Alcohol is the Most Harmful Drug to Society

December 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A pile of crack cocaine ‘rocks’.
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A recent report released by a former UK drug adviser claims that alcohol is the most harmful drug to society. Currently, heroin and crack cocaine are listed as the worst drugs, but David Nutt is urging British officials to take a second look at how harmful substances are classified.

Nutt does not disagree that heroin and crack cocaine are the most harmful drug to the individual user, but he does say his findings indicate that alcohol is the most dangerous to society as a whole. His report is meant to address drugs and how they are classified by how their effects damage society as a whole. In other words, people who are intoxicated on alcohol are the most likely to cause harm to others.

Nutt was released from his government duties when he challenged officials on their current classifications. He believes politics overruled science where drugs are concerned. Other European nations have already taken a position similar to Nutt’s on the damaging societal effects of alcohol. Furthermore, contemporary drug research suggests that some drugs need to be upgraded for their potential harm and some need to be downgraded.

Heroin and crack cocaine should certainly be listed in the top tier, but Nutt and others say alcohol and even tobacco should be there, too. Some drugs, such as ecstacy should be downgraded, he believes. Part of the reason for revisiting the way drugs are classified is to revise how the offenders are criminalized.

Alcohol abuse can lead to crimes and injury against innocents while the user is under the influence, yet alcohol abusers are not regularly jailed for being drunk, but encouraged to seek treatment. That’s not necessarily the case for heroin and cocaine users. Ultimately, Nutt is urging the government to put treatment first for drug users, the same as it does for alcoholics.

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Many Drugs Are Used to Treat Cocaine Addiction

December 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A woman smoking crack from a glass pipe.
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Cocaine addiction has been the subject of drug trials for many years as researchers explore which drug is best for treating cocaine addiction. No clear winner has emerged, but those with promise have a few things in common.

Scientists have a two-fold approach to treating cocaine addiction with drugs. They are looking for medications that help patients get off of cocaine, and they are looking for medications that make it harder to relapse. Most of the drugs in trial are used for other treatments as well.

Modofinil is a drug that has been used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s, depression and even jet lag. It is a stimulant most commonly associated with narcolepsy treatment, and it does a little bit of everything needed to help with cocaine addiction. Trials have shown that patients taking Modofinil take less cocaine than control groups.

A beta-blocker sold as Inderal suppresses adrenaline and noradrenaline. It has been shown to be helpful to the most severely addicted cocaine users, and when using this drug, they tend to stay in drug treatment longer.

Antabuse, which was originally marketed to treat alcoholism, is also being studied for cocaine addiction. It causes extremely unpleasant side effects if the patient uses cocaine while taking it. Those symptoms include extremely high anxiety and paranoia. Since this is not the desired effect one wants from cocaine, Antabuse works like aversion therapy.

Even though finding a drug that effectively treats cocaine addiction is a high priority in the pharmaceutical world, there are still those experts who disagree with this kind of approach for treating addiction. Those who are against drug therapy argue that most cocaine users stop using on their own or simply grow up and stop using. That’s a fine argument for the addict’s future, but it’s the danger to his life while using cocaine that makes drug research necessary and important.

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The Cocaine Dealer

November 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

You hear a lot about the people who are suffering from drug addiction and cocaine dependency but there is very little written about those who are selling the drugs and poisoning your loved ones. TheCyn.com has information about the treatment of these diseases.  If these treatments are followed carefully, there is little to risk of dependency occuring. Unfortunately, outlined treatments are sometimes not followed.

The truth about drug dealers is that they come in all shapes and sizes. There was a time where the drug dealers were thought to be from the inner city and were spending all day on the street corner. Now, there are certainly some people still like that, but the problem is these poor misguided people are thinking that selling drugs will bring them fortune, just like the guys that work for them.

The problem is that these guys are part of a larger pyramid scheme. This scheme means that those on the lowest level have no chance of making money. They are simple foot soldiers.

The more common drug dealer, and more likely the person that your loved one interacts with, is the quiet dealer. The dealer is probably a friend who simply goes through the right channels to get the cocaine. It’s these people that provide the most peer pressure and that makes it very difficult for an addict to recover. It’s this person who must be let go of in the circle. When your loved one returns from rehab, you must make it clear that having those people in their life is just too much of a bad influence.

These dealers are more than just what you would see on TV. They are normal people who have made the decision to do bad things and because of that, they can greatly impact you and your family’s lives.

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The Sudden Decrease: lapalomatreatment.com

November 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It is the most hopeful of statistics, the proof of knowledge and its effects: the use of cocaine among teenagers has seen a rapid decline throughout the recent decades. While the drug was once favored among all youth (specifically within the 1960’s and 1970’s), it has now been replaced to easier prescriptions and marijuana – and, while that is still a great concern to parents, there is genuine relief to be found.

