Marylou Ambrose - Investigate Cocaine and Crack

Snow.... Base.... Blast. No matter what you call them, cocaine and crack are dangerous and can lead to addiction. What are the physical and mental effects of these drugs? How does casual use lead to addiction? How do you resist peer pressure and helpfriends stay drug free? Real-life case histories are included.

The Incas believed that cocaine was a gift from the gods. Doctors in the nineteenth century thought it was a miracle drug. In the twentieth century, it became a popular party drug for the rich and famous. People thought cocaine was harmless. They were wrong.

Cocaine has caused two drug epidemics in the United States, one at the beginning and one at the end of the twentieth century. When crack, the crystal version of cocaine, came around in the 1980s, people who werent rich could enjoy a cheaper form of the drug. But the reality was far from enjoyable. Crime became worse, families fell apart, careers were lost, and people died. Cocaine abuse still costs society billions of dollars every year.

This book gives you the truth about cocaine and crack cocaine. It shows where cocaine comes from and how it works in your body and your brain. It also explains what attracts people to cocaine and describes the latest methods for prevention and treatment. Youll learn that using cocaine really does have side effects. Plus, youll find stories about actual people whove been affected by cocaine and crack addiction.

You or your friends may be faced with the decision to use cocaine someday. The information you find here will help you make an informed choice for yourself and the people you care about.

In December 2012, Josh Hamilton signed a five-year, $125-million deal with the Los Angeles Angels baseball team. At age thirty-one, the right fielder was on top of the world and at the top of his game. But seven years before, hed been at rock bottom. Homeless, jobless, and suicidal, Josh had been addicted to cocaine.

Josh grew up in North Carolina, in a close-knit, athletic family. In high school, he focused on baseball, and never touched alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays right out of high school, for a record $3.96 million bonus. He was voted Minor League Player of the Year in 2000.

Then in 2001, everything changed. Joshs parents had quit their jobs to travel with him and the team, and while in Florida, the three were in a car accident. Joshs mother was seriously injured and returned home with his father. Josh hurt his lower back and was put on the disabled list after only twenty-three games.

Los Angeles Angels Josh Hamilton stands on the field during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers on September 28, 2013, in Arlington, Texas.

At age twenty, Josh was without his family for the first time in his life. He had lots of time to kill and plenty of money to spend. So he started hanging out with new friends who used drugs. Before long, Josh was experimenting with alcohol and cocaine.

Josh was hooked on cocaine immediately. He compared the rush he felt from his first line of coke to the thrill of hitting a baseball out of the park.

The managers of the Tampa Bay team knew something was wrong and ordered Josh to see a sports psychologist. Josh admitted he was using drugs and was sent to a drug rehab clinic. Unfortunately, he got angry and left before finishing the program.

Josh returned to the minor leagues, but then he hurt himself playing ball and needed surgery on his elbow and shoulder. He still hadnt given up alcohol and coke. In fact, he used to hide coke in his uniform during games. In 2003, he failed a drug test and was suspended. Finally, he failed so many tests he was barred from playing baseball for three years.

Shortly afterward, Josh reconnected with Katie Chadwick, a girl hed known in high school. They got married in 2004. By this time, Josh had been in and out of rehab several times. He stayed sober for a while, but by the time his first daughter was born in 2005, Josh was using coke again. He pawned Katies wedding ring and blew $100,000 on coke in only six weeks. Fed up and scared, Katie left him.

Cocaine is sold illegally in two chemical forms. One form is powder and the other is a solid chip, chunk, or rock, known as crack.

Freebase cocaine has been cooked in water with ammonia and ether.

This cocaine is in liquid form.

The road to recovery began when Josh showed up at his grandmothers house strung out on crack. He was homeless, dirty, and had lost fifty pounds. A few days before, he had tried to kill himself by swallowing pills. His grandmother took him in and fed him, but when Josh continued to smoke crack, she told him to clean up his act or get out.

Using drugs behind my grandmas back and being confronted by her, that was my lowest point, Josh said. But when you feel the most hopeless, youre the most willing to do whatever it takes. That was my moment of surrender.

Like many people, Josh turned to his faith for support in overcoming his addiction. He also went back to rehab and finally got clean. When he got out, he signed on at a faith-based baseball academy called The Winning Inning, in Florida. He cleaned bathrooms, cooked meals, cut grass, and worked with kids to earn time in the batting cage and on the field. Josh stayed there for five months, putting his life back together. He and Katie got back together, too.

When the Tampa Bay team saw the progress Josh had made, they took him back. Josh was eventually traded to the Texas Rangers, where he played for five years, helping them get to the World Series in 2010 and 2011. He is known as a power hitter who is fast in the outfield and has one of the strongest arms in the American League.

Although Josh never failed another drug test, he did relapse twice by drinking alcohol. He now has an accountability partner. This is a chaperone hired by his baseball team who lives with him on the road and makes sure he stays strong and sober. Josh is also tested for drugs three times a week to keep him accountable in his fight against relapsing on this powerful drug.

In 2008, Josh published a book about his addiction and recovery, called Beyond Belief. These days, he gives inspirational talks to groups on how he overcame his addictions. A movie is also being planned about his life.

Cocaine (coke) is a fine, white powder. When cocaine is mixed with hardening substances, it becomes a solid rock, called crack. Crack varies in color from white, to yellow, to pale rose.

Cocaine is usually inhaled (snorted) through a nostril or mixed with water and injected into a vein through a needle. It can also be swallowed or rubbed on the gums. Crack is heated in a pipe and the vapors are inhaled. Both drugs produce a feeling of euphoriaa blissful, excited, self-confident state.