Coke Crisis

With more people than ever using cocaine in Britain, we

look into the consequences of taking this addictive class A
drug, and find out why so many more people are using it.
By Lauren Gillespie

C
ocaine has been a top talking point
recently in the press, as the
amount of people using the drug in
the UK is increasing rapidly. It has
been found that 1 in 15 people are
now using cocaine on a regular basis,
while 1 in 10 admit to taking the drug at
some point in their lifetime. We all know
Cocaine is bad for us, but do we really
know the true risks to our lives.
Being an anti- drug person, I don’t
understand why people use this (or any)
drug. We are constantly being told how
used cocaine at some point in their life. two hours. The use of cocaine can also bring
drugs can ruin lives; causing addiction, money
Considering the risks, this is a very drastic previous mental health problems to the
problems and health risks. And yet, people
amount of people using this drug, and so the surface. Having a close relative who has had
still decide to use this drug, and I just don’t
worry is if they actually know what they are serious mental health problems can also make
understand why. With people ignoring the
doing to theirselves! it a possible and increased risk, for the cocaine
serious health warnings that are being shown
user to adopt.
to us about cocaine, they are putting both
themselves and others at risk. And so, it is
More than 30% As it is very common nowadays for
important that people know the true facts and
risks about cocaine.
of teenagers say people to use cocaine on a night out, it is
probably going to be mixed with alcohol too.
they’ve used Doing so increases the risks dramatically, as
mixing these two substances together creates a
The drug, which originates from the cocoa
plant in south America; is a white cocaine third chemical called cocaethylene, which
builds up in the liver. This gives an increased
powder with powerful, although short- lived,
It has been found that many people who use high, while also causing major health
effects. Freebase and crack are also forms of
cocaine, use it whilst on a night out. It is said consequences.This chemical is blamed for
cocaine. They are stimulants, which cause the
to give the user an invincible, carefree feeling. heart attacks in the under-40s, and for the
processes of your mind and body to speed up
It also makes the user alert and euphoric, rise in social problems.
temporarily. Cocaine can be injected, smoked,
giving them a lot of energy. But where there’s
sniffed, or snorted. ‘Freebase’ and ‘crack’
a high- there’s a low; the good feelings are
cocaine can be smoked, and so they reach the
usually followed by worrying side effects.
brain quickly in a high dosage. The most
There is the danger of experiencing a cardiac
common method of using cocaine is powder
arrest, as well as seizures and respiratory
snorted through the nose. This is absorbed
failure which can occur in both short and long
more slowly, and so takes longer to feel the
term abuse of cocaine. The side effects of
effects.
using cocaine includes: insomnia, loss of
In 2009, 12,354 people were treated
appetite, vomiting, irritability, blurred vision,
for cocaine addiction in England. The number
high anxiety, nose bleeds, sweating, violent
of 18 to 24-year-olds being treated also
behaviour, dilated pupils, twitching,
doubled from 1,586 to 3,005 between 2005
constricted blood vessels, nasal infections,
and 2009. These figures show how more
rapid breathing, hallucinations, chest pain,
common it is for younger people to use
agitation, anxiety, depression and paranoia.
cocaine. Another statistic shows how 1 in 10 Man taking a line of cocaine
Users feel these effects which can last up to
adults in England and Wales admit to having

