Category: Australia

Cocaine: Glamourous, used by the rich and famous, loved by the masses, and still at the top of the drugs tree for those supposedly ‘in the know’.

The highs offered by this drug may be enticing, but as many have found to their cost, the lows can be far more harrowing.

We will consider these highs and lows along with the addictive qualities of ‘Coke’ later in the piece, but first let’s have a brief look at its origins and the different types available on the street:

Powder, Freebase or Crack?

Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the coca bush which is native to the Andes region of South America. It is offered for sale by dealers in the following forms:

Powder: This is the most common form of the drug and while the majority of users will snort it, it is also injected.

Freebase and Crack: This is basically the same thing although many state Freebase is a far purer version than Crack due to the different ‘washing’ process and chemicals used. Both forms are smoked.

How does it ‘work’?

Almost instantaneous effects are offered to those who smoke or inject the drug. Those who snort it are not far behind. This is due to its fast acting absorption via the nasal tissues.

Whichever way you choose to use, cocaine rapidly enters your bloodstream and has a one-way express ticket for the brain.

Once there it works by interfering with neurotransmitters. These are chemical messengers used by your nerves. Cocaine blocks norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and other messengers from being reabsorbed and this in turn causes a chemical build-up between nerves leaving the user feeling high.

What’s with the high?

There has to be something fairly special about cocaine for so many to crave it. While many claim the high’s offered are memorable, it must also be stressed that they are also very short lived.

So short lived that many need another line or injection every 30-60 minutes to keep chasing their initial feeling of euphoria. On top of this euphoria is a strong energy boost and increased confidence.

Any thoughts of sleep or food are put firmly on the back-burner while very strong cravings for more mean cocaine binges continue for days on end.

Another ‘benefit’ seen by users is that large quantities of alcohol can be consumed without having too much effect. This makes it is easy to see why so many find cocaine the ideal party drug.

What’s with the low?

Many find that the strong cravings they have for cocaine quickly lead them to heavier more regular use. It goes without saying that the longer cocaine is used the harder the comedown.

There are a whole host of negative feelings waiting such as anxiety, irritability and paranoia. Some are prone to panic attacks while others display erratic behaviour.

The downside doesn’t end there:

Because of the serious pressure cocaine use is putting on your body there are also some potentially serious physical health effects to consider.

Sustained and heavy use can affect your heart, brain, kidneys, lungs and respiratory system in a whole variety of ways. While many of these conditions will respond to treatment this is certainly not a given.

Aphrodisiac or embarrassment?

One major reputation that cocaine carries with it is the fact it is a potent aphrodisiac. While this may be true in the early stages of use, ultimately it can have the opposite effect.

Consistent use and abuse of the drug will have the brain working overtime with sexual thoughts and deeds, but the body is unable to follow through to completion. This is true for both men and women, while potential ejaculation problems are an added issue for men.

Please do not start something you will find difficult to stop:

It is clear that no one begins using illegal drugs with the intention of becoming addicted, but it needs to be understood just how addictive cocaine is. Those one or two lines ‘every now and then’ can quickly turn into a daily occurrence.

Your body and brain like what you are feeding it and a tolerance builds up. This tolerance means that you require more of the same to reach the same state as previously achieved.

Once you get onto the treadmill of regular and heavier use it is a very difficult thing to simply step off and walk away from.

Cocaine can ruin your relationships, finances and physical as well as mental health. It really is a drug best left alone.

Viewing porn raises temperatures in more ways than one. There are millions of liberal men and women who see nothing wrong at all with watching pornography. The fact that this is a multi-billion-dollar industry tends to bear this out.

On the other side of the fence are those who believe it is wrong, immoral and either should not be allowed or severely restricted.

We will take the liberal viewpoint, but rather than focusing on occasional viewing will look at how pornography can become an unhealthy obsession.

Is porn addiction a recognized condition?

The straight answer is “No”. There is no official diagnosis. Those who have an obsession for pornography come under a subset of Sex Addiction which is a recognized condition. This covers a range of sexual behaviours that are deemed excessive and negatively impact a person’s life.

If you are finding that pornography is becoming all-consuming it is important to seek professional help. Failure to do so could lead to serious consequences.

Causes of excessive porn viewing:

Anyone who develops an unhealthy interest in any substance or thing is heading towards addiction.

In this case that unhealthy interest is watching porn. Those who enjoy this pastime find that their brain delivers a feeling of reward that encourages you to watch again and again. For some it is not possible to restrict viewing to a sensible, spaced level.

Watching porn can be particularly rewarding because it taps into a natural and basic instinct – sex. This enjoyable experience gives you urges to increase viewing. It also has to be said that for many this is a far easier way of achieving sexual fulfilment than trying to find a partner to help them meet these needs.

