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Recreational Drug Use in the UK

Drugs used recreationally can include marijuana, speed, LSD, heroine and cocaine. They are all have a different legal classification and vary in their effects.

Recreational drug taking can lead to addiction to and dependency on the substances taken and the effects they have. Some, such as heroine, are believed to result in a physical and psychological addiction.

Cocaine can also lead to dependency and is thought to have less of a physical dependency than heroine but a very strong psychological one.

Cocaine is a plant-based substance that it is made into a white powder that is usually snorted. Additionally it is formed into a crystalline shape called ‘crack’ and in this form it is usually smoked. Crack is often mixed with other substances and can vary in colour from white to brown.

Users of Cocaine tend to experience immediate short-term effects. Regular users may suffer the long-term effects that cocaine use brings.

Short-term effects include a rise in blood pressure, energy, heart rate, body temperature mental alertness and pleasurable feelings. There may a decrease in appetite.

Long-term effects can include paranoia, hallucinations, irritability and addictions.

These reactions can be explained by the chemical effects of Cocaine. It prevents the brain from absorbing the chemical dopamine so there is a surplus amount. Dopamine is a hormone that affects the processes in our bodies including heart rate and blood pressure and it provides pleasurable feelings such as those experienced when using cocaine. Soon after taking the substance an individual may feel depressed by the sharp dip in positive feelings and take more in order to raise their mood. This can lead to a permanent cycle resulting in addiction.

The long-term effects are generally caused by the body’s response to the surplus dopamine. Less of the hormone is made due to the excess produced by cocaine and this can lead to a deficiency when not using the drug. Furthermore the brain becomes less responsive to cocaine and this leads the user to crave more of the substance as time goes by.

Permanent use has been linked to health problems such as heart disease, strokes, respiratory failure and coma.