Hard Drug Addiction (Part 1)

By DAVID MOG

(May 2010)

What really is addiction?

According to Encarta Dictionaries, an addiction is simply a devotion; a specialized great interest in a particular thing to which a lot of time is devoted. A good example is internet addiction to which most youth are devoting most of their useful time to these days. An addiction can be with any object of personal interest, some of which are:

•  Alcohol

•  Pornographic materials

•  Gluttony – Eating too much food

•  Fasting or Under-eating

•  Anger

•  Smoking

•  Alcoholic drinks/materials

•  Media – Watching Television, Music etc.

•  Sports e.g. football

•  Anger

•  Anxiety

•  Gambling

•  Drugs

•  Work

•  Shopping

•  Fashionable materials

•  Etc. etc.

Our main concern will be based on hard drug addiction. In terms of hard drug addiction, this is referred to as hard drug dependence; a situation whereby one solely depend on hard drug for everyday life’s activity. This is also known as a state of physiological or psychological dependence on a potentially harmful drug.

When we are talking of hard drug addiction, we should take note of different types of drugs existing and their primary origin, functions, contents, constructive effect on the user when used in the normal dosage. Is there any positive effect of these hard drugs on us? What really leads to addiction? Why do people prefer to go over the bound in the usage of these drugs? Or, what prompt them to go over-the-bar? Is there anything like “legal drugs”? What conditions changes “legal drugs” to illegal. These posers are what we need to investigate concerning drug addiction habits of users.

The known hard drugs which their excessive use can lead to addiction are:

Cocaine – This is an alkaloid extracted from coca leaves. If you desire a personally-induced pleasure, then cocaine is the drug. On the other hand, it is applied as a surface anesthetic (i.e. taken orally as a drug producing a numbing, deadening, dulling, painkilling or sedative effect on the user), in contrast to some other drug which are injected into the body. The use of cocaine can produce a powerfully addictive effect on the user.

This drug is primarily derived from South America. Cocaine allows the mountainous farmers of South America to have persistence and resilient energy and strength that lasts longer than usual. The chewing of the coca leaves gave them enduring physical and mental energy and strength that allows them to work on their farm or carry their farm produce to their market on bare foot passing through the steep mountainous countryside.

However, the similar effect which the addicted user of cocaine want to gain is beyond his reach because the coca is no longer in raw form but refined form; the dosage is not as minimized as that of the local South American farmer and also the farmer is using the chewed coca to do hard menial work on his farm or trekking long distance over mountainous region to the market while the civilized/corporate drug addict is using it on his sedentary lifestyle without allowing normal regulated absorption to take place and dissipating the energy obtained through any hard work.

As at today throughout the world, cocaine stands out as one of the most favoured or abused substances. In its whitish powdery form, cocaine is often mistaken or disguised as sugar or baking soda and this is one of the practical reasons why it is readily available in the streets and referred to as

•  Coke

•  C

•  Flake

•  Blow

•  Toot and

•  Snow.

This makes it easier for cocaine pusher to disguise it as common kitchen ingredients thereby leading to more profit for them.

In the field of surgery, cocaine is used as local anaesthesia however the extended use of this hard drug poses a lot of side-effect.

 

Why Do People Use Cocaine?

•    People who try cocaine often get hooked to the short-term cocaine effects, namely feeling as though they have increased energy. The quick high keeps users feeling energetic and able to endure longer in physical activities.

•      New cocaine users often try cocaine to increase productivity at work and in other areas of their lives so that they can work longer and harder. While these results may seem promising in the beginning, increased tolerance and dangerous life choices often follow repeated cocaine use.

•    One cocaine effect, appetite suppression, is very popular for people looking to lose weight or maintain a low weight. Fashion models have been known to use cocaine in order to stay thin. Cocaine users often go days without eating and if this behavior is continued it can lead to addiction.

Increased heart rate, blood pressure, constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature are all short-term physiological cocaine effects. When taken in large quantities, cocaine will intensify the user's high and may cause violent and erratic behavior on the part of the user.

