Health - Cocaine Psychosis

[Alfa]

Does anybody have experience with, or information aboutcocaine psychosis?

[BA]

Cocaine psychosis resembles paranoid schizophrenia and can bring on paranoia, mania, and psychosis.

[Alfa]

When I was studying psychopharmacology I have read that the cause of cocaine psychosis was the depletion of a certain neurochemical. This subtance is produced by the body very slowly and depleted by cocaine use. Women have less of this neurochemical in reserve. The amount of this substance that a person has in reserve, is an important factor, in wether or not one is going to have a cocaine psychosis. This information may be outdated. Does anybody know more about this?

[BA]

Psychoactive drugs work by altering the brain's normal operation. Neurotransmitters are used to communicate between a pair of neurons. When the neuron fires, it releases chemicals called neurotransmitters into the "synapse," the gap between a pair of a djacent neurons. Some of these molecules will bind on to the receiving neuron, but most are reabsorbed by the sending neuron.


Cocaine binds to sites on the firing neuron and inhibits this process. Thus, the excess neurotransmitters remain in the synapse, where they tend to prolong and enhance the normal effect of the transaction. In cocaine's case, this produces a rush of eup horia. Unfortunately, the lack of a reuptake process causes the brain's supply of these chemicals to be depleted. This, in turn, interferes with the brain's normal use of the neurotransmitters and produces an anti-euphoria (i.e. depression) while the brai n recuperates. This explains cocaine's withdrawal symptoms and the need for more cocaine. Which can bring onpsychosis

[beenthroughit]

Well said, in snorting the septum contributes to the paranoia, but after further research its mostly caused by the brains lack of that chemical

[Richard_smoker]

Just found some info on this topic.

Essentially, the psychosis is apparently caused by tremendously overdoing the drug, either in one binge or over the course of many months or years. The mechanism is likely related to the overloading of dopamine--as is the biomedically accepted CAUSE of schitzophrenia.

it is NOT known whether this condition can be permanent, but in the vast MAJORITY of patients, the symptoms resolved with time, and also were helped with anti-psychotic drugs. I did find an article that states that prolonged cocaine psychosis implies an underlying psychopathology--meaning that when the symptoms don't go away, there's an underlying disorder that may have been unmasked by the cocaine abuse. J Clin Psychiatry. 1991 Aug;52(8):349-50.

"COCAINE PSYCHOSIS" was actually first described by Freud in 1884 when a patient given cocaine over weeks described swirling white snakes, the sounds of voices and intense paranoia.

COCAINE PSYCHOSIS:
A mental illness characterized by paranoia, disorientation, and severe depression. It is often the result of long-term cocaine abuse.

From the American Medical Association: signs of "cocaine psychosis": losing touch with reality, loss of interest in friends, family, sports, hobbies and other activities


Here's a good description of the 'stages' of cocaine intoxication,

(REFERRING TO SMOKING COCA PASTE) From a review of the case material we may infer that this modality of cocaine abuse has four distinctive phases:
1. euphoria,
2. dysphoria,
3. hallucinosis, and
4. psychosis

1. The first phase is cocaine euphoria, characterized by intense pleasure which is accompanied by affective lability, hypervigilance, hyperactivity and hypersexuality. (The latter was not seen in all patients.)

2. The second phase, which sometimes follows after a few hours of smoking, is a dysphoric state manifested by considerable anxiety and smoking compulsion. Other affective changes can be observed in some persons as sadness, melancholy, apathy, or aggressiveness. From this state to the last one there is always sexual indifference.

3. The third phase is the cocaine hallucinosis, which can also develop after smoking several grams of coca paste and is marked by visual, tactile, auditory, and olfactory hallucinations. The patient is generally very excited and has transitory delusional interpretations. The hallucinosis is evanescent, it may last for two or three days and then fade gradually, if the individual has discontinued to smoke or receives parenteral neuroleptics.