Signs you have an unhealthy obsession with porn:

There are several pointers that indicate your porn viewing is heading towards an obsession:

• Affecting your daily life: If you find that watching porn is interfering with normal daily behaviour, responsibilities or duties you need to carry out.
• Building a tolerance: Those who regularly spend longer periods in search of porn that stimulates are building a tolerance to it. Acts and positions that used to excite do not do it anymore. This leads to the need for more extreme sexual activities to be searched for and viewed.
• Reluctance to stop: Those viewing sessions seem to get longer, and when you do have to stop your emotions are include regret and feelings of emptiness.
• Negatively affecting relationships: If you begin to find that pornography is affecting your arousal when with a partner, that your sexual actions are becoming more aggressive, or emotionally you are feeling less and less, this is a certain sign that professional help is required.
• Compulsive masturbation: It cannot be denied that many view porn because it helps and enhances masturbation. This is not seen as a problem when kept to sensible levels, but if you find viewing is increasing in regularity and you are compulsively masturbating, this along with other excessive actions are strong signs that obsession with porn is becoming all-consuming.

An understandable reluctance to seek help:

Those men and women who are finding that pornography is taking up more of their time and have increasing feelings of ‘emptiness’ when not viewing are understandably reluctant to seek help. This is due to the perceived embarrassment factor.

While this is understandable it is very important that you do not allow things to get out of hand. If you do so, it can result in searching and viewing more extreme forms of pornography to satisfy your needs.

This behaviour will eventually have damaging effects from a psychological point of view. It is very likely to cause conflict in any relationships, and viewing material which is against the law can lead to serious trouble with the law enforcement authorities.

Potential embarrassment is not an excuse for delaying help:

A doctor or a qualified counsellor will see no embarrassment when approached by a person who feels their porn viewing is a problem. They will freely discuss this issue and your associated behaviour.

Once they understand the situation and your feelings they will be in a position to help. This help will be on a completely confidential basis and while it may not result in a short term or easy fix, there are a range of treatment methods available. These include counselling, therapy or opting for a stay as an inpatient at a rehabilitation establishment.

The important thing to bear in mind is that treatment is necessary in order for you to come to terms with this excessive interest in pornography. You can then work with the chosen method of treatment rather than resisting help in the belief that the problem will go away on its own. The straight fact is that it will not.

The term ‘addictive personality’ is a fairly wide brush often used to describe anyone who over-indulges in drugs or drink, but how accurate is it, and is it possible to have a personality that means you stand a greater chance than your next door neighbor of suffering from one type of addiction or another?

What defines a personality?

Personality is a very complex subject and while a fair amount is now understood about personalities, science and medical professionals still have some way to go in terms of having all the answers.

Your personality sets you apart from other people. It is a set of individual differences that each person displays. Personality is judged by your attitude, thoughts and actions on a wide range of characteristics such as attitude, habits, natural skills, what values you have and your approach to social relationships.

A personality trait refers to major characteristics displayed in the behavior and reaction a person demonstrates during different situations.

Many of us simply accept the personality we have been labelled with and get on with things without too much concern, but to think you may have an addictive personality is surely something most of us would look into.

This would be to understand if such a personality really exists, and if so what are the chances of falling foul of one addiction or another.

Are you prone to addiction?

There is no individual diagnosis that labels a person as having an addictive personality. There is also no particular type of personality that is more prone to addiction than another, but there is a combination of factors that can increase the likelihood of a person becoming addicted:

Let’s take a look at some of these factors and start with the major one:

Look at your family history:

As research continues into personalities comprehensive studies have proved that there is a genetic link to addiction.

Experts state that the risk of a person becoming addicted to alcohol or drugs is significantly affected by genetics. If there is a family history of addiction the chance you will become addicted contributes to 50 % of the risk.

While this is a significant factor it must be made clear that genetics alone do not mean you will become addicted. Indeed, many with a family history of addiction show no addictive tendencies and live normal lives.

Your environment:

Dependent upon the environment you are brought up in, your parents attitude to drink and drug taking, and general expectancies of the social circles you move in regarding the regular use of drink and drugs goes a long way to dictating addiction possibilities.

If you have grown up in an environment that readily accepts the consequences of excessive drink or drug use, then the chances that you will try addictive substances are enhanced. Regular exposure to alcohol or drugs strengthens your need to continue use.

Tolerance can lead to dependence:

Tolerance to both alcohol and drugs comes relatively easily. Your body and mind like what you are feeding it and hanker more.

If the environment you are in offers easy access to one or both, and the community you mix with have liberal views as to the use and abuse of these substances the chances are you will be tempted to use more often than you should.

