Cocaine is a highly addictive and abused drug. It is ingested by snorting, smoking or injecting it directly into the bloodstream. Once the cocaine reaches the brain, dopamine is released and creates a pleasurable feeling. Through years of treatment and research, several characteristics have been identified in addicts and those who are at a greater risk of becoming addicts.
Gender
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, women in drug abuse treatment programs relapse less frequently than men. Researchers theorize that this is because women participate more frequently in group counseling and engage themselves in a more intensive level of treatment to help remain drug-free. Another possibility is that women tend to gain more social support from a variety of sources, such as families, friends and co-workers, and are also more likely to engage in treatment programs.
Stress
Experience with other addictive chemicals has led researchers to recognize the link between stress and the development of addiction. Leiden University Medical Center behavioral pharmacologist Inge de Jong examined how sensitization to the drug is affected by adrenaline and corticosterone. Normally, these hormones prepare the body for a flight-or-fight response, which serves a very functional purpose when the individual is trying to escape from a threatening situation. However, in some individuals, it may have the effect of encouraging addiction. In her research, de Jong injected cocaine into mice both before and after the adrenal gland was removed, halting the production of those hormones. She found that removal of the stress hormones reduced the effect of sensitization of cocaine. Unfortunately, while these results are highly promising, it is difficult to transfer the information to humans, and it is unethical to conduct the same types of experiments on people. However, these results have also been found by physicians in treatment centers. Doctors have been able to identify individuals under a great deal of stress as those who turn to drugs or alcohol as a solution to their problems. According to Arrowhead Drug Rehabilitation Program, drugs appear to solve the problems and reduce the stress, but in reality become a solution that kills the pain but increases the problem.
Mental
Cocaine also causes delusions and hallucinations in the abuser. In a study published in the "Journal of Psychology" in May 1991, researchers from Rusk State Hospital in Texas compared the delusions and hallucinations of individuals who abused cocaine and those who were paranoid schizophrenics. Researchers found that cocaine abusers had a greater frequency of visual hallucinations distinguished by shadows or flashing lights, while paranoid schizophrenics had delusions linked with possessions, grandiosity and the delusion that their families were impostors. Both had command hallucinations, but commands in the schizophrenic group were more often related to harming or killing others.
Physical
Drug dependency often has physical consequences. According to Drugs.com, once an individual has gone several hours or a couple of days without cocaine, he may begin to get sick to his stomach, have seizures, have increased shaking hands, exhibit sweating or a fast heartbeat, and will begin seeing, hearing or feeling things that are not present.
In addition, since the most common method of ingesting cocaine is snorting, this increases the risk of damage to the nasal septum and causes a consistent runny nose in the individual.
References
- National Insitute on Drug Abuse: Men and Women in Drug Abuse Treatment Relapse at Different Rates and for Different Reasons
- Science Daily: Stress Increases Cocaine Addiction
- Arrowhead Drug Rehabilitation Program: The Cycle of Addiction
- "Journal of Psychology"; Delusions and Hallucinations of Cocaine Abusers and Paranoid Schizophrenics: A Comparative Study; Mitchell Vierkant; May 1991
- Drugs.com: Cocaine Abuse
