Is cocaine addictive ? defining the nature of cocaine / crack addiction

[bRiDgE]

If SWIM has a line or two... is it tru u get addicted? How many times do u need to get addicted... and is it really as bad as everyone says? If I did lines every day for 2-3 weeks... I feel like I can stop (but of course i havnt done it). Its hard to believe actually getting addicted to something. If you do it all the time then u just... dont do it. its not that hard...... or is it?

[MrJim]

Addiction varies from person to person. And it is very real.

[TXRoughneck]

It does vary quite a bit. SWIM has a very addictive personality and is addicted to addiction. Thus, true addiction to C is elusive because SWIM wants to feel a desperate desire for it and doesn't. (Riddle that). But for other people, addiction to C is strong and difficult to curb, despite the many deleterious effects to their lifestyle and health.

[hh339]

swim has taken a couple o ounces the last 2 years, no addiction...haven´t touched it for months, and felt no urge...but as said, it varies from person to person.

[frosty]

You'll never know...because unlike other drugs, coke is a sneaky bad bit*h...At least with SWIM...See he started to do it alot, but on the days he didn't do it he didn't feel any cravings(after the initial comedown) but then everytime he had spare money he'd go and get some...even though he had no intentions. See its not a normal craving--like with cigarettes you feel like s*it when you need one...and thats exactly it you'll say you need one...with coke you just always want it...and after a while it usually begins to not be fun anymore...and you'll lay off. But most people I talk to, and SWIM say the main problem quitting is that when you lay off nothing is fun and you don't take interest in anything. This is due to the abuse your dopamine receptors have taken...Just be careful the waters are treacherous--SWIM has seen alot of people ruin there lives and hurt their loved ones...Luckily this hasn't happened to SWIM yet...But if he didn't have such a good paying job he'd surely be on the street himself. Good news is that most people find that if you can stay off for 3 weeks you start to take interest in things again...and you'll definately feel 100x better.

[Sklander]

SWIM thinks that Cocaine is more of a mental thing. It is awesome and thats why people want to do more of it. After a good nights sleep and not being able to find the stuff anyone can surely wean themselves off of it.

[Pinkavvy]

[sarcasm]
you will get hopelessly addicted on the 23rd line, so be careful not to do more than 22 lines in your life.
[/sarcasm]

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thankyou Pink! Couldn't have said it better myself

[asnow]

If you use say 1 or 2 gram of cocaine a day. Does that make you a addict.

[dml]

This is only my second post but I will put my 2 cents in & say it's all in what happens if you don't get your gram or 2? Would you get sick? Does it make you 'not happy' to even imagine not having access to any? Would you do stuff you are not proud of to obtain it?
The answers to those questions would tell me more about a person being an addict.
dml

[adzket]

swim agrees if you can't go with out or need it to enjoy your self or just to get out in the world it's an addiction if its not then its fun at the mo but swiy is already forming a habbit of doing it every day and 1-2g of it this habbit will soon turn into addiction.

[Micklemouse]

Using 1-2 gram of coke a day for any amount of time could well be indicative that there is a problem somewhere along the line. This problem could be as simple as having more money than sense, it could be a self-medication issue for social anxiety, lack of confidence or just plain unhappiness, or it could indeed be an addiction issue. There is a good chance it's a combination of the above. The first issue is easily dealt with - keep this up & SWiYou'll soon be skint & unable to score, at which point SWiYou'll either have to hit the wall & withdraw, or start on the rocky road of credit. Not recommended, but a good measure of how addicted SWiYou actually are perhaps! The other two could take a bit longer & a bit more hardwork.

My advice, for what it's worth, would be to start cutting down now, & take stock of what SWiYou are actually achieving by this level of use, apart from a slowly dissolving septum, cardio-pulmonary problems, a rapidly vanishing bank balance, potential psychosis and/or depression, the loss of friends outside of cocaine circles (not many people can be around a coke fiend for long without getting pissed off, even other users after a while!), need I go on?

[podge]

one or two grams a day does sound like a problem but it truely depends on the person.....swim thinks keep substances such as cocaine shouldnt be over used.

[Bajeda]

Swim thinks that for cocaine, you shouldn't do it every day. It is such an addictive substance and is hard on your body. You should leave at least a few days between use, and preferably longer periods as well so you do other things besides coke. Swim wants to remind you that while physical addiction may take longer to set in, psychological addiction can start pretty quickly, especially when you make a daily habit out of something, and then it spirals out of control from there.

[torr_aox]

what about SWIM that goes through an 8 ball in the course of a weekend, sharing and by their self? Would you consider SWIM to be heading down the road towards addiction? Just looking for input.

[Nature Boy]

Depends. Everyone has different willpower and addiction potential. Some could do it for years without slipping into a daily dangerous habit. Others might not.

[jdrug]

How much of the habitual user's attraction of smoking crack is rooted in the custom or process -- lighting that pipe, hearing that sizzle, seeing that smoke, holding that breath, exhaling, etc?