The side-effects of cocaine are extremely detrimental to the human body system and the consequences related to the side-effect of cocaine usually eventually lead to permanent damage, addiction and death. Individual reaction to this drug addiction differs, both in the drug addiction’s short-term side-effects and long-term side-effects.

Even if a person has only used cocaine once, he/she can experience short-term cocaine effects. Short-term cocaine effects are noticeable immediately and although they are not always damaging, but in some cases they have caused serious bodily damage and death.

Long-term cocaine effects appear after increased periods of use and are dependent upon:

•  the duration of time, and

•  amount of cocaine that has been consumed.

Deaths related to cocaine effects are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures and respiratory failure. Some of the short-term cocaine effects first time users experience includes increased energy, decreased appetite, and increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Short-term cocaine effects include:

Ø    Increased blood pressure

Ø    Constricted blood vessels

Ø    Dilated pupils

Ø    Mental alertness

Ø    Increased energy

Ø    Increased heart rate

Ø    Decreased appetite

Ø    Increased temperature

Side-Effects of Excessive Use of Cocaine

The side-effects of using cocaine sometimes require medical attention and sometimes need not be reported to health care professionals. Loss of taste or sense of smell, even sneezing, sniffling, or stuffy nose (when cocaine is used in the nose) are just minimal side effects of cocaine use that does not need medical or physician’s advise.

As the drug addict’s habit of using cocaine becomes increasingly important, negative attitude such as lying, cheating, stealing, absenteeism at work and denying the use of cocaine, is an evident side effect. While these behaviors are not directly related to the addiction of cocaine, these cocaine effects are often present due to the lifestyle of the addict.

The usual intake of cocaine is through sniffing. Since nasal passages are the main pathway of cocaine into the body, the septum is highly to suffer from it. The destruction of the nose’s cartilage of the addict is at risk. Nasal pain is the common term for this side-effect. Other more possible side-effects are

Ø       nose bleed,

Ø       nasal congestion and

Ø      runny nose which are relatively minor and can be easily treated.

Ø   Seizures or convulsion are often results of cocaine overdose. Accidental overdose is usually the outcome of the misuse of prescription medicines.

Ø   False or distorted sensory experiences that appear to be real perceptions are called hallucination. These impressions are generated by the brain rather than by any external stimuli. Confusion and hallucination (especially, auditory hallucination) are common side-effects of cocaine addiction.

 

Other Cocaine side effects are:

•  agitation, excitability, irritability, nervousness, or restlessness

•  difficulty passing urine or urinary incontinence

•  dilated (enlarged) pupils

•  dizziness, light-headedness, or fainting spells

•  fast or irregular heartbeat

•  headache

•  increased sweating

•  mood swings or other mental changes

•  nausea, vomiting

•  nervous tics or rapid speech

•  numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or arms

•  stomach pain

•  tremor

•  troubled breathing (hyperventilation)

•  unusual muscle weakness

Cocaine Withdrawal Side Effects:

Chronic pain in the chest of the drug addict and coughing sometimes accompanied by severe chest pains are common reports of withdrawal patients.

Phlegm coughed out is black in color and does not have blood in it unless the patient has other respiratory problems. This coughing can be treated by over-the-counter (OTC) cough syrups or large dose of water intake and other juices.

Violent cases of withdrawal associate muscle spasm. Minor spasms are minor indication of worsening problem in cocaine addicts since people who develop them tend to suffer more physically violent symptoms of drug withdrawal.

Panic attacks are not uncommon to recovering users and addicts.

Insomnia (i.e. sleeplessness/restlessness) is also recognized as side-effect to those forcibly withdrawn from cocaine addiction though it is different in terms of effect than the regular insomnia.

Heroine – This drug was given its name "Heroin" in 1895 by the German drug company Bayer. The name was arrived at as a result of the drug’s perceived "heroic" effects on the user from the German word "heroisch" (heroic).

