Running Head: COMMUNITY PROBLEM REPORT 1

Community Problem Report

Sandra Avila

University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract

Drug abuse is becoming a more common thing in todays society. One of the factors that

causes people to consume drugs stress. Most people when they consume drugs want something

that can make them happy or relax them for a little bit one example is cocaine. Cocaine is very

stimulant drug that accelerates the brain and produces happiness. However, is extremely

dangerous to the mind and body in the long run. This secondary research will condense previous

information discovered by researchers. The information used comes from articles, books and

websites. The results of this research proved that cocaine users are more likely to suffer from

mental illnesses. Cocaine also affects tissues and organs in the body and in case of an overdose

can cause a heart attack. Most cocaine users are teens and most of them are unaware of the

dangers of this drug. The main purpose is to inform and explain how cocaine effects the body

and mind.
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Community Problem Report

In todays societies stress and anxiety are very common thing. This fast-paced life we are

living sometimes is just too much and some people try to find a way to scape it. Fake

happiness can be achieved by drugs and other addictive substances and for some its the only

way to deal with stress and anxiety. Cocaine is a very stimulant drug that produces happiness

energy and alertness however, this drug can be very dangerous it can affect decision making

(reasoning), trigger depression and slowed brain functions as well as affect other organs in the

body. This research paper will inform and explain how this drug affects the brain and its

physiological effects on the body in the long term, reliable sources will be sited and used as

reference throughout this paper.

As mentioned before cocaine is a highly stimulant drug that produces alertness and

energy however, on the long-term it can trigger depression, fatigued and slowed thinking. But

how is depression triggered by cocaine abuse? Psychiatrist N. Volkow (2016) explains that

dopamine which plays a very important role in the brain and body, its stopped during cocaine

intake and that cause the person to feel happy and alert (Volkow, 2016, para. 6). On the long

term, the brain accustoms to high level of stimulation and when this stimulation is taken again

depression and fatigue kick in As a result, people take stronger and more frequent doses to

achieve the same high and feel relief from initial withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms include

depression and fatigue (Volkow, 2016, para. 12). In the source Volkow also mentions that an

overdose of cocaine might result in heart attack this since so much activity is happening the brain

it overpowers and like a switch it shuts down. This source provides information about how

cocaine functions in the brain and damages it.

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Apart from triggering alertness it also triggers mood disorders and affects decision-

making. Roy E among other scholars (2015) wrote the article and study Anxiety mood disorders

and injection risk behaviors among cocaine users: Results of the COSMO study. In this study

two experiments were conducted the first experiment required for teens between the ages of 15-

18 to had consumed cocaine for the last couple of months. The reason being is that they were

going to test reason and thinking, then the group of teens were summited to a questionnaire and

the results were impressive compared to the second experiment. In the second experiment teens

the same ages were summited to the same questionnaire the only difference was that those teens

had consumed cocaine 3 or more months prior to the test. However, the results had a wave of

difference the teens who had consumed drugs 3 or more months before the questionnaire had

better results that those who had consumed it more recently. After seeing this results Roy E and

his colleagues suggested that cocaine affects decision-making and also at-risk behaviors.

A group of researchers Milby J. B., Conti K., Wallace D. and Mennemeyer among others

(2015) studied mental health of individuals during an experiment that tested anxiety and

depression. The experiment was that cocaine users of different ages were suppressed from the

drug. Then they were observed to see why cocaine addicts had a difficult time leaving it. The

observations were clear without cocaine, anxiety and depression made their way to the brain.

More than half of the participants developed anxiety and depression in fact 77.7 percent of them

did. Milby and his team found a link between depression and anxiety among cocaine users. Since

without it people find themselves depressed and anxious its easier for them to continue to use it

without taking in mind its other side effects.

The reason that depression is created after cocaine addiction is because it damages some

parts of the brain. Indeed, cocaine affects the brain physiologically according to this article from
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the European Journal of Neuroscience. P Georgiou among other scholars (2016) provided

information on the subject. So what areas of the brain are affected? The scholars argued that

cocaine impacted several areas of the brain that caused mood change for example the brain stem

(which controls simple functions of the body such as breathing, moving blood and digesting), the

limbic system (which controls emotions) and the cerebral cortex (which controls decision

making, reasoning). In their research they also conducted an experiment in which they looked at

brain activity during and after cocaine intake. During cocaine intake a visible stimulation of

different areas of the brain however after cocaine intake brain activity slowed down

tremendously in compared to that of a non-cocaine user. In figure 1 (Volkow, 2016), we can see

the difference between the brain of a non-cocaine user vs a cocaine user. The brain of a non-

cocaine user is a lot more active while the brain of a cocaine user has low activity. The results if

this experiment provided a link between depression and cocaine intake but also how cocaine

slows down brain functioning.

