Cocaine Presentation - Essay Example

"Cocaine Presentation" is a great example of a paper on addiction. The street name for the drug is Crack referring to the cracking noise made when the drug is heated. Cocaine is a stimulant drug abused in many parts of the globe. The powerful stimulant is highly addictive. The drug administered through snorting, injecting into the blood system, or smoking its vapor. Abuse of cocaine leads to drug addiction and other health complications. Sharing of needles used to administer the drug exposes the users to diseases like AIDS and Hepatitis. Cocaine causes an increase in energy by the user, reduces fatigue, and increases mental alertness (Sommers 47).

Cocaine affects the brain through increasing levels of dopamine. This chemical influences pleasure and movement in the human brain. A person abusing the drug suffers from constricted vessels, increased body temperature, elevated blood pressure, and dilated pupils. A person abusing the drug can be identified through needle marks on the arms and legs, dilated pupils, and hyperactive activity. Identifying a user in the early stages is crucial for rehabilitation.

Behavioral intervention and the use of drugs are some of the methods used to rehabilitate cocaine users. The treatment is tailored to suit each patient to ensure that relapses are avoided. The patient needs to abandon the drug use independently to ensure that relapses do not occur. A change of environment, a change of lifestyle, and behavioral change are emphasized during therapy. Cocaine use is a problem affecting many developed countries. Increased surveillance and laws against drugs in the US have caused a decline in users of cocaine over the years. Increased education about the effects of the drug has also contributed to the sharp decline in the abuse of illegal drugs (Sommers 107).

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