Cocaine is a highly addictive, potent drug that is made from the leaves of the coca plant. This powerful substance is capable of destroying personal relationships, creating serious legal problems, draining bank accounts, ruining careers, threatening health and claiming lives.
Psychologically, cocaine users can quickly become trapped in a vicious cycle. The drug produces short-term euphoria; for about 30 minutes, the user feels energetic, sociable, confident, and happy. Addiction creates a physical compulsion to use more cocaine to seek this euphoric high. At the same time, users become dependent on the drug to avoid the consequences of withdrawal, which include depression and paranoia.
Chronic use of cocaine creates further problems that may include hallucinations. People who inject the drug may experience "coke bugs" , a sensation that insects or snakes are crawling under their skin. Chronic use can also cause a serious break with reality. Users may become paranoid, imagining that others are out to get them. Personal and social problems from cocaine use are innumerable, but often include participating in illegal activities to obtain the drug, stealing from friends and family to support the addiction, and job and career problems due to the high cost of chemical dependency to cocaine.
Most people use cocaine the first time out of curiosity. So-called "recreational users" usually start off by restricting their use of the drug to social settings. For example, some people use cocaine because they think it helps them overcome depression, lose weight, or enjoy a particular activity more. No matter how or why cocaine is used, it is always dangerous!