Introducing Fang...

This is my little sister Fang.
She used to be a beautiful little girl.
But an overdose of cocaine and look at her now...
Thinks she is a monkey, poor thing.

What parts of the brain are affected?

Generally drugs work in the brain because they have a similar size and shape as natural neurotransmitters.

Brains communicate through electrical impulses between neurons.

However, drugs causes the neurons to release large amounts of unnatural electrical impulses, causing overflow of neurotransmitters in the brain.

These drugs affect the limbic system of people's brains (practically the whole peach part of the brain on the left), which is responsible for survival, such as creating appetite for the things needed for survival. Some examples of needs for survival are food and company (friends).

That is probably why drug abusers have problem with other, because their limbic systems have been affected.

Source: http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_brain2.asp#someone_keeps_using_drugs

The drug that I researched about, Cocaine, had some postive and negative effects psychologically.

Some of the positive effects of Cocaine is that it increases alertness, elevates the mood, medium to high degree of happiness, decreases fatigue, increases concentration, and increases energy. The negative effects are increased irritability, insomnia, and restlessness. It seems as if Cocaine is a good drug if you look at the positive effects compared to the negative. However, an overdose of cocaine would cause pattern of mental disability, increased irritability, confused and disorganized behavior, hallucinations, and could become antisocial and aggresive.

Source: http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/cocaine/

Why do people abuse drugs?

There are many reasons why people abuse drugs and one of them is peer pressure. I have a website about past drug users and how they started drugs. There are two people who tell their story of how they started drugs and these former drug users confess that they started using drugs due to peer pressure, one of them couldn't refuse the offer of the drug from his friends because they were the only ones his got and didn't want to lose them. Another case where someone might start abusing drugs is when they just try drugs for fun or out of curiosity but get addicted to it. Others use it to feel pleasure, get high, and to get them out of misery. By abusing cocaine these depressed people become confident, more alert, and happy, that is why unhappy people abuse these drugs, to cheer themselves up.


Source: http://www.watchtower.org/e/20010708/article_02.htm

What is addiction?

Addiction is a craving for things such as drugs. When someone is addicted to something it means that the person is dependent on that thing to relieve stress, be happy, or maybe even to continue their lives. There are two types of addiction, psychological and physical addiction. Things such as computer games are psychological addictions, people who are addicted to games relieve stress and become happy when they play games. Drugs make people get addicted in both ways, physically and psychologically. Just like chocolates, drugs make people feel good psychologically and therefore people get addicted to it. Secondly, drugs contain an element that hooks people to it. One of the ways people get addicted to drugs is when they try drugs for the first time and they have this incredible high feeling. However, after this feeling's gone, drug users usually go way down in their mood scale until they crash. Therefore they use it again and again in order to feel high. However, to experience the same high feeling they must use more and more drugs because as their bodies get used to the drugs the body gains tolerence to the drugs.

Source: http://www.psychoactive.org.uk/cocaine/addiction.htm

Different Classes of Drugs

There are 7 different classes of drugs.

1) CNS Depressants
Indicators: Drowsiness, Droopy eyelids, Bloodshot eyes, Fumbling. Etc.

• Barbiturates
• Anti-anxiety tranquilizers (minor tranquilizers)
• Anti-psychotic tranquilizers (major tranquilizers)
• Alcohol
• Anti-depressants (mood elevators)

2) Inhalants

Indicators: Uncoordinated, Slurred speech, Disorientation, Confusion. Etc.

• Volatile solvents (explosive/unstable liquids)
• Paint
• Glues
• Aerosols
• Finger nail polish remover

3) PCP (Phencyclidines)

Indicators: Blank stare, Hallucinations, Incomplete verbal response, Repetitive speech. Etc.

• Phenylcyclohexyl piperidine (PCP)
• Ketalar(r)
• Sernyl(r)
• Sernylan(r)

4) Cannabis

Indicators: Odor of marijuana, Plant debris in the mouth, Body tremors. Etc.

