Drugs A to Z

Cocaine

aka: coke, charlie, snow, c, flake, toot

What is it?

Cocaine is a drug made from the coca plant. It is a white powder with a bitter taste, and it dissolves in water. Cocaine is a stimulant (upper). Stimulants act on the central nervous system and increase activity in the brain.

How is it taken?

Cocaine is usually snorted up the nose and can be mixed with a solution and injected.

What are the effects?

• It makes you feel wide awake, confident.
• You have a feeling of euphoria.
• It reduces your appetite so you don’t feel hungry.
• It lasts about 30 minutes.

What are the risks?

• As with most drugs, the feelings of well-being soon wear off, and you want to take more and more to get back those feelings. This can quickly lead to dependent use.
• Cocaine is psychologically very addictive.
• The come down can leave you feeling anxious and depressed.
• You may not be able to sleep.
• If you keep using it can become very expensive.
• If you use heavily, you can lack sexual desire.
• If there is a history of mental illness, coke could bring these illnesses out in you.
• Long term use can damage your nose.
• You can overdose on coke.
• Mixing substances is very dangerous and can be deadly. Don’t mix cocaine and heroin (speedball) or other stimulant drugs like amphetamine.

Injecting

If you are injecting, there is a greater risk of overdosing and injecting brings on many other problems, e.g. vein damage, ulcers and gangrene. If you use dirty needles, you are at risk from HIV and Hepatitis. Use needle exchanges to get clean needles phone GDAS on 01452 381166 to find your local needle exchange.

How much is it?

It costs about £25 - £30 per half gram and about £40 - £80 per gram

Cocaine is a Class A substance

The Law

Staying Safe

1. Try to avoid regular use.
2. Keep a record of the amounts you take and the costs.
3. Sniffing Cocaine is possibly less damaging than smoking Crack.
4. Try to maintain regular sleep and diet patterns.
5. Allow time to recover from each session of use. Have a rest for a day or two.
6. Avoid injecting, but if you do inject, take care not to share injecting equipment. If you need to, use a needle exchange scheme to get your own equipment.
7. Do not mix Cocaine with the other drugs (especially heroin and other depressants)