Only an estimated .08 percent of adolescents choose to sample cocaine each year. For many parents this still seems to be too high a number; but it is far better than previous eras when the percentage rose as high as 60. This substance has proven itself to be the most powerful of stimulants, but it holds little fascination for today’s teens – and this is to be credited to the efforts of centers like lapalomatreatment.com and the availability of information. The truth of cocaine and its symptoms are now known; and many simply have no desire to experience them. Other drugs are instead chosen.

This may seem to be a shallow victory, with cocaine substituted with other addictions. The truth, however, is that curing this kind of substance abuse is difficult. The available programs require diligence that many teens do not have. Withdrawal is painful (causing depressive episodes and physical anguish); and relapses are common.

It is therefore to be commended that the number of children inhaling this drug has fallen so far. It offers hope that cocaine will be eradicated among youths entirely one day.

Should an addiction be suspected, however, individuals must seek immediate help. Symptoms should be noted early and include: erratic moods, secretive behavior, quick loss of weight, congestion, anger and irritability. While these may seem to be common behaviors, they will be presented here in much wilder forms. Recognize them before they have the chance to evolve.

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Heroine

August 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum) found at Chat...
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In the News
Heroine has been mentioned in the news with frequency lately because of the war in Afghanistan. Over 90% of the world’s heroine comes from Afghanistan as the drug is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from morphine, which comes from the opium poppy. Sometimes it is grown in secret utilizing grow lights and other equipment. Diamorphine (heroine) is used as a controlled painkiller and also a recreational drug. Inline with other opioids, addiction is common and several European countries have programs to legally satisfy the habits of long-term users.
Legal & Recreational
In some developed countries heroine is prescribed to treat acute pain or pain associated with a terminal illness despite morphine being a more common option. For recreational use, heroine is used to induce an intense euphoria. Normally heroine is injected and a user experiences an intense rush similar in nature to the feeling a patient feels when being treated with morphine, but much stronger.  Heroine may be a stronger opioid because of 6-monoacetylmorphoine, other opioids do not have this particular metabolite which is psycho-active. Recreational users also snort or smoke heroine with rolled tobacco and or a glass pipe. Snorting heroine by itself or with cocaine can be particularly dangerous as an overdose can be ingested by an unknowing user. When heroine is smoked the heated powder becomes liquid which yields smoke to be inhaled.
Administration
As with all drugs, when heroine is taken intravenously it yields the quickest and strongest rush. The drug can also be delivered with an intra-muscular injection where the high creeps on in 5 to 8 minutes. When smoked and snorted the drug ramps up a bit slower and peak effects occur within 10 to 15 minutes. Recreational users do not take the drug orally, but it can be administered that way and take 30 minutes to gather strength, but there is no rush. Heroine when administered in large doses is fatal.  It is responsible for many suicides and has even been used as a weapon by serial killers.

In the News
Heroine has been mentioned in the news with frequency lately because of the war in Afghanistan. Over 90% of the world’s heroine comes from Afghanistan as the drug is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from morphine, which comes from the opium poppy. Diamorphine (heroine) is used as a controlled painkiller and also a recreational drug. Inline with other opioids, addiction is common and several European countries have programs to legally satisfy the habits of long-term users.
Legal & Recreational
In some developed countries heroine is prescribed to treat acute pain or pain associated with a terminal illness despite morphine being a more common option. For recreational use, heroine is used to induce an intense euphoria. Normally heroine is injected and a user experiences an intense rush similar in nature to the feeling a patient feels when being treated with morphine, but much stronger.  Heroine may be a stronger opioid because of 6-monoacetylmorphoine, other opioids do not have this particular metabolite which is psycho-active. Recreational users also snort or smoke heroine with rolled tobacco and or a glass pipe. Snorting heroine by itself or with cocaine can be particularly dangerous as an overdose can be ingested by an unknowing user. When heroine is smoked the heated powder becomes liquid which yields smoke to be inhaled.
Administration
As with all drugs, when heroine is taken intravenously it yields the quickest and strongest rush. The drug can also be delivered with an intra-muscular injection where the high creeps on in 5 to 8 minutes. When smoked and snorted the drug ramps up a bit slower and peak effects occur within 10 to 15 minutes. Recreational users do not take the drug orally, but it can be administered that way and take 30 minutes to gather strength, but there is no rush. Heroine when administered in large doses is fatal.  It is responsible for many suicides and has even been used as a weapon by serial killers.

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Filed Under: Awareness, Drug Addiction, Drugs Tagged With: , , ,

Introducing Crack Cocaine

August 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Crack Cocaine made its debut on the streets of major US cities during the mid eighties. Powered cocaine is cooked with baking soda and water where the bicarbonate breaks down into carbon dioxide and sodium carbonate. The hydrochloride in cocaine is separated from the cocaine alkaloid producing a free base or crack cocaine. When that freebase crack cocaine is smoked it is absorbed into a user’s blood stream in 8 seconds. The high comes on much faster and is much more intense than regular cocaine producing an extremely addictive euphoria. The part of the brain responsible for controlling reward is flooded with extra neurotransmitters thus the euphoria.

