Stimulants: Cocaine & Meth / Question
Published: September 24, 2002
Dear TeenHealthFX,
Hi, I am a 15 yr old male and I have a habit that before school every day I do 1 or 2 grams of coke or other drugs. None of my teachers seem to notice and none of my friends say anything to anyone. I am still very popular and I letter in football, baseball and basketball. People tell me I should quit but everything seems to be going great. Why should I quit?
Signed: Coke And Other Drugs Before School
Dear Coke And Other Drugs Before School,
TeenHealthFX is concerned about your drug use. While you report that everything in your life is going well, you should keep in mind that cocaine is highly addictive, both psychologically and physically. Also, there are enormous medical complications associated with cocaine use. Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Some cocaine users report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety, both while using and between periods of use. An appreciable tolerance to the high may be developed, and many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they may become depressed. This depression can cause users to continue to use the drug to alleviate their depression or to turn to other drugs to relieve the down feeling when more cocaine is not available. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Despite a popular myth, cocaine does not enhance performance whether it is on the job, in sports, at school, or with a sexual partner. On the contrary, long-term use can lead to loss of concentration, irritability, loss of memory, paranoia, loss of energy, anxiety, and a loss of interest in sex. You may be doing well now in sports, but eventually your habit will affect your performance. It is better to quit now than to wait until everything falls apart.
TeenHealthFX strongly recommends that you get some help for your drug use and talk to someone such as a teacher, a parent, a guidance counselor, a doctor or a school nurse. Breaking a cocaine habit is not easy. How long and how difficult a task it may be varies from person to person - the craving for cocaine may persist for long periods of time. For treatment you can call either the Alcohol and Drug Helpline?at 1-800-821-4357 or the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) at 1-800-662-HELP.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in this country. More than 400,000 Americans die from tobacco-related causes each year, and most of them began using tobacco before the age of 18.
