Question:
Can anyone help? I'm looking for the crack to Mill8 level3 and the solids
module.
Answer:
I hear your cry for help. Kevin, you really need to think about what
you are doing to yourself and those around you. Read this and seek
professional help.
Cocaine and Crack Cocaine - Frequently Asked Questions
Q) What is Cocaine?
A) Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the coca bush, which grows in
South America. Cocaine has been used for centuries by Indians to combat
the effects of hunger, hard work, and thin air, in the mid 1800s its
effects were praised by Freud, among others. Until 1906, this substance
was a chief ingredient of Coca-Cola and was also used as a anesthetic.
Widespread use and addiction led to government efforts against cocaine
in the early 1900s. The danger associated with cocaine was ignored in
the 1970s and early 1980s, and cocaine was proclaimed by many to be
safe. With the accumulating medical evidence of cocaine's deleterious
effects and the introduction and widespread use of "crack" cocaine, the
public and government have become alarmed again about its growing use.
To many Americans, especially health care and social workers who deal
with crack users and have witnessed the personal and societal
devastation it produces, cocaine addiction is, by far, the most serious
drug problem in the United States.
Q) How is cocaine used?
A) There are four primary methods of ingesting cocaine. These are:
1. "Snorting" - absorbing cocaine through the mucous membranes of the
nose.
2) Injecting - users mix cocaine powder with water and use a syringe to
inject the solution intravenously.
3) Freebasing - Cocaine hydrochloride is converted to a "freebase" which
can then be smoked.
4) Crack Cocaine - Cocaine hydrochloride is mixed with ammonia or sodium
bicarbonate (baking soda) and other ingredients, causing it to solidify
into pellets or "rocks". The crack is then smoked in glass pipes.
Q) How widespread is cocaine or crack addiction?
A) In 1997, there were approximately 1.5 million regular users of crack
cocaine or powdered cocaine.
Q) Why would anyone become addicted to cocaine?
A) The effects of cocaine are immediate, extremely pleasurable, and
brief. Cocaine and crack cocaine both produce intense but short-lived
euphoria and can make users feel more energetic. Like caffeine,cocaine
produces wakefulness and reduces hunger. Psychological effects include
feelings of well-being and a grandiose sense of power and ability mixed
with anxiety and restlessness. As the drug wears off, these temporary
sensations of mastery are replaced by an intense depression, and the
drug abuser will then "crash", becoming lethargic and typically sleeping
for several days.
Q) What are the physical effects of crack cocaine addiction?
Changes in blood pressure, heart rates, and breathing rates; Nausea;
Vomiting; Anxiety; Convulsions; Insomnia; Loss of appetite leading to
malnutrition and weight loss; Cold sweats; Swelling and bleeding of
mucous membranes; Restlessness and anxiety; Damage to nasal cavities;
Damage to lungs; Possible heart attacks, strokes, or convulsions
Q) What are the health effects of crack cocaine addiction?
A) Even though the public is often regaled with highly publicized
accounts of deaths from cocaine, many still mistakenly believe the drug,
especially when sniffed, to be nonaddictive and not as harmful as other
illicit drugs. Cocaine's immediate physical effects include raised
breathing rate, raised blood pressure and body temperature, and dilated
pupils.
By causing the coronary arteries to constrict, blood pressure rises and
the blood supply to the heart diminishes. This can cause heart attacks
or convulsions within an hour after use. Chronic users and those with
hypertension, epilepsy, and cardiovascular disease are at particular
risk. Studies show that even those with no previous heart problems risk
cardiac complications from cocaine.
Increased use may sensitize the brain to the drug's effects so that less
of the substance is needed to induce a seizure. Those who inject the
drug are at high risk for AIDS and hepatitis when they share needles.
Allergic reactions to cocaine or other substances mixed in with the drug
may also occur.
In the 1970s cocaine was expensive and considered a "status" drug. The
introduction of inexpensive crack increased the accessibility of this
substance, and crack has become the drug of choice for many drug users,
especially inner-city disadvantaged youth. Crack's convenience, ease of
concealment, wide availability, and low cost have increased its use. The
fact that it is smoked rather than snorted or injected (ingestion
methods associated with the stigma of being a "junkie") has contributed
to its popularity.
Crack is particularly dangerous for several reasons.
Crack is inhaled and rapidly absorbed through the lungs, into the blood,
and carried swiftly to the brain. The chances of overdosing and
poisoning leading to coma, convulsions, and death are greatly increased
over other types of cocaine..
Crack's rapid rushù5 to 7 minutes of intense pleasureù quickly subsides,
leading to depression that needs to be relieved by more crack. This
cycle enhances the chances of addiction and dependency. Because of the
brief high, users are constantly thinking about and devising ways to get
more crack. Psychologically, the drug reduces concentration, ambition,
and drive, and increases confusion and irritability, wreaking havoc on
users' professional and personal lives.
Habitual use may lead to cocaine psychosis, causing paranoia,
hallucinations, and a condition known as formication, in which insects
or snakes are perceived to be crawling under the skin. The paranoia and
depression can instigate violent and suicidal behavior.
The side effects of adulterants increase cocaine's risks. The drug is
often cut with one or more of any number of other substances, such as
the cheaper drugs procaine, lidocaine, and benzocaine, and substances
that pose no serious risks, such as sugars (mannitol and sucrose), or
starches. However, when quinine or amphetamines are added, the potential
for serious side effects increases dramatically.
Q) What is the difference between crack and cocaine?
A) Crack is made from cocaine in a process called freebasing, in which
cocaine powder is cooked with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking
soda) to create rocks, chips, or chunks that can be smoked. The term
crack refers to the crackling sound that is heard when the mixture is
smoked. Crack is usually smoked in a pipe. Because it's smoked, crack
cocaine effects are felt more quickly and they are more intense than
those of powder cocaine. However, the effects of smoked crack are
shorter lived than the effects of snorted powder cocaine.
Q. Is cocaine addiction serious?
A) Cocaine addiction can occur very quickly and be very difficult to
break. Animal studies have shown that animals will work very hard (press
a bar over 10,000 times) for a single injection of cocaine, choose
cocaine over food and water, and take cocaine even when this behavior is
punished. Animals must have their access to cocaine limited in order not
to take toxic or even lethal doses. People addicted to cocaine behave
similarly. They will go to great lengths to get cocaine and continue to
take it even when it hurts their school or job performance and their
relationships with loved ones.
Q) Are there any other problems that can occur from crack or cocaine
addiction?
A) Crack and other forms of cocaine can cause feelings of anxiety and
depression, which may last for weeks. Attempts to stop using the drugs
can fail simply because the resulting depression can be overwhelming,
causing the addict to use more cocaine in an attempt to overcome his
depression.