A Short High

The high enjoyed by crack cocaine smokers is very intense for 1-3 minutes, strong for 4-7 minutes, and pretty much over at ten minutes. The increased energy and confidence quickly give way to depression and craving for the high again. The logical response of a crack user is to take another hit, but since the flood of the neurotransmitters is less each time more crack has to be smoked for an increasingly weaker high. A user trying to avoid the inevitable come down resulting from the brain’s return to low levels of dopamine (the neurotransmitter) can cause cycles of binging. Such binging causes paranoia, irritability, irrational behavior, and can even develop into temporary paranoid psychosis; the user can hallucinate and lose touch with reality. Delusional parasitosis can also occur making a user think there are bugs crawling on his or her skin.

Addiction to Crack

Most experts agree that crack is cocaine in its most addictive form. This conclusion is probably drawn from the desperation shown by users and their insatiable hunger for the drug. Other experts remark that hardcore cocaine users usually switch to crack looking for a more intense high, inciting that crack is drug sought by existing addicts. The high is so intense flooding the brain with levels of neurotransmitters communicating feelings not attainable by normal body chemistry. Users want to achieve this feeling so badly again and again that they will do just about anything to get it.

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Cocaine on the Brain

July 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Dopamine Pathways. In the brain, dopamine play...
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Ingestion

Cocaine can be snorted, smoked, or shot directly into the blood stream with a needle. The most common means for administration is snorting where cocaine powder is taken into the nasal cavity and absorbed into the bloodstream via mucus membranes. Cocaine can be smoked or “freebased” by a user where cocaine absorption into the bloodstream through the lungs is immediate and overwhelming; a method largely blamed for the crack-cocaine explosion during the 1980s. Cocaine injection is not as popular of a technique and is usually reserved for serious addicts, but injection results in the most intense cocaine induced euphoria.

How does Cocaine Work?

Regions of the brain are stimulated by competition, food, sex, natural and synthetic drugs. The vental tegmental area (VTA) is a region of the midbrain on which cocaine has strong affect. The VTA is connected by nerved fibers to the nucleus accumbens that is a significant area of the brain controlling reward. Rewards produce dopamine (a neurotransmitter) that heightens activity in the nucleus accumbens. Dopamine is used to communicate stimuli of reward and then normally recycled out of the synapse for reuse. Cocaine blocks dopamine removal from the synapse resulting in an excess of dopamine to the receiving neurons and thus euphoria.

Does it cause Long-term or Permanent Effects?

There are plenty of strong-willed people that lose themselves in cocaine addiction. Many whom use cocaine regularly are not in control of their habits even if they think so. Once addiction is present even those whom have stopped for periods of time are at high risk of a relapse. The dopamine system in the brain is vital to motivation; the brain scan of an avid cocaine user shows decreased dopamine receptors resulting in desensitization to natural rewards. Not only are those reward pathways less sensitive to natural stimuli, but the drug cocaine itself. Consequently, a user will have to use more cocaine to produce the same effects and thus be more susceptible harsh side effects that come with elevated use.

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Filed Under: Drug Addiction, Drug Research, Drugs Tagged With: ,

Cocaine – A brief history

April 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A pile of crack cocaine ‘rocks’.
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Indigenous peoples from various countries in South America have been using coca leaves for over a thousand years. Benzoylmethylecgonine or cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that stimulates the central nervous system. It blocks the brains natural reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine therefore flooding the brain with large quantities of those naturally occurring chemicals at unnatural levels. Chewing coca leaves yields a very small amount of the alkaloid while the concentrated cocaine powder usually snorted through the nose is much stronger. Cocaine affects the mesolimbic reward pathway and is thus an addictive agent to the human body.

Commercialization

Angelo Mariani, a chemist, began marketing a cocawine in 1863 that contained 7.2 milligrams of cocaine per ounce at time when similar drinks with cocaine content were being introduced in the United States. John Styth Pemberton’s original recipe for Coca-Cola devised in 1886 used coca leaves, but coca leaves stripped of their cocaine content were put into use in 1906 after the passage of Pure Food and Drug Act. Despite that, cocaine was still being sold by the likes of Parke-Davis, a US manufacturer, in powder, cigarettes, and liquid for injection. It wasn’t until 1914 that cocaine was prohibited by the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act and until 1970 that cocaine was branded a controlled substance by the Controlled Substances Act.

Cocaine Today

It has been estimated that the street value of cocaine sold in the United States in 2005 exceeded 70 billion. Cocaine is a recreational drug used by people regardless of race, age, socioeconomic strata, etc. The usage of cocaine powder has leveled off in the US, but has seen considerable growth in Western Europe over that past decade. Cocaine can cause harmful side effects with sustained use, but cocaine’s most dangerous aspect is perhaps its trade. Almost 23,000 people have been killed since 2006 in Mexico as a result of Felipe Calderon’s crackdown on powerful drug cartels.

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