4. The fourth phase is the cocaine psychosis. It may appear after days or weeks of frequent or continued paste smoking. It is characterized by a marked agitation with hypervigilance and defined paranoid delusions of persecution, damage, death or spouse unfaithfulness. Generally it is accompanied by auditory and olfactory hallucinations. Gustatory, visual and tactile false perceptions are sometimes reported. In our experience this clinical syndrome is different from the hallucinosis because it is more defined, prolonged and complex. It may follow the hallucinatory state. Cocaine psychosis may last several weeks although some of our colleagues have seen patients who remained psychotic for several months [ 10] . Usually they respond to neuroleptics (anti-psychotics).

from: Further experience with the syndromes produced by coca paste smoking Author: F. R. JERI, C.C. SANCHEZ, T. del POZO, M. FERNANDEZ, C. CARBAJAL. Pages: 1 to 11Creation Date: 1978/01/01,


Also, on a different note... from a 1987 New York Times article, I found the following commentary:

Scientists now believe that the psychotic symptoms are caused by the effect of cocaine on dopamine, a chemical that sends messages between nerve cells. Dopamine levels suddenly rise when cocaine enters the body, resulting in a profound sense of euphoria, and drops again as the drug wears off.

Psychotic symptoms can develop after dopamine levels rise repeatedly. And even in cases where full-fledged psychosis does not develop, users tend to be highly agitated and prone to violence.

With powdered cocaine taken through the nose, cocaine psychosis can take years to develop, and most users have never experienced the condition.

But when powdered cocaine is taken regularly over many years or is smoked, particularly in daylong binges as it is among crack addicts, psychosis becomes much more common.

Thus during the first years of widespread cocaine use in the United States in the late 1970's, relatively few people experienced addiction or psychotic symptoms, and some experts even perceived the drug as harmless.

But after many years of widespread use, and particularly with the rise of crack over the past 18 months, reports of crime and psychiatric difficulties associated with cocaine have risen dramatically, experts say.

The problem is particularly acute at crack houses, where groups of people gather to smoke crack. There, a blend of paranoia, weapons and money often leads to dangerous confrontations, said William Hopkins, the supervisor of the street research unit of the New York State Division of Substance Abuse Services. Smokers often search the floor for specks of crack that do not exist, accuse each other of stealing crack they never had and attack each other with knives or with the butane torches used to smoke the drug.

The question concerning this psychosis pertains to the cocaine itself--is cocaine special in causing psychosis?? Answer: NO. There is amphetamine psychosis as well, and the symptoms are nearly identical--NEARLY identical--very similar to how the drugs themselves are NEARLY the same.

Now, it seems that the proper term should be "STIMULANT PSYCHOSIS."

More on this later... let me know if anyone is interested in exploring this topic further. I've found several interesting articles...

Reputation Comments on this post:

	fucking great info dick

[Richard_smoker]

Dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia:

the unusual behaviour and experiences associated with schizophrenia (sometimes extended to psychosis in general) can be fully or largely explained by changes in dopamine function in the brain.


Some researchers have suggested that overactivity of dopamine systems in the mesolimbic pathway may contribute to the 'positive symptoms' of schizophrenia (such as delusions and hallucinations), whereas problems with dopamine function in the mesocortical pathway may be responsible for the 'negative symptoms', such as avolition, flat emotional response and alogia.


This theory is now thought to be too simple to be a complete explanation for the development of psychosis and schizophrenia, although it has been instrumental in motivating experiments which have highlighted the role of dopamine in psychotic states.

Some of the most obvious evidence for this theory is from the effect of drugs such as amphetamine and cocaine. These drugs (and others like them) increase levels of dopamine in the brain and can cause psychosis, particularly after large doses or prolonged use. This is often referred to as 'amphetamine psychosis' or 'cocaine psychosis', but may produce experiences virtually indistinguishable from the positive symptoms associated with schizophrenia. In fact, extensive reviews by J. Lieberman et al. (Psychopharmacology 91: 415-433, 1987) and by Curran et al. (Brit. J. Psychiat. 185: 196-204, 2004) highlight the fact that up to 75% of patients with schizophrenia have increased signs and symptoms of their psychosis upon challenge with moderate doses of methylphenidate or amphetamine or other dopamine-like compoounds, all given at doses at which control normal volunteers do not have any psychologically disturbing effects.


