“Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction” by National Institute on Drug Abuse

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Table of Contents

Cocaine and drug abuse
Summary of the article
The core issues in the reading
Analysis of the article
Critique of the article
Lessons learnt
Conclusion
Works Cited

Cocaine and drug abuse

Drug abuse has become an issue of concern in the society today. Despite of numerous education programs on drug related issues, people continue to abuse drugs and the youths are reported as the most affected group in the society. In the US, Africa-Americans turn out to be the most affected in such a case as statistics show that drug abuse among this group is relatively high.

The most commonly abused drugs in the US include marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Uncontrollable use of these drugs can cause severe health effects. To combat drug abuse, there is a need for the government to work with other stakeholder to develop long-term strategies that will effectively address this problem.

Summary of the article

An article “Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction” by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is the main focus in this paper. This article gives a broad spectrum of information regarding the problem of cocaine abuse in the US. The literature provides us with a report of a research that has been conducted in the US regarding the topic of cocaine and drug abuse.

The article is extensive and begins with basic information about cocaine to ensure the reader has a proper understanding of the drug. The authors of the article go a step further to provide information about cocaine abuse and addiction, which is a big problem in the modern society.

To be more elaborate, the authors of this research have developed a graphical representation and statistics, which present prevalence rates of cocaine abuse in the US for the last decade. The survey done by National Institute on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has revealed that the abuse of cocaine has been declining at a considerable rate among the youths. Nevertheless, there is a need to make more efforts to combat the use of cocaine and other drugs in the society.

The core issues in the reading

This report by NIDA is a piece of literature that has been designed to sensitive, enlightened public to educate people on the cocaine abuse, effects related to use of cocaine, and the most appropriate treatment option that can help cocaine addicts recover.

The aim of the article is to keep the public well-informed regarding the latest scientific developments in the field of drug abuse (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2). “Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction” reveals that genetic studies have proved that there were heredity influences, which caused addiction to cocaine and to other drugs.

Moreover, the authors of this survey disclose that more recent researches on the issue of drug abuse have proven that environment is to be blamed for increased cases of cocaine abuse (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2). Such factors as parenting, nutrition, and stress can influence abuse of cocaine. Due to such issues, NIDA is committed to find a more effective solution to the issue of cocaine abuse.

Alternatively, the authors enlighten the readers that the most commonly form of cocaine that is used is powder, also known as coke. The researchers further argue that most of cocaine users as a rule combine this drug together with heroin to speed up the effect.

According National Institute on Drug Abuse, cocaine is one of the most addictive drugs because of the way it impacts on the brain (2). Due to the addictive nature of cocaine, it has both the long-term and the short-term effects on the addicts. The authors explain that cocaine is effective within the first hour, and it makes the users feel energetic, talkative, alert, and can cause a decrease of appetite.

However, the author argues that the effect can vary depending on the route of absorption. Long-term effects, according to the article, include significant weight loss due to the lack of appetite, irritation of the skin, over-sensitiveness, psychological effects (paranoia), and mental disorder, among others (National Institute on Drug Abuse 5).

In addition to this, the article reveals that HIV is easily spread among cocaine users due to sharing needles and trading sex for the drug. In relation to treatment, the authors of this article argue that because of the effects related to cocaine abuse, there is no particular treatment method that has been indentified.

However, most drug addicts undergo a comprehensive treatment program where the social, neurobiological, medical aspects are addressed depending on the condition of the patient. The authors say that there is continuing research for a pharmacological approach to address the effects of the abuse among cocaine users. The editorial concludes that the best approach that has been effective in treating patients or cocaine addict is the behavioral intervention, especially contingency management.

Analysis of the article

This article provides the reader with adequate information regarding cocaine abuse. The editorial team has been very keen in explaining and describing several ways through which cocaine drug is used/abused. With sufficient data, the authors have presented the reader(s) numerous effects of using cocaine drug.

Both short- and long-term effects of cocaine abuse, as outlined in this article, present that cocaine is a very harmful drug. The health effects caused by cocaine abuse are severe. The data and facts used by the editor of this article have been acquired through research and survey.

An investigation by National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has been used to provide statistics on the prevalence rates of cocaine abuse in the US. The use of such forms of first hand data attests that this research report is valid. The facts have been present in a graphical presentation. Most information presented in this article, especially the facts related to effects and treatment of cocaine addicts, have been acquired from real life situations combined with extensive research from numerous research agencies.

Data have been gathered from public institutions including renowned research agencies, which include NSDUH and Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), schools, and hospitals. The data presented here is consistent with other research findings and surveys on the same topic and, therefore, very reliable.

The conclusion made by the writers of this article is reasonable. It is a fact that there is no particular method for treating cocaine addicts. Just like most researchers have recommended, this article supports the use of behavioral intervention in treating cocaine addicts as well as other drugs addicts (National Institute on Drug Abuse 6). Therefore, due to the fact NIDA is an accredited research agency, I find this report valid, practical, and valuable. This literature can be used for education and rehabilitation of drug abusers.

Critique of the article

The data and reported findings presented in this article are accurate. Based on extensive research carried out by various research bodies, the report can be deemed as valid. Information presented in this article is consistent with other findings and researches. The editorial board of this article is not biased in any way since the article has been developed with the intention of informing, educating and warning the public about the seriousness of the issue regarding cocaine and drug abuse in the society.

The data presented on prevalence of cocaine abuse among students from University of Michigan present important findings that can be used by other institutions to deal with the problem of drug abuse in the society (National Institute on Drug Abuse 4). The findings from the University of Michigan have shown that efforts by various bodies to eradicate the problem in the society have been fruitful to some extent.

However, despite of the results, the authors continue to emphasize on the need for a more effective strategy; this portrays fairness of this report. The article elucidates the dangers of cocaine abuse to the reader making it a very resourceful piece of literature. The approach, in which the author outlines the effects of cocaine abuse, is very educative and can, therefore, be incorporated in the education curriculum because of its informative nature.

This particular article can be linked to one of the resources that we used in the class. America’s first cocaine epidemic by David Musto talks about the issue of Cocaine abuse and most of the information by National Institute on Drug Abuse can be related to this article. Although this primary article or resource provides most recent data, both studies have something in common and address the same theme.

Lessons learnt

This particular article has helped me have a clear understanding on issues related to drug abuse. In particular, the report has shed more light on issues related to cocaine and drug abuse, which are big problems in the today’s society. The article has also shown that environmental and heredity factors cannot be ignored because they have a considerable influence on increase of drug abuse in the society.

The health effects of cocaine explained clearly in this article have helped me gain a deeper understanding on the negative impacts of drugs. Most importantly, the informative data on treatment techniques for cocaine drugs is relevant and has, therefore, helped me see various ways that can be used to treat such patients. If I was to provide a response to the editorial team of this article, I would advise the researchers focusing more on the effects of cocaine.

Conclusion

Without doubt, the problem of drug abuse in the society is an issue that should be addressed with a lot of concern. The effects of drug abuse are long term and very ruthless.

Cocaine is one of the most commonly abused drugs in the US, regardless the fact that it causes serious health problems. Although recent research by National Institute on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveals that the prevalence rate of cocaine abuse in the society is declining, there is a need for the government to develop more effective strategies to address this problem.

The authorities should establish many rehabilitation centers so that more drug addicts can be enrolled in the treatment program. In addition, the research agencies and other institutions with similar interests should carry out more researches on the issues of drug abuse so that a permanent solution can be acquired on how to manage this issue.

Works Cited

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction”. Research Report Series. 2010. Web.

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