News / Education
Cocaine Abuse Still A Problem Drug Addiction
Seven percent of high school seniors have tried cocaine
Other drug abuse statistics reported by the NIDA are:
- In 2007 there were 2.1 million cocaine users
- 610,000 of these were using crack.
- The highest rate of crack usage occurs in ages 18-25
- At the time of survey 1.7percent of young adults reported using cocaine within the last month.
- Men have a higher cocaine use than women.
Coca leaves, the source of cocaine, have been chewed and ingested for thousands of years, and the purified chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, has been an abused substance for more than 100 years. In the early 1900s, for example, purified cocaine was the main active ingredient in most of the tonics and elixirs that were developed to treat a wide variety of illnesses. It was even an ingredient in Coca Cola at one time.
Cocaine’s effects appear almost immediately after a single dose and disappear within a few minutes or within an hour. Taken in small amounts, cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert, especially to the sensations of sight, sound, and touch.
Users take cocaine in “binges,” during which the cocaine is used repeatedly and at increasingly higher doses. This can lead to increased irritability, restlessness, and paranoia — even a full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations. With increasing dosages or frequency of use, the risk of adverse effects to the mind and body increases.
Cocaine poses serious risks to those who abuse it. The powerful drug can cause cravings after one use and the abuser will quickly become dependent on the drug.
Cravings for crack cocaine are especially bad, and are the worst symptom of withdrawal. The cravings can persist for months or even years after stopping the drug. The fact of these cravings makes quitting cocaine almost impossible for some. An individual, after quitting and not feeling better for a while can get the idea that they will never recovery from their past use and decide it is easier just to continue. This is an obviously dangerous choice.
The Narconon drug rehab program has a unique proven method for handling these cravings. The program uses a sauna detoxification process which removes the drug metabolites from the body. These metabolites are the source of the cravings. Once they have been removed the addict no longer experiences the cravings.