As your tolerance for these substance increases it means you need more of the same to achieve similar results. Put simply; the more you use, the more you need, the more you need the more you use.

If you allow this never-ending, constantly increasing circle to go unchecked then the next step is dependence. Once a person is dependent upon a substance this means they need it simply to function.

Addiction personality traits:

There are no tests to tell whether a person will develop an addiction or not, but certain traits point to an increased possibility.

Need for excitement:

If you take pleasure at the thrill of fast driving, get excited when taking risks, or savour the thoughts of risky sexual flings then using illegal drugs may well be in your make-up. These substances provide the brain with a rush of the chemical dopamine. Amongst other things dopamine is responsible for pleasure.

Impulsive:

If you have an impulsive streak, get a thrill out of doing things ‘off-the-cuff’, and don’t dwell too much on the long-term consequences of your actions this is another trait that can contribute to an addictive personality.

Unable to stop:

You realize that the amount of alcohol you are drinking, or the level of drug use you are at needs addressing and have tried to quit, but failed to do so. If you continue to use a substance regardless of the personal physical and psychological problems it is causing, or how it is affecting those closest to you then this is a trait that spells:

Warning: Addiction Issues Ahead.

It would appear to most that those who purchase and use illegal substances would be best served by keeping as low a profile as possible in terms of brushes with law enforcement.

Unfortunately, hard evidence flies in the face of common sense. Untold numbers of regular drug users actually get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive while ‘high’:

Let’s take a look at why this combination is at best reckless and at worst fatal:

How do drugs affect your driving?

In all truth, a book could be written to answer the question, and if all aspects of this decidedly risky combination were covered the comprehensive content would give the 1,300 pages of ‘War and Peace’ a run for its money!

Many prescription drugs state clearly: “Do not drive while on a course of this medication”. This is stated because the content and quantity of each ‘ingredient’ is controlled, the ‘recipe’ is strictly adhered to during manufacture, and professional studies are regularly carried out to determine how people react when using these drugs.

In general, they either make a user drowsy or over-active, neither of which is recommended once behind the wheel. To understand the full reasons why you should not drive while on certain prescription medications please discuss with the medical professional who prescribed them.

Street drugs:

Please DO NOT ask any of the ‘street doctors’ peddling their wares what stance they take regarding driving while on your drug of choice. In the main they will have little knowledge of the individual chemicals and other contents or the actual strength from batch to batch.

On this point they are certainly not alone!

Strength and purity:

Two identical drugs taken by two different people are unlikely to give the same effects, so for starters you can never be sure as to how a particular drug will affect you.

Much more importantly, illegal drug producers opted out of health and safety schemes before setting up shop, and the quality control officer could well be one of the ‘lab’ assistants who is already deeply addicted to the drug in question and is more than happy to be the Guinea pig in terms of sampling the finished product.

This all means one thing to the user: The purity and strength of each new batch of illegal drugs is likely to vary. These two factors will also vary dependent upon the source of manufacture.

A snort or swallow into the unknown:

Please do not try and kid yourself that you are guaranteed a certain type of high, or exactly what your drug of choice contains. You will never really know just how wired that wrap in your pocket is going to make you feel, or the potency of that pill you have just popped is until you have actually committed and taken it.

After that there is no turning back, and due to these unknown effects, this is the first reason that you MUST turn your back on getting into the driver’s seat of a vehicle.

Common drug categories and effects on driving ability:

We will look at 3 acknowledged drug categories and their potential effects. This should show clearly why even considering driving under the influence is a very large no-no:

Depressant drugs:

Popular drugs that fall into this category include Weed (Marijuana/Cannabis), Horse (Heroin) and the opioid family along with Benzodiazepines. Just for the record this is the category alcohol comes under.

Potential effects:

• Slower reactions
• Reduction in concentration
• Drowsiness and the desire to sleep
• Slower processing and subsequent action relating to the ‘fluid’ pieces of information that come and go while driving
• Driving correctly and safely requires the driver to constantly multitask. The effects of this drug make multitasking a challenge many cannot fully rise to.

Stimulant drugs:

Think Speed (amphetamine) Charlie (Cocaine) and ‘E’ (Ecstasy aka MDMA). As an aside, the majority of Ecstasy tablets sold today contain no MDMA whatsoever, but perhaps that topic is for another article!

By the nature of these drugs it should tell a user that when they are higher than a kite on a windy day, it is perhaps not wise to get behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Impaired driving will be seen by signs such as:

• Difficulty in maintaining attention
• A constant urge to fidget
• Overly aggressive and dangerous driving behaviour
• Overconfidence
• Lack of required focus, there are far too many things going on simply to concentrate on driving.

