Derived from the coca plant, cocaine is a crystalline white powder that acts as a central nervous system stimulant. The drug works by interfering with the body’s reabsorption of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that controls pleasure, alertness, and movement.

Why Abuse Cocaine?

Cocaine is used for its exhilarating and intense high. The drug also has anesthetic properties that can be felt without a sense of intoxication. Students who abuse the drug do so for its high and the increased energy and confidence they feel when taking the drug. Cocaine can be snorted or injected, or crack cocaine—cocaine mixed with baking soda—can be smoked. The fumes from crack cocaine are said to reach the brain in as quickly as ten seconds.

The Dangers of Abuse

The problem with cocaine is that it depletes all of the body’s feel-good chemicals after the user’s high is over. Thus, those who abuse cocaine can suffer from depression and other symptoms, often called a cocaine crash. Users also often mix cocaine with other substances like marijuana, heroin, and alcohol. Alcohol, a depressant, can cause serious interference with cocaine, a stimulant.

Users can also never be certain about the purity of the cocaine they use. The drug is often processed with dangerous and volatile solvents like benzene, gasoline, and kerosene. It can be cut with or even combined with talcum powder to reduce its purity, and mixed with other substances like amphetamines and anesthetics as well.

The drug’s high lasts only about five to 30 minutes, depending on which form of cocaine the abuser chooses to use, crack or powder. Side effects of the drug include nausea, increased blood pressure, headaches, and insomnia. Cocaine can also cause seizures and erratic heart beat. The heart may even stop beating while a user is on cocaine. It doesn’t matter if it is the first time a student has used cocaine or the fiftieth, at any point users could die from abusing the drug.

Cocaine can also cause permanent and severe liver, heart, and lung damage. Besides the almost certainty of addiction, the drug can also compromise the user’s immune system. It’s important for students to be aware of the dangers of using the drug before they consider taking cocaine.