For years, effects of the drug called cocaine have always been difficult to pin down. Even cocaine addicts don’t agree on its effects. For some, cocaine produces an intense temporary pleasure, while others experience periods of nervous creative energy, often followed by severe depression. To make matters worse, the medical community has sometimes sent mixed messages about the drug, disagreeing about its addictive properties and medicinal value.

For example, in 1885, the poet and novelist, Robert Lewis Stevenson was given cocaine to treat the pain associated with tuberculosis. The drug did not cure his pain, but while being treated, Stevenson wrote “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll” in just three days. This story of a kindly doctor who takes a potion that transforms him into a homicidal maniac most likely reflects Stevenson’s perception of how cocaine was affecting his own personality. According to the novel, “Dr Jekyll mixes a simple crystalline salt of a white colour………..and some volatile ether.” The drug enlightens Dr. Jekyll to the “dual essence of man”. The homicidal, Mr. Hyde is a by-product of the potion.

Cocaine abuse is a social disease that has infected a significant percentage of our society and has surpassed all other illegal drugs. The present cocaine epidemic is not the first in the United States. At the turn of the twentieth century this country was in the midst of a battle with the coca plant. The primary method of use was household soft drinks. Federal laws were passed to regulate the cocaine dispensed at the corner “five-and-dime” in a number of soft drinks. Currently, cocaine is not used in any soft drink formulas.

A good deal more is known about the dangers of cocaine abuse than what was known even a few years ago. Naturally, the biggest danger in cocaine abuse is the overdose. Because of the endless list of “garage chemist”, there are extremely dangerous forms of cocaine being sold today. The greater dangers are in the unregulated cuts or additives and the purity of the cocaine purchased. The drug addict or “fiend” wants the most potent cocaine available.

The cocaine high is perceived by the abuser as the journey between reality and fantasy.

The hallucinations and fantasies that accompany the cocaine high are also perceived as being beyond the realm of the real world. Although the fantasy is limited to the user’s imagination, the addict is deceived into believing that the fantasy is worth the risk. The search for a dream or fantasy becomes compulsive. Dreams, the unconscious world that is created only in the mind, allows the luxury of travel between the illusion of pleasure and the reality of pain, the high and crash, the Jekyll and Hyde, or euphoria and depression. This “ping-pong” pattern of chasing pleasure and avoiding pain reinforces the psychological cycle of addiction and becomes the birthplace of “the fiend”. Ironically, the unlimited , tangible sensations of reality are replaced with the limited, intangible sensations of fantasy. Cocaine initially elevates mood temporarily filling the user with a sense of exhilaration and well being. As the effects wear off, the user slides into a severe depression. The addict uses the drug just to feel normal or to avoid the severe depression and fatigue that sets in when they try to stop. The immediate physical effects include dilated pupils, hypertension, increased heart rate, breathing rate and body temperature. Cocaine users report loss of appetite and insomnia and have trouble sleeping. Those who snort often have runny noses. Chemical changes in the brain “short-circuit” the human survival instinct, such as obtaining water, heat, food, sex, and safety.

Besides addiction, cocaine can also cause chronic medical problems. Chronic users undergo a range of psychological problems, from mood swings and antisocial behavior, to severe psychosis resembling schizophrenia. In some people, a single dose can produce sudden strokes, seizures, and heart or respiratory failure.

In addition to the physical and psychological drawbacks of cocaine addiction, it also drains financial resources, drives away family and friends and destroys careers. Cocaine creates a false sense of well-being and self-confidence. It tricks the brain into believing that it is helping the user to feel, cope and perform better. This“ jekyll-and-hyde” drug is, undoubtedly, a master of deception.