Hallucinogens

What? Those experiencing a trip through drugs such as Acid (LSD), Special K (Ketamine), Shrooms (Magic Mushrooms), Mescs (Mescaline) and Angel Dust (PCP) will probably try and get into a different make, model and colour of their vehicle due to the hallucinogenic effects of these drugs!

Assuming they do get behind the wheel (the driver’s wheel that is!) the likelihood is that they will suffer some or all of the following:

• Hearing and seeing things that aren’t actually real
• Blurred and/or distorted vision
• Their thought process is severely impaired; not to themselves you understand
• Varying levels of reduced coordination

A partnership that should never see the light of day:

Those who dabble with illegal drugs should fully understand the potentially negative consequences of such use, but while under the influence of any drug they should never consider driving.

Put very plainly: There is no excuse or reason on earth that can justify such senseless, reckless behaviour.

“Just try it once”, “A little surely won’t hurt me”, “It’s a cracking buzz”. These statements and many more have been heard the world over to those trying the highly addictive recreational drug that is ‘Ice’.

If you are considering, just starting out, or currently bang on the ‘Ice trail’ there are some important facts that must be understood:

What is it?

Ice is derived from the chemical methamphetamine hydrochloride. As with other recreational drugs there are a host of street names: Meth, crank, crystal meth and crystal tea are all common monikers.

Meth is originally produced in powder form and snorted, swallowed or injected, but by putting it through a synthesizing process it turns into small rocks that resembles chips of ice. This smokeable form of the drug may look cool, but make no mistake; it is highly potent and extremely addictive.

How is it taken?

The ‘rocks’ are placed in a bulbous glass pipe, heated from below until reduced to a clear, smoking liquid. The vapours are then inhaled and directly enter the bloodstream via your lungs. From here it is rapidly sent to the brain.

Any leftover ice cools rapidly and reverts to its solid state. This means that when a user needs another hit they simply reheat the glass pipe, wait for the vapours and inhale. Once that is finished another ‘rock’ replaces it.

As this drug is odourless it allows users the opportunity to indulge in public places such as restrooms without being detected. It is also understood that many use the substance during working hours to increase their alertness and productivity.

“Amping”:

When smoking ice, a user gets an immediate and intense high that leaves them feeling euphoric and fully alert. Known as “amping” after the effects caused by an “over-amped wire”. The effects of ice can last between 8 and 24 hours.

Because of its very moreish appeal many users smoke ice for days on end. When they finally submit to fatigue it is common for them to crash and fall into a deep sleep that can last a full day or more.

How users migrate to smoking ice:

The use of methamphetamine is categorised in 3 different ways. These are low intensity use, binge abuse and high intensity use.

We will leave out the latter as those into high intensity use will in all likelihood be smoking and injecting the drug on a constant basis and their need for the drug has become all-consuming. If this type of user is not already under medical supervision, then they most certainly should be.

Low intensity use:

This is how most users start out. They will swallow or snort meth on a regular ‘as and when basis’. They do so because it gives them that extra boost of energy and alertness to finish a task or get through a long overtime shift at work.

While classed as occasional users it is important to understand that in many cases this is simply a stepping stone to:

Binge abuse:

Low intensity users are not aware of the habit forming properties of meth, but they are aware of the effects it offers when swallowed or snorted. In many cases the next stage is being introduced to the heightened euphoric rush received when smoking the drug.

This method of use is psychologically addictive and sets them on the road to dependence. When ice is smoked the user gets a ‘rush’ that was missing from the effects felt when swallowing or snorting.

This rush lasts anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes and effects include an increased heartbeat and metabolism, a rise in blood pressure and a soaring pulse. This is down to the release of an adrenaline hormone called epinephrine.

After the rush comes the high. Many users call this the ‘shoulder’, and it gives a feeling of massively increased confidence which can often be seen as arrogance or aggression to others.

A high can last between 4 and 16 hours, but however long it lasts it will not end there because the user and their body very much like the feelings achieved.

This leads to binge use because the user has extremely strong urges to maintain their high. Each subsequent hit does achieve another high, but this is smaller than the original hit and reduces on each occasion. Hyperactivity from a physical and mental aspect are common traits of a binge user.

Addiction awaits:

It cannot be stressed strongly enough just how highly addictive ice is. Many users find their need for more on a constant basis creeps up on them rapidly.

They also need to realise that the initial rush and high received will never be matched by subsequent hits, and that their search for those original effects only leads them into deeper dependence.

Many who smoke ice believe dependence will never come their way. Millions of men and women have, and will continue to find this is not the case. Ice is wickedly addictive and once regular use begins it will not let go easily.