Cocaine is also known as coke, nose candy, charlie, snow and shnaaf. It comes in various forms including crack, and freebase or rocks. It chemical name is Cocaine hydrochloride. It is a Central Nervous System stimulant, which has anaesthetic properties. In its common form, it is a fine white powder usually sold per gram. A gram is roughly a level teaspoon in quantity. It is often mixed ("cut") with impurities. Cocaine powder is usually crushed finely and snorted, or taken intravenously. Freebase cocaine is smoked from a pipe.
Crack is a crystal 'rock' that is formed by cooking the cocaine powder. It is normally smoked. Everything in this section applies equally to cocaine powder and crack.
The effects of snorted coke lasts about 20 minutes. Smoking crack is followed by an intense high which last for about 2 minutes, followed by a pleasurable feeling lasting another 10-20 minutes: then the chase for MORE begins.
Cocaine increases the heart rate and constricts the blood vessels. When snorted, a feeling of well-being, mild rush and increase in body temperature is experienced within the first five minutes. The pleasure centres of your brain are stimulated, usually the very next thing you feel is the need for more. Users feel confident and a feeling of invincibility will ensue, depending on the amount of cocaine ingested. Loss of appetite can occur.
Crack/freebase is a purer form of powdered coke The rush is much more intense and more highly addictive than snorting. Paranoia and aggressiveness occur with heavy use.
Death through heart attacks, or seizures, is a very real danger. Constricted veins and increased heart rate could result in burst blood vessels causing brain damage. Overconfidence and paranoid psychoses are symptoms of overuse. Intensive use normally results in you becoming too selfish, aggressive and paranoid.
Because Cocaine is a local anaesthetic, when smoked it can cause scorched lungs. Because it constricts your blood vessels, unborn babies could suffer brain damage or death. Snorting causes permanent damage to the nasal passages and chronic sinusitis.
Cocaine is a highly addictive substance. Crack even more so!
Staying safe:
*Avoid taking other stimulants
*Avoid mixing with alcohol - the bad effects of both alcohol and cocaine are greatly
magnified
*Avoid taking cocaine or crack to put off coming down. You've got to come down
sometime and the longer you leave it the worse it gets.
* Make sure you set a limit on the money you spend on crack - try not to borrow or buy
on credit.Take a look at these pages as well:
- Cocaine users speak
Stories people have sent us
- Cocaine found to constrict arteries in the brain
- Cocaine and Heart Diseas story from the New Scientist
- RaveSafe flyer on Cocaine and Heroin
Cocaine Helpline (South Africa) 011 726-4212
Disclaimer This Guide is provided for informational purposes ONLY. RaveSafe, it's volunteers and its sponsors do not condone or advocate the use of illegal substances. RaveSafe accepts NO responsibility for the way the information in this used, nor for any harm that might occur from the use of the information contained in this document. Although a concerted effort has been made to ensure the validity of the information contained in this document, no guarantees or assurances of accuracy are provided by anyone. Read and act at your own risk.