Heroin is synthesized from morphine (morphine is a derivative of the opium poppy). Other names for Heroin are recognised scientifically are diacetylmorphine (INN – International Nonproprietary Name) and diamorphine (BAN – British Approved Name) however, the street names/slang terms being used for referring to Heroin are:

i.      Big H

ii.   Blacktar

iii.   Brown sugar

iv.    Dope

v.      Horse

vi.    Junk

vii.   Mud

viii. Skag

ix.     Smack

The purity of this hard drug is manifested in its physical appearance which can be from white to dark brown powder or tar-like substance.

The application of Heroin depends on the user’s choice and the chemical purity of the drug. Heroin can be used by:

•  injecting it into a vein (this method is called "mainlining"), 
•  injecting it into a muscle,
•  smoking it in a water pipe or standard pipe,
•  mixing it in a marijuana joint or regular cigarette,
•  inhaling it as smoke via a straw (this is otherwise known as "chasing the dragon"),
•  snorting it as powder through the nose.

Heroin has both short-term and long-term side-effects which are as follow:

Short-term side-effects of abuse of Heroin

The short-term side effects of Heroin abuse will appear immediately after a single dose and disappears within a few hours. Following an injection of Heroin, the user experiences a strong feeling of well-being, cheerfulness, and optimism, esp. one based on overconfidence or over-optimism. This inducing euphoric mood marks the symptomatic of a mental illness, which will be accompanied with

•  a warm flushing of the skin,
•  a dry mouth, and
•  heavy extremities.

Then, the user experiences an alternately wakeful and drowsy state, which is usually referred to as "the user is on the nod". His mental awareness becomes clouded as a result of depression going on in his central nervous system. Some other side-effects are, but not limited to:

•  impaired night vision,
•  droopy eyelids,
•  slow gait,
•  slowed and slurred speech,
•  constricted pupils,
•  constipation,
• vomiting

Long-term side-effects of abuse of Heroin

Just as the user experiences short-term side effects on the abuse of Heroin, the long-term side-effects also exist simultaneously. These long-term side-effects of this hard drug only become apparent over the continuous non-stop use of the drug over a period of time. Heroin abusers usually show the symptoms of:

•     collapsed veins,

•     infection of the heart lining and valves,

•   abscesses,

•     cellulites, and

•     liver disease.

Further complications are pulmonary complications which include various types of pneumonia, resulting from the poor health condition of the abuser, as well as from heroin's depressing effects on respiration. (Pulmonary arteries are the artery conveying oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs while pulmonary veins are the vein carrying oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart.)

Apart from the Heroin addiction effects, the street heroin normally contain additives that may not readily get dissolve in the blood and thus lead to clogging of the blood vessels which eventually leads to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain damage. The damage caused by the side-effects of these non-dissolving street Heroin additives results in infection or death of small patches of cells in these vital body organs. Continuous regular use of heroin result in body tolerance; in which case the abuser must increase his illegal dosage in order to achieve the same intensity or effect.

With time over time, the hard drug abuser continues to aggravate in his abusive game of the hard drug. As a result of these increase in illegal dosage, physical dependence and total addiction on the hard drug develops. With this physical dependence on Heroin, the body system of the abuser is fully adapted to the presence of the hard drug and any plan to reduce or stop the dosage will be automatically followed by its withdrawal symptoms.

The withdrawal of the drug is followed by the following withdrawal symptoms (just a few hours following the heroin addict last administer the drug into his body system):

•  drug craving,

•  restlessness,

•  muscle and bone pain,

•  insomnia,

•  diarrhea and vomiting,

•  cold flashes with goose bumps ("cold turkey"),

•  kicking movements ("kicking the habit"), and

•  some other symptoms etc.

The addict’s withdrawal symptoms experience continued to raise to a peak between 48 and 72 hours after the last dose during which major withdrawal symptoms occurs. These major withdrawal symptoms then gradually fade away after about a week. However, a heavy addict, who is not in good state of health, will experience some fatality if his withdrawal from the hard drug is done unexpectedly without warning or forethought.

For more information on the type of healthy moves you can take that will help you in becoming addict-free, visit Perfect Health for All

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Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Encarta Dictionaries Spencer Recovery Centers The Partnership for a Drug-Free America

Wikipedia Disabled World