Another important development was an accidental discovery that a group of drugs called the phenothiazines, including antipsychotics such as chlorpromazine, antagonized dopamine binding (particularly at receptors known as D2 dopamine receptors) and reduced positive psychotic symptoms.


This link was strengthened by experiments in 1970s which suggested that the affinity of antipsychotic drugs for the D2 dopamine receptor family seemed to be correlated with the reduction of psychotic symptoms. This correlation between the therapeutic doses of antipsychotics and their affinities for the dopamine D2 receptor (then called the "antipsychotic/dopamine receptor") was reported by Seeman et al. (Proceedings Nat. Acad. Sci., USA 72: 4376-4380, 1975; Nature 261: 717-719) and more recently in the Canad. J. Psychiat. (47: 27-38, 2002). There are no known exceptions to this correlation, as explained further below.


More recent experimental studies have shown that amphetamine increases the level and intensity of psychotic symptoms in people who already have, or are liable to psychosis. Some functional neuroimaging studies have also shown that, after taking amphetamine, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia show greater levels of dopamine release (particularly in the striatum) than non-psychotic individuals.


Genetic evidence has suggested that there may be genes, or specific variants of genes, that code for mechanisms involved in dopamine function, which may be more prevalent in people experiencing psychosis or diagnosed with schizophrenia. Dopamine related genes linked to psychosis in this way included COMT and DRD4.

-from wikepedia

Cocaine Psychosis:
In the worst-case scenario, you may end up with cocaine psychosis - a none-too-nice state of craving, insomnia, paranoia, restlessness, mood swings, lack of sexual appetite and weight loss.


Some anti-drug organisations will list cocaine psychosis as the inevitable side-effect of casual use. It's not. You have to work to get there, but it's easy not to notice how close you're getting.


Good news: stop the coke, if you can, and you will revert back to normal.

from www.thegooddrugsguide.com

Amphetamine psychosis is a form of psychosis which can result from amphetamine or methamphetamine use. Typically it appears after large doses or chronic use, although in rare cases some people may become psychotic after relatively small doses. Other chemicals or drugs which similarly increase dopamine function (such as cocaine and L-DOPA) can produce similar psychotic states. Because of this, the term stimulant psychosis is sometimes used in preference.

Amphetamine psychosis can include delusions, hallucinations and thought disorder. This is thought to be largely due to the increase in dopamine activity in the mesolimbic pathway of the brain caused by amphetamine-like drugs, although other factors such as chronic sleep deprivation may also play a part. The link between amphetamine and psychosis is one of the major sources of evidence for the dopamine hypothesis of psychosis.


The link between amphetamine and psychosis was first made by Young and Scoville in 19381 and was originally considered to be a rare condition. As amphetamine use increased after World War II, largely due to the widespread use of amphetamine compounds in nasal decongestant and dieting preparations, it became clear that chronic amphetamine use often led to psychotic symptoms.


Hallucinations are frequently reported in chronic amphetamine users, with over 80% of users reporting the presence of hallucinatory experiences2, typically as visual or auditory experiences. Delusions, paranoia, fears about persecution, hyperactivity and panic are also reported as the most common features
3
Concurrent to having delusions and hallucinations, chronic amphetamine users may also display stereotyped, repetitive and seemingly purposeless movements, known as 'motor stereotypies' or more commonly as 'knick knacking', 'tweeking' or being 'hung-up'. These may include examining, sorting, disassembling, and cleaning. The article on punding gives a more conclusive description of this behavior.


One particular manifestation of psychosis associated with amphetamine use is delusional parasitosis or Ekbom's syndrome, where a person falsely believes themselves to be infested with parasites. However, related behaviour may occur in non-psychotic conditions, where users will realise they are not infested by parasites but will pick at their skin anyway. This more closely resembles obsessive-compulsive disorder.

[zero]

Ok, how about some of SWIM's personal experience with short term cocaine psychosis, hmm?

