Cocaine is a stimulant drug, and also a naturally occurring anesthetic. Most of the effects of coke, however, occur when the drug interrupts the neurotransmitter balance in the central nervous system. The initial effects of this interruption are pleasant -- increased confidence, a willingness to work, greater motivation, increased libido, and a euphoric rush or high. At the same time, coke raises blood pressure, increases heart rate, causes rapid breathing, tenses muscles, and causes the jitters (although many don't notice it because they're feeling so alert and euphoric). Over time, and with regular use, people may get paranoid, anxious, and confused, and sometimes they hallucinate. Insomnia, agitation, and depression can also result from frequent cocaine use.

Cocaine is extracted from the coca plant, which grows on the mountain slopes of the Andes in South America, in certain parts of the Amazon jungle, and on the island of Java in Indonesia. Native cultures have used coca leaves, in chewed and brewed forms, for thousands of years for social and religious occasions. In 1860, cocaine was isolated from all the other chemicals in the coca leaf, and a pure form of cocaine was extracted. Cocaine is much more potent when injected than when chewing the leaf. The drug readily dissolves in water, allowing users to inject it and dissolve it directly into soft drinks. Injecting cocaine results in an intense rush in fifteen to thirty seconds, while drinking it results in a milder, yet longer lasting, stimulation thirty to forty-five minutes after ingestion. Both these methods of using cocaine popularized the drug in the United States at the turn of the century.

The physical effects of coke are the same as any other stimulant drug -- except that the first rush is possibly much more intense. The problems with cocaine come from doing too much, its mixture with other drugs, and the crash after binge use. The latter arrives when the initial feelings of well-being and confidence, the sense of omnipotence, and the satisfied feelings disappear as suddenly as the rush appeared, leaving the user with the desire to have more. Usually, after a night, or a few nights, of snorting coke, the user crashes -- sleeping all day long, trying to put energy back into the body -- and decides never to do the drug again. Anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks later, the person wants to do it again, searching for that good feeling from the last time.

Cocaine use can easily slide into abuse -- and yes, this can occur shortly after one's first cocaine experience. The brain's pleasure centers that cocaine short-circuits makes its use a mighty hard habit to kick -- despite the side effects of chronic nasal irritation, nosebleeds, paranoia, and bank account depletion.