Figure 1. Receptor Availability in cocaine users. (Volkow, 2016)

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Cocaine not only affects the brain and its functioning but also cells, tissues and organs.

So what are the physiologically effects of cocaine? Lakoski, J. M., Galloway, M. P., and White,

F. J. (1992) authors of the book Cocaine: pharmacology, physiology, and clinical strategies

researched the effects cocaine has in each of categories. Lakoski and its colleagues mentioned in

the book some of the effects cocaine has on the body for example it fastens metabolism, dilates

pupils and produces abdominal pain. However, the most important physiological effect is that it

slows down different organ activities for example the liver (which controls detoxification of the

body), the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. It also fastens others like the endocrine

system (in charge of hormone growth and metabolism), and central nervous system (which is in

charge of the brain and other functioning of the body) this creates imbalance in the body

chemistry. When cocaine fastens the central nervous system that is when alertness is created as

well as depression. The last topic talked about in the book that related to this report is that after

cocaine users stop consuming it the effects on the body and mind can be indelible. For example,

depression and slowing down of organ activity.

There is no doubt that cocaine is a very dangerous drug but its also of various cases of

deaths amount the United States. Scholars McCall Jones, C. Baldwin, G. T., and Compton, W.

M. (2017) studied the death rated of people who consumed cocaine in their article for the

American Journal of Public Health. In the article is mentioned that deaths related to cocaine

overdose had increased and decreased from 2000- 2015. However, cocaine deaths have

increased because its used in conjunction with other drugs. Its mentioned in the article that

involving opioids increased from 0.37 to 0.91 from 2000 to 2006, declined to 0.57 in 2010, and

then increased to 1.36 in 2015 (McCall Jones. 2017, p. 2). On the other side Cocaine-related
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overdose deaths not involving opioids increased from 0.89 to 1.59 from 2000 to 2006 and then

declined to 0.78 in 2015 (McCall Jones, 2017, p. 2)

Another source provides 11 facts about teens and drug abuse, written by D. Brinker

among others (2014), the source focuses on teens specifically high school students who consume

drugs. One of the reasons cocaine is a very highly used drug is because more than 70 percent of

teens believe its not dangerous and have consumed it at least one or twice. Most teens asked

were in senior year of high school which makes Brinker assume that most cocaine users are teens

who might be stress in school or in their lives. Brinker also mentions that teens that are aware of

the dangers this drug can have are less likely to consume it 50% less likely to use drugs than

those who dont (Brinker, 2014, fact 9).

Cocaine is a dangerous drug that affects the body and mind. Some of the effects include

slowed down of thinking and reasoning as well as depression and anxiety this because some

areas of the brain are being stimulated more that they should. Cocaine also creates physiological

problems in the body some of the examples mentioned includes that it slows down the

gastrointestinal and respiratory systems as well as fastens the central nervous system. Teens are

the most prominent cocaine users since most of those teens are nave of the dangers of this drug.

Most of these teens are likely to die young because of this.

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References

D. Brinker, Steve Buffone, Matt Diamond as JT, John Faucher and Matthew Fields (February

2014). 11 Facts about Teens and drug use. Retrieved from

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-drug-use

Georgiou, P., Zanos, P., Hourani, S., Kitchen, I., & Bailey, A. (2016). Cocaine abstinence

induces emotional impairment and brain region-specific upregulation of the oxytocin

receptor binding. European Journal Of Neuroscience, 44(7), 2446-2454.

Lakoski, J. M., Galloway, M. P., & White, F. J. (1992). Cocaine : pharmacology, physiology,

and clinical strategies. Boca Raton : CRC Press, c1992

McCall Jones, C., Baldwin, G. T., & Compton, W. M. (2017). Recent Increases in Cocaine-

Related Overdose Deaths and the Role of Opioids. American Journal Of Public Health,

107(3), 430-432

Milby, J. B., Conti, K., Wallace, D., Mennemeyer, S., Mrug, S., & Schumacher, J. E. (2015). .

Journal Of Consulting And Clinical Psychology, (1), 45

N. Volkow (June 2016). Cocaine. Retrieved from

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cocaine

N. Volkow (May 2016). Cocaine. Retrieved from

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/cocaine/what-are-long-term-

effects-cocaine-use

Roy, E., Jutras-Asward, D., Bertrand, K, Dufour, M., Perreault, M., Laverdiere, E.,& Bruneau,

J. (2015). Anxiety mood disorders and injection risk behaviors among cocaine users:

Results from the COSMO study. The American journal On Addictions, (7), 654.

doi:10.1111/ajad.12286