SWIM insufflated coke on and off as most who do it do, for years. NEver had any problems. After he started shooting heroin he stopped with the coke completely until one day about 3 years later his tar connection mistakenly gave him dope and a small bag of coke, mixed up orders. Until then SWIM didn't even know his connect sold coke. He figured, fuck it, give it a try. That was his first speedball, needless to say, not his last.

The psychosis didn't set in right away either. It came on about a month after shooting an eightball of coke a day.

Long story short, craziest time of his life. As soon as he would shoot he be peeking out the windows uncontrollably. Literally hearing voices and banging on the door, "Come out, it'll be easier for you if you just let us in." Insanity. Stayed in a mall for 3 hours because he thought mall security was following him, certain they had called the cops, scared because he had an eightball of coke and 1/4 oz of tar in his car.

Cocaine psychosis is absolutely terrifying because the delusions become 100% real in the addicts perception of them. He once shot WAY too much coke as fast as he could to get rid of it and stuck 2 grams of tar up his ass because he KNEW the FBI were banging on his door.

He says he has a stomach ache just talking about it.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	There have been some scarily honest posts from you recently mate. Your candour is admirable
	very valuable info

[Alfa]

Zero, please share more of your experience with cocaine psychosis with us. It is much apreciated.

[Richard_smoker]

Sorry to be repetitive--I already sent this to alfa in a PM, but I thought it might be helpful for the group...

Alfa:
from what i've come across so far, I think that the information that your professors portrayed may have been either false or just misleading.

Everyone on this board seems to be preoccupied with dopamine. And it's true--dopamine does make you 'happy'. but that's only in one area of the brain.

In other areas of the brain, dopamine does very different things... like causing schitzophrenia.

So, your teachers could have been referring to some protein responsible for clearing excess dopamine or something else similar. I don't think it's reason for alarm. If you check the post I placed in the thread you directed me to, you'll find a list (1-4) that demonstrates cocaine psychosis as number 4.

I believe this is the most accurate research that I have found.

Although it seems that there are 2 distinct parties claiming the term "cocaine psychosis," I am prone to believing that the effects are NOT long-term. (after all, WHY WOULD THEY BE!??) Thought this might help clarify some scientific mumbo-jumbo for some. it's just my opinion, however--yet based on commonly accepted evidence. -Dick

[enquirewithin]

It sounds like amphetamine psychosis and cocaine psychosis have a lot in common.

[Richard_smoker]

yeah... now they're basically considered the same thing. Very VERY small differences. i.e. how long and intense of use seem to separate these two in my mind. I think amphetamine psychosis is quicker/easier to obtain, but it seems that perhaps cocaine psychosis requires more prolonged, heavy intake but its effects last longer.

-Dick

[Nahbus]

When SWIM was addicted to cocaine he experienced this.
One day, after a long day+night+morning use he had to go to work but fear and panic came over him. He thought army men were downstairs and ended up locking himself in his room, and later found a big X in metal tape one his bare chest. He didn't go to work, nor call, but sat in his room for a long while being very paranoid and scared.
Another time SWIM was having panic attacks at his mothers birthday party after an all nighter of using cocaine. He would do it in the bathroom at the restaurant during her party (bad, shameful memories) but SWIM couldn't even talk to anyone, he was breathing heavy and had feelings of terror, paranoia and overall shittyness.
Good to let you all know he's been off cocaine for over a year

[zero]

Along with the other examples of SWIMs C psychosis, here are two of the more treacherous stories he's relayed to me.

He and his ex were, as he said, doing IV speedballs all day everyday. They were tipped off by a friend that a certain agency was looking for the ex. They came to her old address and the friend phoned immediately after they left. This was not psychosis, this was real.

They packed up the necessities, i.e drugs and money and split to a hotel in a different city. Shooting C & H, lots of it. 7th floor balcony. SWIM is peeping out the window. He says he is CERTAIN that every single car coming into and leaving the hotel was either a Crown Vic or an Impala or a van. There was even a van out on the street with its driver outside looking with binoculars.

