Addictions

Alcohol Abuse - Diagnostic Code 305.00 as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness (DSM) is:

A. A maladaptive pattern of alcohol use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more) of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:

(1) recurrent alcohol use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home (e.g., repeated absences or poor work performance related to alcohol use; alcohol-related absences, suspensions, or expulsions from school; neglect of children or household)

(2) recurrent alcohol use in situations in which it is physically hazardous (e.g., driving an automobile or operating a machine when impaired by alcohol use)

(3) recurrent alcohol-related legal problems (e.g., arrests for alcohol-related disorderly conduct)

(4) continued alcohol use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the alcohol (e.g., arguments with spouse about consequences of Intoxication, physical fights)

B. The symptoms have never met the criteria for Alcohol

Dependence. Too much Alcohol is really harmful and now a days many people misuse alcohol..
Choosing being drunk rather than being with your family is a symptom of alcoholism. Alcoholism means that your work and personal life have problems caused by drinking.

Most often there is either a genetic predispostion as in the case of primary addiction or an underlying chemical disorder. When there is a chemical disorder a person will often find a drug that takes over the same receptor site as the appropriate medication would to treat the disorder. So smoking cigarrettes take over the same receptor site as would Ritalin for ADD/ADHD.

Whats going on here?!

Do you people even know what physical addiction is?

No. Cocaine is not physically addictive.

And there will be no propaganda in my answer like those other posts. All the info I'm giving is from personal experience and from what my doctor told me when I asked him the same question. We all know cocaine is bad for you blah blah.. the question was "Is cocaine physicaly addictive" and the answer is NO.

It is, however, severely psychologically addictive. Some users experience no withdrawal symptoms, for some people the dependence comes on slowly over weeks or months of use, and for some it like, you snort one line and suddenly your wallet is arguing with your mind and body, while your self control shoots heroin and dozes off on the front porch (you won't be seeing him till tomorrow and he's gonna have some physical withdrawal going on).

But lets get serious here.

Sudden abstinence from a physically addictive substance causes physical harm such as seizures, severe muscle and bone aches, immune system suppression, some can be fatal.

Psychologically substances, cause psychologicalharm with sudden withdrawn such as severe anxiety, depression, even drug educed schizophrenia type symptoms. These psychological symptoms can often manifest themselves as physical problems like shaking, sweating, panic attacks, irritable bowel syndrome.. the list goes on, but none of these problems will cause physicalbodily harm, and there is potential for death from sudden withdrawal, in fact, your body will probably thank you after it's done being all anxious and depressed.

Both types of addiction are caused by similar mechanisms. Addiction occurs when one suddenly abstains from taking a certain exogenous substance (or similar types of substance) for a long period of time (though time period really depends on the person and can develop a lot faster with psychological withdrawal than physical). While the person is on the drug, that person will slow down, or stop the body from producing some endogenous chemicals, or severely decrease the effectiveness of natural bodily chemicals. This causes distress because you're body needs these chemicals to be present in natural quantities and act effectively on the body and mind.

So you can do a gram or so of coke per day for years and quitting cold turkey won't harm your body....... As long as your heart doesn't explode and you liver doesn't crap out and you don't develop one of the many other health problems chronic cocaine use causes.... and what your doing is actually cocaine and not some other strange chemical that disgusting, despicable coke dealers often throw in the mix

Basically, it's the actual use (not the sudden withdrawal) that causes physical damage. And the damage is bad, despite it's moderate social acceptance.

The use of cocaine affects the way a person thinks, acts and feels. A person who has begun to abuse cocaine and is becoming addicted to the drug will focus more and more energy on acquiring and using the drug. One extremely detrimental cocaine abuse symptom is obsession or craving. Once a person has become addicted to cocaine, their mind and body have an obsession with the drug that is curbed only when the drug is found and used.

As soon as cocaine enters the body it begins to take control of the user's mind. The user becomes increasingly consumed with the prospected of using more cocaine. This mental obsession grows larger and begins to manifest itself in the user's actions. As the user becomes more desperate for the drug, he/she will do whatever it takes to find more cocaine: lie, cheat, steal, etc. Drug addicts are notorious for stealing from loved ones, lying about their use and finding devious ways to get the drugs they need. Many users find themselves in jail and other situations that they never thought were possible.

In addition to the mental cocaine abuse symptoms that the user feels, there are also physical consequences for using the drug. The chemical makeup within the body must readjust itself in order to have the ability to consume a foreign substance. The user becomes physically hooked to the drug from the very first use. This is completely false. No drugs can cause physical dependence from the first use. Talk to a doctor or do some research (the internet is directly in front of your face.. in case your having trouble finding info.... Then again... I'm a creative person and like making up stories as well. To each his own I suppose. There are a wide range of physical cocaine abuse symptoms including less severe symptoms such as loss of appetite and nosebleeds, to more sever symptoms such as heart and respiratory problems. Over time the nasal passage through which the drug travels will disintegrate causing uncontrollable nosebleeds and a loss of sensory nerves. Eventually the user will become physically ill, experiencing cocaine abuse symptoms such as stomach cramps, cold sweats and increased heart rate. In time continuous cocaine abuse and the worsening of these symptoms can lead to death.

There is only one way to help your loved ones should they be hooked to any drug INTERVENTION! Family, friends, wives, not even their children can usually give them a reason to stop using on their own. A small percentage will realize they are losing their life and know instinctively that they could die, so they may enter into drug rehabilitation themselves. THERE IS HOPE! (propaganda!)

After that first line you are standing at a crossroad in your life. Go left, never do it again, you just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Go right and you think that it is overrated, doesn't seem that bad and a year later you find yourself doing another one with a lot less hesitance than the first time, cause now you think you can handle it. You think you know whats its all about and it doesn't seem as hectic as what people make it out to be. Cause that first time you get all the highs and none of the lows, you sleep fine that evening, no lying awake for hours on end. Next thing you know you doing it once a month, but there's no withdrawal, you think of it as that shot of Stroh rum that you drink once a month. And that can go on for years, no problems, right. Now try quitting it. It is all in the mind, dopamine and all that stuff. If your brain knows it can get a take away of that lovely dopamine for much less effort than manufacturing it itself, it convinces every cell in your body that it's okay, what's wrong with unhealthy food once a month, unfortunately its not your stomach, but your body's control centre that takes the hit.

Well, I'll tell you this much. I'm 2 days out of rehab and I spent 2 months there, so I learned quite a bit about the illness of addiction. There is now years of research on addiction and it's widely acknowledged now that 12.5% of any group of people, no matter what race or country you come from, are addicts/alcoholics. And the doctors and psychiatrists are in agreement that there is only one drug that gets you physically hooked is methamphetamine (tik). When the US soldiers came back from Vietnam they found that 60% of the troops were doing heroine. Doctors watched the situation very carefully to determine whether its the drug that's the problem or does the problem lie with the individual. And guess what? 12.5% of the users could not stop on their own. So I hope that answers your question, cocaine is much more physically addictive for someone who has a natural disposition of having the illness of addiction. Recovery = abstinence + change