Cocaine Information

How cocaine is used?

The principal routes of cocaine use are oral, intranasal, intravenous, and inhalation. The slang terms for these routes are, respectively, "chewing," "snorting," "mainlining" or "injecting," and "smoking" (including freebase and crack cocaine). Cocaine can be used through a process called snorting, which is inhaling cocaine powder through the nostrils, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Injecting cocaine releases the drug directly into the bloodstream, and heightens the intensity of its effects. Smoking cocaine involves the inhalation of cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs, where absorption into the bloodstream is as rapid as by injection. Cocaine can also be rubbed onto mucous tissues. Some users combine cocaine powder or crack with heroin in a "speedball."

Cocaine use ranges from occasional use to repeated or compulsive use, with a variety of patterns between these extremes. There is no safe way to use cocaine. Any route of cocaine use can lead to absorption of toxic amounts of cocaine, leading to acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergencies that could result in sudden death. Repeated cocaine use by any route of administration can produce addiction and other adverse health consequences.

As cocaine abuse continues, tolerance often develops. This means that higher doses and more frequent cocaine use are required for the brain to register the same level of pleasure experienced during initial use. Recent studies have shown that, during periods of abstinence from cocaine, the memory of the euphoria associated with using cocaine, or mere exposure to cues associated with drug use, can trigger tremendous drug cravings and relapse to drug use, even after long periods of abstinence.

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