He got so peeped he said he was going down just to check out the scene, make sure it was just his mind playing tricks on him. He goes down the stairwell and here people coming up from below. He's sure it THEM so he wings it through an EXIT door. He ends up outside on the second floor ROOF! The door locks behind him and he thinks now he's REALLY fucked. Too high to jump down and run, so he scales down from the balcony to the first floor and jets.

This is a long story but to sum it up, he was running from the psychosemantic police... they were nonexistent until he trespassed by running through a schoolyard (Saturday) where maintenance saw him and called the district police. He runs through some industrial section, and now the cops really are out there. He jumps three razorwire fences making the foirst two clean, but the third one snags him up, cuts his legs and his chest open and rips off a shoe. He was then on some railroad tracks and saw cops on both ends, cornered in. Well, they got him. So he thinks this all because of the prior phone call and starts babling about how he knew they were looking for him. It was completely unrelated though!!!

Now the bad part. HA! Apparently running full speed for that long on coke had driven him medically over the edge. Severe dehydration, racing heart. He started seeing spots and going out. They took him away in ambulance to the ER where his heart rate was 180 and his temp dropped dangerously low.

In the ambulance, the arresting officer pulled out a small plastic bag and gently placed it in SWIMs pantleg. SWIM see's this, rips off his o2 mask and asks what the fuck hes trying to do. The medic sees this and the cop pulls it out and says, "Nothing man, you're fucked up" Don't know if this was real or psychosis.

Up until that point they had only trespassing on SWIM, a ticket. The cop put on gloves and proceeds to pat SWIM down in the ambulance. In his sock he pulls out a wrap with a spoon and a rig in it, but SWIM had ditched his dope and forgotten about the gear. Now they had him.

Hospital, jail, 3 days, sickness, pain, stitches, psychosis.

He's glad those days are over.

More later.

[Beltane]

Not sure if what SWIM gets is actually cocaine or amphetamine psychosis, but wierd things happen to him on heavy runs. Manic states are triggered such that even if the drug supply is cut off, an outsider wouldn't notice much of a differnce in his actions for the 2 or 3 days it took to come down mentally-- physically, were he the average person, he could come down in a matter of hours when the supply ran out.

He hears things, very vividly and unmistakeably real. The other night he heard his entire family gathered in the 2nd floor flat of a building across the street discussing some reality game show for at least 30 minutes. Mind you, this was after 4am in the morning. Finally SWIM went to the door to confirm/deny (deny) his suspicions. Having mad social game the whole thing came off as very usual (what can you expect when you're having conversations at 4am that can be heard across the street?) The conversations were real (they're not always,) the interpretations were unfounded and misguided and the fact that the voices WERE that of his family is probalby somewhat coincidence in that they may sound alike, and somewhat audio halucination.

SWIM's had a lot of experience now with the fringes of insanity and has learned not to take whatever he's interpreting the world around him as too seriously. He may be convinced 100% that he sees Jesus in a Jeep Cherokee, but he'd have no trouble playing it cool in checking or not checking if there was a reason not too.

SWIM's problems in the past have always come when he's taken his current mode of thinking too seriously, especially when he knows objectively that it's at least somewhat altered. He's much better these days, and much safer because of it, sitting back and giving his full attention to one aspect of his personality's paranoid and homicidal rant and at the same time both talking this facet of himself down and idly mulling over the points being made.

Then there's the few times that there's actually been entities that seemed absolutely real but in reality existed entirely inside his mind. These are the most dangerous because, invariably, one is force to take them more seriously when they know things there is no possible way that they could know. Only when one learns and then later, in the heat of the moment remembers, that these entities know EVERYTHING that SWIM does because they ARE SWIM do these experiences get a little (and not much) less harrowing.