• Marijuana
• sinsemilla
• hashish

5) CNS Stimulants

Indicators: Restlessness, Body tremors, Excited, Anxiety, Grinding teeth. Etc.

• Cocaine
• Amphetamines
• methamphetamine

6) Hallucinogens

Indicators: Dazed appearance, Body tremors, Synesthesia, Hallucinations. Etc.

• Mescaline
• psilocybin
• jimson weed
• MDA (methylenedioxyamphetamine)

7) Narcotic Analgesics

Indicators: Droopy eyelids, Dry mouth, Facial itching, Arm area itching. Etc.

• hydrocodone
• methadone
• Heroin
• morphine

Source: http://www.dreglobal.org/7drugs.htm

What drugs am I researching?

I am researching about Cocaine.

Above is a picture of me holding Cocaine.

Oh no! My face is going to get revealed!

If you find out who that is... please keep it a secret.

What are the street names of the drug?

Street Names of Cocaine

• Coke



• Flake



• Snow



• Dust



• C



• Toot



• Blow



• Gold dust



• Happy dust



• All-American drug



• Aspirin



• Aunt

Source: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetterms/ByType.asp?intTypeID=3

How is the drug taken?

Cocaine can be eaten/chewed, snorted, smoked, or injected.

Eaten/Chewed: Effects are attained after approximately after 1 hour and it is sustained for about another hour. When cocaine is chewed/eaten only 1 third of the dose is absorbed, therefore the effect of the drug used through this method has a lesser impact/high feeling than other methods.



Snorted: When cocaine is snorted, the effects begin after a few minutes and lasts between 15 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the dose and the tolerence of the user.



Smoked: When cocaine is smoked the effects come on intensely and immediately, however, the effects wear of as quickly as they've come.



Injected: When cocaine is injected the effects are immediate and very intense. Injecting is probably the best method to feel the highest in the quickest time because none of the dose is lost during the process and this method allows the drug to directly reach the bloodstream. However, the immediacy and intensity of smoking and injecting cocaine makes them more dangerous because of the high possibility of addiction and overdose.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine#Effects_and_health_issues

Is the drug physically addictive?

Yes, the drug is physically addictive. "Cocaine dependence is physical and psychological dependency on the regular use of cocaine." (Wikipedia) Stop taking cocaine after addiction would cause excessive sleep, loss of sex drive, and insomnia. These are physical symptoms that cocaine users get if they stop for a while after they are addicted.

Is the drug a stimulant or depressant?

Cocaine is a stimulant. When cocaine is consumed, it elevates the mood, mild to high degree of happiness, increases athletic performance, decreases fatigue, and increses energy. According to the effects of cocaine, cocaine 'pumps up' the user. Therefore, cocaine is a stimulant.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine#Effects_and_health_issues

A History of Cocaine/Classification

Cocaine originally comes from coca plants. In Indian cultures, Mama Cocas were considered a 'kind goddess'. She was believed to give special powers to humans. Before harvesting the coca plants, the man would sleep with a woman to ensure Mama Coca would be in a favorable mood. The leaves of the coca plants were chewed for medical, spiritual, and social reasons. In the past these leaves were believed to cure all illnesses and maladies known to men. These people were obviously not aware of the consequences of chewing cocaine. They provided numbness to hunger, helping people through the winter where there was not much to eat. This comes to show that due to its stimulating effects these coca leaves or cocaine were considered a sacred plant, similar to those who consider cocaine a gift from god because they are addicted to it and can't live without it. Also this shows that in the past cocaine was used for medical purposes as well.

Classification of Cocaine: Cocaine falls under the category of CNS Stimulants.

Source: http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/coc01.htm

Source: http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/coc03.htm

Does the drug have a medical use? If so what is it?

In the past cocaine was used in quite a of medical cases such as tonics, toothache, hay fever, and depression cures, patent medicines, and chocolate cocaine tablets in the US. However, this cocaine use for medication purposes had been tempered by experience and now the medical use of cocaine has been largely restricted to only anesthesia: numbness to hunger, in Europe.

Source: http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/coc03.htm