to last longer. Crystal meth is prone to evoking erratic, violent behavior among its users. Long term use of crystal meth can result in coma and eventually death.

Marijuana A dried greenish-brown drug obtained from the leaves or flowers of the Cannabis sativa plant. Makes the user feel euphoric. Most users roll loose marijuana into a cigarette called a joint. The drug can also be smoked in a water pipe, called a bong. Marijuana is also called weed, grass, dope, hash, reefer, ganja, mary jane, or pot. It is an illicit drug.