As well as being very harmful to the body,
cocaine is also very powerfully addictive, and
once a person has had their first tester of the
drug, they cannot control the extent of use
again.
The long-term effects of using
cocaine can include depression, extreme
agitation and violent mood swings. The
prolonged use of snorting cocaine will cause
problems with the nasal passage, including
ulcerations in the mucous membrane of the
nose and holes, and can cause the barrier
sepertating the nostrils to brake down.
After snorting cocaine for many
years, Eastenders actress Daniella
Westbrook- who plays Sam in the soap had to
ahve her nose rebuilt after the inside of her
nose deteriated, and was left with a huge hole
between her nostrils. Looking at the
photograph (shown below) is enough to put
anyone off cocaine, but that’s not even the
worst of it.
Using cocaine can also result in a
loss of appetite, extreme insomnia and sexual
problems. Among these problems is heart
disease, heart attacks, strokes and
gastrointestinal problems. All these problems
are not uncommon among long-term users of
cocaine and crack, and are risks that people
take each time they decide to use the drug.
The other type of cocaine is crack-
a highly addictive and powerful stimulant that
is derived from the powdered cocaine. Crack
is nearly always smoked, with this method
delivering a large quantity of the drug to the
lungs. This produces an immediate and
intense- euphoric effect. The health risks and
problems that are associated with using crack
are the same as those listed for cocaine. Crack
cocaine has a higher risk however, due to the
intensity of the drug. Another problem is the
fact that it is becoming widely available, and
due to its intense effects, is becoming a
popular drug.
Actress Daniella Westbrooks nose after
years of cocaine abuse
Cocaine is very addictive, and
leaves the users with a desperate craving for
the drug. Addiction to crack develops very
quickly, and can occur after the first few times
of smoking it.
Cocaine is often used in the
modelling industry. As we found a couple of
years back, Kate Moss is no stranger to a line
of coke, and was caught doing so by the
tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror. This gave
the wrong message to the younger generation,
with girls who look up to Kate Moss thinking
it’s cool to do it. With girls becoming more
and more obsessed with their appearance and
weight, seeing a supermodel taking cocaine on
the front of a newspaper was bound to have
some effect. Caught out: Kate Moss captured taking
It has been found that many cocaine by the Daily Mirror newspaper
supermodels use cocaine, as it is an appetite
seizures found the average purity level of
suppressing drug, and therefore keeps the
23%.
models thin. Many use drugs the same as what
Although a risk to any user,
we drink coffee, and so it’s becoming a
cocaine is especially risky to those with high
normal everyday habit for the fashion models
blood pressure or with a heart condition.
of today. It is also the pressure to stay thin by
Perfectly fit, healthy young people can have a
the fashion industry that is persuading the
fit or heart attack after taking too much
models to use cocaine, and so is partly to
cocaine. Some people don’t even know that
blame for the increase in cocaine used by
they have a pre- existing heart condition.
them.
People who often use the drug find
The average that they begin to crave it more, and because
of the short lived effects, they find themselves
purity level of having a very expensive habit to keep up with.
cocaine is Using coke on a regular basis makes
the user feel depressed and run down. They
just 15% often develop serious problems with anxiety
and paranoia, and is a known cause of panic
attacks. Regular use of coke usually decreases
‘Coke’ is very addictive, and can be
sexual desire dramatically too.
very difficult to resist the cravings and the
There is a substancial increase of
strong psychological dependence that the drug
risk to users who take other drugs with
brings to the user. There is also recent
cocaine, as well as with alcohol. Taking
evidence which suggests a possible long-term
cocaine while drinking alcohol can be quite
change to the nervous system.
dangerous, as the substances interact with
Although the psychological
each other producing a toxic chemical in the
dependence is more of a problem than the
body. The risks are further increased if other
physical withdrawal symptoms, the side
drugs are taken as well.
effects which include low moods and feeling
Another risk of using cocaine is of
very rough occur soon after stopping. This can
course- if you are pregnant. This can damage
then tempt the person to take more coke to get
the baby, and can also cause miscarriage.
rid of these feelings.
Premature labour and low birth weight babies
Both cocaine and crack are Class A
are also common when the mother is a cocaine
drugs, and so it is illegal to possess, give away
user.
or sell them. Possession of the drug/s can
And so, knowing all about the side
result in a sentence of up to seven years in jail,
effects and information about cocaine, would
while supplying it to someone else can result
you still consider using it? People still do use
in a life sentence in jail and an unlimited fine.
it even when they know what harm it does to
Another reason not to take cocaine
both the body and mind. So is it actually
is due to the uncertain purity level that it
worth the risks? Personally, I think you would
has. Cocaine powder can be cut with other
have to be mad to know the life threatening
substances such as sugar or crushed
risks that this drug causes, and still use the
paracetamol. After recent police seizures, it
drug!
was found that the average purity level of
cocaine was only 15%. The purity of crack
For help with cocaine, you can talk to
cocaine depends on the purity of the cocaine
frank: www.talktofrank.com/
used originally to produce it, but the police
tel: 0800 776600