Consumer Exploratory Essay

Addiction and Dependency
Name
Institution

Addiction and Dependency
I agree with the fact that cocaine is very addictive, a feature that makes it hard for an individual to stop after initiating use. The drug is termed as addictive due to the alterations that occur in the brain after recurrent use (Mahendran et al., 2016). Cocaine acts as a stimulant when it is introduced to the body and hence increases the levels of dopamine. This chemical is associated with a feeling of pleasure. When cocaine permeates the brain, dopamine is released in excessive quantities causing a sense of euphoria (Volkow et al., 2006). Recurrent use of the drug interferes with the brains reward system as different regions of the brain start to change leading to addiction. With time, an individual develops tolerance, meaning that the system has gotten used to the drug and one has to take a higher dose of cocaine to attain euphoria.
Additionally, I second the idea that methamphetamine and cocaine share certain features and as well differ in several ways. Bearing in mind that both are stimulants, they elicit the same effect in the brain. The two drugs inhibit the reuptake of dopamine chemical causing it to build up, and this eventually leads to euphoria (Zhang et al., 2001). However, the two drugs differ in the sense that methamphetamine leads to a higher production of dopamine as compared to cocaine leading to an influx of the chemical at the synapse (Taheri et al., 2016). At the same time, cocaine has a higher metabolism rate than meth resulting in a prolonged feeling of euphoria among meth users as compared to cocaine users.

The other difference is that cocaine is a plant derivative while meth is artificial and made from toxic products.
Finally, combining cocaine with other drugs may have deadly effects. Street vendors often combine it with drugs such as morphine, ecstasy, and amphetamine. Mixing cocaine with a drug such as morphine is a common culture in parties and clubs. The two drugs pose serious risks to human health and threat is doubled when combined (Greenhouse Treatment Center). Some of the severe side effects of mixing cocaine and morphine include sudden death, heart attack, seizures coma and stroke.

References
Greenhouse Treatment Center. Mixing Cocaine and Heroin. Greenhouse Treatment Center. Retrieved from https://www.greenhousetreatment.com/cocaine-treatment/mixing/
Mahendran, R., Lim, H. A., Tan, J. Y., Chua, S. M., & Winslow, M. (2016). Salvia divinorum: An overview of the usage, misuse, and addiction processes. Asia‐Pacific Psychiatry, 8(1), 23-31.
Taheri, S., Xun, Z., See, R. E., Joseph, J. E., & Reichel, C. M. (2016). Cocaine and methamphetamine induce opposing changes in BOLD signal response in rats. Brain research, 1642, 497-504.Volkow, N. D., Wang, G. J., Telang, F., Fowler, J. S., Logan, J., Childress, A. R., … & Wong, C. (2006). Cocaine cues and dopamine in dorsal striatum: mechanism of craving in cocaine addiction. Journal of Neuroscience, 26(24), 6583-6588.
Zhang, Y., Loonam, T. M., Noailles, P. A., & Angulo, J. A. (2001). Comparison of cocaine‐and methamphetamine‐evoked dopamine and glutamate overflow in somatodendritic and terminal field regions of the rat brain during acute, chronic, and early withdrawal conditions. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 937(1), 93-120.