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According to recent research, cocaine is the single most abused drug of its kind in the world today. No other substance embodied the go for broke spirit of the 1980s like cocaine, and hundreds of Hollywood celebrities, Fortune 500 CEOs, and even politicians had their careers ruined by the small lines of white powder. Even with the War on Drugs, cocaine is still plentiful in large cities throughout North America and even easier to find in less developed parts of the world. Despite the incredible danger it presents and the overwhelming likelihood of addiction, it is still one of the most popular recreational drugs in the world.

One of the biggest misconceptions about cocaine and one of the major reasons used by people as a rationale to try cocaine is that it isn’t addictive. It is true that cocaine is not physically addictive in the same way that drugs like alcohol or heroin is, but it is far and away one of the most bodily addictive drugs in the world.  A cocaine high is often described as feeling like Superman. The user feels a huge rush of power and there is a strong dopamine rush to the brain. The problem (one of many, of course) of cocaine is that a full on high only lasts about 20 minutes, which means that more of the drug is often then consumed. Adding to the danger of cocaine is the fact that many people, including famed Boston Celtics draft pick Len Bias, can die, almost instantly, the very first time they try cocaine. Even if people are able to use cocaine sparingly, the idea or fantasy of using it further can be very destructive and seriously take away focus from things like work and loved ones. Just like meth awareness campaigns have adopted a slogan that says, “Not even once,” the same could be said for cocaine use.

Since every person functions differently, it is possible that you may use something like cocaine a dozen times before you begin exhibiting signs of true addiction, or you could become addicted after using the drug the first time (or you could drop dead.) Even if you become a “casual” user, the cost associated with cocaine and the fact that you must associate with criminals to obtain it makes it quite dangerous. Cocaine is often considered a social drug that is done in dark clubs or at private parties. Since behavior often becomes erratic and unpredictable once cocaine is used, many users wake later to find that they have done something that they don’t remember. Cocaine use can also severely tax the body, causing heart damage and strain on several other major body parts. As bad as regular cocaine is, when it is morphed into crack or one of the other uses such as a speedball (cocaine and heroin) the danger multiplies exponentially. Since even acquiring cocaine is illegal, the lasting impact of cocaine addiction often ends in either death or significant jail time.

One of the difficult things to pinpoint about cocaine addiction is that symptoms can vary greatly depending on how the drug was taken, in what form and how pure the cocaine was, and what it was mixed with. The symptoms of someone snorting 99% pure cocaine are different than someone who was smoking poor quality crack. Once the high from cocaine wears off, the user is often very irritable, sad, angry, and ready to strike out at the world. Every part of the human body reacts to cocaine addiction differently, from paranoia in the brain to significant damage in the nasal cavity due to snorting, and even heart attacks if too much of the drug is taken.

The consequences of using cocaine vary depending on how you end up in rehab (assuming you don’t die first.) If you are arrested trying to obtain the drug, you will likely go to jail for several years. If you turn yourself into rehab and the police aren’t involved, you likely only have to worry about the financial impact and the impact on your health, both of which are still very severe. In short, cocaine may be a hell of a drug according to the famous saying, but it is a drug that all of us can live without.