Funny side note: For a long while, every time SWIM did a good blast IV, he's start to hear people out in the hall and either force himeself to ignore them or begrudgingly get up and look out the peep hole. Finally he went on XXX and for about $150 get a wireless, mini security camera system and everything he needed to get it run thru one of his computers. Now on an IV cocaine binge, one of his monitors shows a real-time video feed of the hallway outside the door of his apartment. This is funny because SWIM is a tech geek who loves projects like this, and he completely every step of the process with a huge smile on his face at the obserdity of the application of this engineering project. Still, he loves looking up and that monitor ever once in a while and seeing what has been, without a single exception, an empty hallway
- Beltane

[These Forensics]

SWIM has seen many succumb to cocaine psychosis. Especially with crack. SWIM takes a big hit, and afterwards he loses all social ability. He becomes a mute, not wanting to hear or do anything because he feels like such shit. Then the paranoia sets in. There have been countless times when SWIM has ran back and forth from room to room in a house, looking out the windows checking for cars..even though he knew that this was outrageous behavior, something inside of him MADE him do this. Extreme paranoia is an understatement. SWIM would constantly hear knocking on door, phones ring, and cars pull in that never actually happened. Not a pleasant experience

[Beltane]

SWIM saw someone smoke crack the other day, which is something he rarely comes across, and almost immediately after the first hit the guy spent the rest of the night looking out windows and generally being buggy and very paranoid. From the outside looking in it didn't look like any fun at all, but then SWIM' never tried it. Never will tho either.

- Beltane

Originally Posted by These Forensics

SWIM has seen many succumb to cocaine psychosis. Especially with crack. SWIM takes a big hit, and afterwards he loses all social ability. He becomes a mute, not wanting to hear or do anything because he feels like such shit. Then the paranoia sets in. There have been countless times when SWIM has ran back and forth from room to room in a house, looking out the windows checking for cars..even though he knew that this was outrageous behavior, something inside of him MADE him do this. Extreme paranoia is an understatement. SWIM would constantly hear knocking on door, phones ring, and cars pull in that never actually happened. Not a pleasant experience

[Alicia]

Isn't there a slight difference between paranoia and psychosis, granted paranoia is part of psychosis. But if you were unwell in this way, you would'nt exactly know what you were doing so to speak or that something else

[Micklemouse]

Yes, there is a big difference betweem paranoia and psychosis, although the two often, but not always, go together, and a person can be psychotic without being paranoid. Just believing that people are againt you, or that for example you are going to be arrested/attacked/abducted by aliens would point towards straight paranoia - not pleasant, but not psychosis. Generally, although not always, paranoia in the context of drug use is born out of a genuine risk - one is after all doing something illegal, so do in fact run the risk of arrest; someone may be in debt, or live in or have to score in a rather sketchy part of town, so may be at risk of attack; one may live in a U.F.O. hotspot, so may in fact run the risk of abduction... Add hallucinations (either visual, auditory or tactile), formal thought disorder (flight of ideas, difficulty forming coherent sentences, blocked thoughts, neologism - i.e.the forming of unique words), and delusions (e.g. that one is the richest person in the world, but can't get to your money because of a Masonic conspiracy, that one has an implant of some sort, that one is somehow not human, or that someone else is somehow not human, that one's home is bugged, and gas is escaping from the radiators making one sleep) and you might well be looking at a diagnosis of a psychotic episode.

Although it would seem that cocaine, and crack in particular can trip someone into a brief psychotic state, the true mark of psychosis would be if the symptoms persist after the drug has worn off. The trouble here is that many users don't give their bodies and minds time to recover, believing that another hit will stave off the bad thoughts (which it may well do, albeit momentarily), but actually keeping themselves at a heightened state of stimulation and paranoia that over time can easily bleed into a full blown psychosis.

Many drugs, especially psychedelics and hallucinogens carry people into what could be termed a psychotic mindstate, but because of the nature and perception of the drug, people are said to be 'tripping', not psychotic. What is percieved of as a psychotic reaction to cocaine, in the short term, may in fact only be what would be classed as a 'bad trip' with another drug. The difference being the often addictive nature of cocaine, which does not always allow the user to fully come down and rationalise the experience.

[zero]

In SWIMs case it was definitely psychosis. Cocaine psychosis isn't typically permanent or anything. It's a temporary state of psychosis but it goes well beyond the realm of paranoia. SWIM didn't know until quite a bit after these episodes that these things did NOT happen.