I'm not discounting the feeling that might be associated, just wondering if the process doesn't become an important part of the attraction. Of course associating the process with the feeling seems obvious, but is there more to it?

[Nicaine]

In SWIM's opinion, there's a very large component of this. Don't forget the taste of the 'smoke' too. Just seeing a picture of a crack rock can cause powerful cravings in someone who's used it recently.

Cocaine in general is well known for generating neural pathways in the brain related to associations between the effects and rituals involved. Even a regular sniffer would probably get a placebo high snorting an inert powdered substance.

To be clear though, it's the effects that create the instinctive reactions to the rituals involved, not the other way around.

[Danc9552003]

SWIM usually does foily's, and while it is a fun ritual to make them and smoke them, every once and a while it's actually a pain in the ass to make one. Like, lets say SWIM just made a really big foily, took all the hits inside and starts to make a new one. He usually wants another hit so bad it actually seems to take too long to make, even tho it takes 2 minutes at the most.

[ProteinBlast]

SWIM knows that the "hunt" to get his fix can be as exciting as the high itself. The nervousness when he's not sure if his friend will come through, the disappointment felt if he can't, and the tremendous excitment and relief when hearing he's come through. Sometimes the excitement causes SWIM to use the bathroom, his bowels loosen (not sure what thats called) just from knowing he's all set for the night.
SWIM associates bathrooms (obviously) with his experiences - pleasant mostly - and so just entering a bathroom causes a flood of thoughts relating to C to enter his mind. Despite being away/off the drug for months at a time, this association never leaves.
Back to where SWIM started - the "hunt" and ritual can be just as big a part, for SWIM anywyas...

[klaatu]

I think this is simply a manifestation of Pavlov's dogs syndrome. You learn to associate the customs / rituals with the pleasurable results. Hence the simple act / sight / sound / memory of those customs causes a similar response.

All perfectly normal and a Good Thing in my opinion.

Klaatu

[buster]

the custom always plays a major part!!!
for most shooters it's the mixing up.. i've met loads of people over the years that i'm sure were addicted top the needle not the drugs.
for pot heads it's the ritual of grinding the weed and rolling the joint.
for snorters it's chopping up and racking the perfect line.

well...different for e and acid heads they just munch em and get off it!!
unless they enjoy sticking things up there an*s

It's good to know SWIM isn't the only one--although her drug of choice is coke. When on a run to pick up her supply, her stomach is in knots just thinking about it--right before she does her first line of the night, she usually has to use the bathroom (and after, too, if it's good quality)

The whole process of cutting up a line and getting a straw ready is half of the 'fun.'

[smuttyangel]

Evening all,

SWIM has a bit of a dilemma - SWIM has been using street uk Amph for last few days - not heavily - but enough to stay awake to function for work and to cope with early morning/late night feeds 4 baby. SWIM knows from bitter experience that the comedown is not nice - ie, irritable, tired, depressed,moody etc...am sure u all know the drill - So SWIM has realised that on previous occasions of cocaine use that the comedown was virtually non existant...however, from a prev thread, you will see that SWIM's experience of Charlie isn't as potent as Hubby's - little or no euphoria. Anyway..i digress...

SWIM has been trying to get hold of charlie for last 3 days to switch from one to other then off....but SWIM hasn't been able to get any.

SWIM now has the opportunity to get hold of tomorrow - a dealers cut - which SWIM beleives is far stronger than usual street rubbish -

So does SWIM go ahead with original plan and switch to Charlie tomorrow for 1 night or does she go cold turkey and just have to go thru withdrawal?

Or more to the point - is SWIM in danger (or already) sounding addicted?

Added L8r: Just realised SWIM is more worried about putting on weight than anything else, as SWIM has lost bout a stone (much needed loss) and feels pretty good as she is now..but that is no reason to continue - SWIM has only being dabbling in last 3 weeks, on and off, so SWIM should stop worrying and try to follow a good diet from now on!

SWIM could do with some advice from more experienced members Please x

[Nicaine]

What about switching to something else entirely, such as kratom? It may sound ridiculous at first (a legal ethnobotanical??) but from experience SWIM can point out that kratom is an incredibly good substance to keep one's mood up during comedowns from other substances. Or if not kratom, codeine tablets, tramadol, benzos, whatever SWIY can acquire... does it have to be cola?

[smuttyangel]

actually, your right - it doesn't have to be cola at all - just didn't know of any alternatives... Only codeine swim has is prescription co-codamol 30/500mg -

hubby has amytriptaline left over from previous pain and depression but that will knock SWIM out, and SWIM has 2 work shifts to do tomorrow, one in mornin - one in evening - and now SWIM has a shitty cough that's lingered (too many cigs probably) - Swim has not had any sleep in last 24 hours..so kind of need to be 'up' but not 'up' too high - hence coke as SWIM hasnt had such a good experience as others.

And Nic - what is Kratom? Is it available in uk? Thanks x