10 Facts About Cocaine

Cocaine—the cliché of the rich man’s drug and glamorous parties.

While this drug has often been a symbol of wealth and power, the euphoria experienced by its consumer quickly turns into a grim and deadly picture.

So what is cocaine? Is it only a “party drug” that one will never be addicted to? Is it safe to try it one time? What are its short- and long-term effects?

1. Cocaine was originally developed as a painkiller.
2. Cocaine is sometimes combined with heroin, called a “speedball,” or with fentanyl, a powerful opioid 50 times as potent as heroin.
3. Cocaine is one of the most dangerous drugs known to man. It is one of the most addictive drugs and one of the hardest to quit.
4. The powder is often mixed by drug dealers with substances such as corn starch, talcum powder, sugar or other drugs such as procaine (a local anesthetic) or amphetamines in order to increase profits.
5. Children of cocaine-addicted mothers come into the world as addicts themselves.
6. It is also called Angel Powder, Aunt Nora, Big C, Blow, C-Dust, Charlie, Coke, Dust, Flake, Mojo, Nose Candy, Paradise, Snow, Speedball (mixed with heroin), Sugar, Toot and White.
7. Cocaine is the second most trafficked illegal drug in the world.
8. Cocaine is the second most commonly used illegal drug in Europe.
9. Some of its short-term effects include loss of appetite; increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature; disturbed sleep patterns; nausea; hallucinations and irritability; intense euphoria; anxiety and paranoia; depression; convulsions, seizures and sudden death from high doses (even one time).
10. Some of its long-term effects include permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain; high blood pressure, leading to heart attacks, strokes and death; malnutrition, weight loss; auditory and tactile hallucinations; disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion; irritability and mood disturbances; increased frequency of risky behavior; delirium or psychosis; severe depression; tolerance and addiction (even after just one use).

“Don’t touch cocaine,” shares one former drug addict. “I spent two years in jail because of this drug. And when I got out, life was so hard I started taking the drug again. I know 10 girls who became prostitutes because of coke. It is much more extreme and degrading than we believe. At the time we don’t realize to what degree it destroys us.”

So, is it worth it to try it?

Find out the cold, hard facts about cocaine by taking the online course at drugfreeworld.org/course.