[Nagognog2]

Bongo knew a monkey that was in a perpetual state of cocanoid ideation (cocaine-psychosis). EVERYBODY was out to get him 24/7! He was a small guy, with a bad attitude, who would tend to feel there was nothing he could do about THEM being after him. So he would retreat into the back corner of his house, curl up in the fetal-position on the floor, and suck his thumb.

He was terribly depressed by this situation and turned to alcohol - on top of the cocaine/crack. Which he continued to use at every possible time. Spending the mother of his kid's welfare check. He developed a convulsive disorder and would smoke his crack and flop around on the floor like a fish on a dock. It was a mess.

He finally died of a heart-attack - with THEM hot on his heels into the afterlife. Bongo carries the obituary from the paper in his wallet to this day.

[Beltane]

Originally Posted by Alicia

Isn't there a slight difference between paranoia and psychosis, granted paranoia is part of psychosis. But if you were unwell in this way, you would'nt exactly know what you were doing so to speak or that something else

Great question, to which SWIM does not have an answer. SWIM has been to the place that you're speaking about-- Actually hallucinating and carrying on a convo with a family of six as his best frind watched on. This was an intense and singular experience. See SWIM had never been to a place like that in his head so he had no reason to doubt that the things he thought and believed were actually reality. This got him bounced into emergency psych for a couple hours on 3 different occasions over a 2 day period-- nothing serious, just worried friends. On all occasions he purposely spoke very little and was extra pleasant and was released within hours.

After this couple days he took a good, long beak from everything. Nothing like this had ever happened, so he never had a reason to doubt whatever presented itself as reality. After this, he realized just how weird things could get and how real everything could still seem.

When he went back a few months later, nothing quite as extreme happened after that, but when weird things did happen he found there was a part of him that beliieved its senses without question, but now there was a new, nurturing and ever-present voice of reason with an unbreakable connection to the commonly shared reality and modes of thougth.

SWIM: "I hear my family across thoss the street in that 2nd floor flat."
SWIM's Voice Of Reason: "OK, it's 4am and it's very unlikely that they'd be across the street and not have come and said hi. If you want you can go and walk down the street and smoke a cigarette and listen more closely, instead of just barging in looking for your family."

That voice has been very helpful ever since in keeping SWIM out of way too wierd situations.

- Beltane

[Ant-Man]

SWIM has been using/abusing for 20+ years (Primary-Smoking Coca) and has seen strange behavior from first timers to old veterans. Why is it that SWIM has never experienced this behavior? SWIM has engaged for 14 days continuous with nothing more that some visual hallucinations. Is it strength of mind and body?

[Alicia]

Originally Posted by Ant-Man

is it strength of mind and body?

Well a strong psychological state may keep you grounded for a while, but as the neurochemistry is altered with constant cocaine use, its eventual. everyone will react differently to a given substance.

swim thought some people (rare so I hear) when they do show psychosis as a result of drug use.That the state can be permanent well, lasting years before they recover. Im not sure thou not sure if that was referring to people who have dormant mental conditions like schizophrenia or people who just do to much and have drug induced psychosis until it is removed from the person system

[Shooting Starz]

Swims Boyfriend is one of the worst. His psychosis starts within 2 minutes of the first hit. Starts with thinking Swim is cheating on him or lying to him. By the end of the night everyone and everything is out to make a fool of him by keeping the secret of Swim cheating. (Swim doesn't have the time or energy to cheat)

Its not just with crack but also with meth. The difference is with crack he is quite about it and is afraid to bring it up other than mumbling under his breath.

With meth he is very open about what his brain is telling him. It even got to the point one night that he thought that People with guns were outside. He thought Swim had Set him up to be killed. He held her hostage for 4 hours with a hammer. Until finally at day break he ran out the house in his boxers. He ended up hiding in a ditch for about an hour. Then was in a neighbors yard with the hammer begging for help. They called the cops and brought him home in the back of the cop car. Luckily Swim talked to cop out of taking him to jail. But these kinds of things happen every time he smokes. Swim wishes he would either find a new drug or quit all together.