A Growing Epidemic:
Cocaine was the drug of choice during the 80s and 90s, but after a recent decline, cocaine use is once again on the rise, this time among the city's affluent high school students
Who's Using It?
- At recent schoolboard meetings, administrators have voiced the same concern--the rise in the use of cocaine among their students. Private school administrators have admitted the increase has been more than ever before and are worried about implementing the most-effective method to erradicate this hazardous problem.
Why It's So Dangerous.
Regardless of how cocaine is used or how frequently, a user can experience acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergencies, such as a heart attack or stroke, which could result in sudden death. Mixing alcohol and cocaine creates a third substance in your liver,
cocaethylene, that intensifies cocaine's euphoric effects, while potentially increasing the risk of sudden death.
Coke on the Streets.
- Blow, Tony and all the other lingo you'll need to know to have a clue about this underground trade. As well as the market price, how your kids are getting a hold of it and when they're using.
What's the Appeal?
- From stress-management to doing homework , from weightloss to just looking cool, the reasons abound as to why teenagers snort.
Tell-tale signs of Use and Addiction.
- What every parent should know and look for to see if their child is using.
Ways to Talk to Your Kids about Drugs.
- Some effective strategies to communicate with your child about drugs, alcohol and other substances.
Demographics: A breakdown of the current National Survery on Drug Use and Health..
Age: By eighth grade, 3.7% of students had tried cocaine in some form; by 12th grade, 3.5% had. In 2004, 34.2 million Americans age 12 and over reported use of cocaine at some time. The average age of first exposure to cocaine is age 20.
Gender: Overall, about 18% of men and 11% of women haved used cocaine during their lifetime.
Ethnicity: For all those surveyed, American Indian or Alaska Native had the highest percentage of lifetime use with nearly 18%; whites followed next with 16%; blacks and Latinos each with 12%; and Asians with 4%.
First-Hand Accounts:
High school students, teachers, school district administrators and parents speak out about cocaine, the appeal, the downfalls and how it's affected them
Jennifer Smith, a high school student at St. Catherine's in Santa Monica, talks about what it's like to have friends doing it and the peer-pressure to try it.
Patsy Higgins, a high school teacher at Whittier High, discusses the signs she sees in the classroom that suggest a student might be using.
Dave Weinberg, a school district administrator in Pasadena, hosts an informative parent-teacher meeting each semester to alert both to the risks students are facing.
Laurie Stevens, the parent of 16-year-old recovering addict, discusses how her daughter's addiction tore them apart and how her recovery brought them back together.
The Rise and Fall:
How demographics and prevalence has changed over the past 30 years
Physical Response:
What happens to your body when you use
How it Works
Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption process of dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement. The buildup of dopamine causes continuous stimulation of receiving neurons, which is associated with the euphoria commonly reported by cocaine abusers.
Immediate Effects
Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. The duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include hyperstimulation, reduced fatigue, and mental alertness, depends on the route of administration.
The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. On the other hand, the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. Increased use can reduce the period of time a user feels high and increases the risk of addiction.
Long-term Effects
Different means of taking cocaine can produce different adverse effects. Regularly snorting cocaine, for example, can lead to loss of the sense of smell, nosebleeds, problems with swallowing, hoarseness, and a chronically runny nose. Ingesting cocaine can cause severe bowel gangrene due to reduced blood flow. People who inject cocaine can experience severe allergic reactions and, as with all injecting drug users, are at increased risk for contracting HIV and other blood-borne diseases.
Because cocaine has a tendency to decrease appetite, many chronic users can become malnourished.
Other complications associated with cocaine use include disturbances in heart rhythm and heart attacks, chest pain and respiratory failure, strokes, seizures and headaches, and gastrointestinal complications such as abdominal pain and nausea.
A Cultural Revolution.
From "toothache drops" to famous rock songs, see how the prevalence of cocaine (and it's many uses over the years) have spawned a cultural fascination with life on the edge.
