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© Copyright 2001, Jim Loy
Sigmund Freud was an early experimenter of cocaine. He claimed to have become addicted and, with great difficulty, cured himself of this addiction. There have been people who said that cocaine is not addicting, that the need for the drug is psychological, not physical (as in alcoholism). Regardless, cocaine can be very difficult to give up. So, whether it is addicting or not depends more on the definitions of words, and not on reality. Certainly other emotional behavior, overeating or bulemia for example, are called addicting.
Drug use is usually pleasant, you get a high of some kind. But there are problems. Afterwards, there may be unpleasant periods of time, hangover due to alcohol for example. And many drugs are illegal, and may cost time in jail. And most drugs cost a lot of money. Alcoholism and cigarettes may cost a person a small fortune. Cocaine and marijuana cost even more. And so, drug users often turn to crime, to support their drug use. I suppose their most common crime is the selling of drugs, probably not considered a serious crime by drug users. But that crime causes many drug users to spend time in jail, or prison. Other crimes are theft and fraud. I consider crime and expense to be excellent reasons for not doing drugs. But, added to this are physical problems. Alcohol and tobacco cause major physical problems. Illegal drugs do cause physical problems, to brains. I can see it in the behavior of a few of my friends. It is sad and frightening.
And finally, there is the danger of death, by overdose. Cocaine can be fatal. Regular drug users have to take larger and larger doses, to get the same high. Of course, their bodies can tollerate these larger doses. But mistakes happen, as the deaths of many rock musicians show.