Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. Once having tried cocaine, an individual may have difficulty predicting or controlling the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug. Cocaine's stimulant and addictive effects are thought to be primarily a result of its ability to inhibit the reabsorption of dopamine by nerve cells. Dopamine is released as part of the brain's reward system, and is either directly or indirectly involved in the addictive properties of every major drug of abuse.
An appreciable tolerance to cocaine's high may develop, with many addicts reporting that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first experience. Some users will frequently increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users can also become more sensitive (sensitization) to cocaine's anesthetic and convulsant effects, without incre?g the dose taken. This increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after apparently low doses of cocaine.
Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. This may result in a full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.
| Drugs of Abuse | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | Cocaine/Crack | Ecstasy |
| Heroin | Inhalants | Ketamine |
| Meth | Marijuana | Nicotine |
| Ritalin | Steroids | More Resources |
| • Warning Signs of Teenage Drug Abuse | ||
| • Big Changes From Elementary School to Middle School | ||
| • Pressured Tweens & Teens Turn to Alcohol & Drugs | ||
| • Help for the Innocent | ||
| • Americans in Denial About Drug Abuse | ||
| • Sex Under the Influence of Alcohol and Other Drugs | ||
| • Youth Risk Behaviors | ||
| • Impaired Driving and Teenagers | ||
Source: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
