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coke / e
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Been dropping for a while now. A few of my friends are into coke, but I'm not so sure about it myself. I've heard the high is over sooner, and it's much more of an "ego-trip" in comparison to the loved-upness of E. If that is actually the case, coupled with the price difference, I'd prob just stick with what I know best. But please share your thoughts
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In very simle terms the difference between E and Cocaine can be summed up thus;
Cocaine does have a much shorter qualitative duration of action from the initial dose, being 30-45 mins as opposed to the 2-3.5 hrs reported in MDMA (E/pills) use (assuming that is what you are getting).
MDMA works by stimulating the CNS (central nervous system) in a similar manner to amphetamine but also acts as a serotonin agonist, which means it increases the production of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is known to have a role in the regulation of mood, sleep and appetite. The euphoria and empathy you experience on E is derrived from this action, which abbates after around 2-3 hours and (in conjunction with any physical factors, for example tiredness from dancing) produces the comedown effect as your brain re-establishes normal serotonin function.
The cocaine buzz works by stimulating the CNS as well as the production of dopamine in the brain (a neurotransmitter linked to 'reward' sensations), which is why some people describe the sensation as like 'waves of pleasure'.
Qualitatively, Cocaine (especially in conjunction with alcohol) is known to produce confident sensations and leave users prone to extroverted behaviour. E is known to do this, but within a much more empathetic framework.
In clearest terms many people with experience of both would describe their best E buzz as far more profound than their best coke buzz, however many also feel the comedown from E far more severely than with cocaine.
To quote a US Drug policy academic (i forget which one) in the ABC documentary 'Ecstasy rising'; 'I know people who like to use cocaine...i've never heard 'cocaine improved my life'...MDMA, lots of people claim, it improved my life, and interestingly many still claim this after they have stopped using it'.
Also there is the ethical issue with cocaine; MDMA is manufactured by career criminals, so your money is going into the hands of some unsavoury characters...Cocaine funds horrific civil wars and provides THE main impotus for political and social instability in latin american (even today, check out this for an example of the impact of cocaine production
). Every cocaine user should be at least aware of the sheer scale of misery that the cocaine trade entails...
At the end of the day the choice is yours, these only reflect the bulk of my understanding, for more (in depth) information please visit;
www.erowid.org
for legal advice;
www.drugscope.org.uk
and for a simple crash course in neuroscience (how your brain works);
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
(dont be put off by the 'for kids' part, its a brilliantly readable summary of basic brain physiology and chemistry and was on the reading list for a first year course at University of Birmingham, so it cant be that bad!)
turlough - I've a while before I get to that stage I reckon
don't be so sure about that one, this is definately one substance that will abuse you if you abuse it (this is also dependant upon the physiology of the individual and other such factors).
If i were still taking it, which i am not, i would take it probably no more than 3-4 times a year, in much smaller doses, e.g: waiting for some good pills to come around and taking just one. If it doesnt work, oh well theres always next time rather than munching a batch of beans and feeling like absolute shite for days.
Ecstasy was great at the beginning and i am glad that i was allowed the privilage of experiencing it, but that is also tempered with the fact that after my last session I was in a depressive state for about 2-3 months. The mood swings were utterly unbearable, and subsequently from what i have learned i believe that i was in a state that could be described as a form of manic depression for at least the first half of that period (physical tiredness, severe paranoia, panic attacks, alternating between euphoria and terrible melancholy).
I should like to point out that i was never diagnosed as such, but i have since learned that acute serotonin depletion can have this severe 'bi-polar' effect and the effects i experienced do tally with this condition. There is a large amount of qualitative data from users to support this as well.
I've rabitted on a bit and this only reflects my experience, however i would urge you to watch 1) the frequency of your usage 2) the amount you are taking in one session 3) poly-drug use (this means anything you take with it, including marijuana may effect the duration of your comedown for example) I say may, as in there is no conclusive proof of this yet.
In fact i think i'll end by saying that we are still playing with a relatively untested toy here; there are only two studies into the effects of ecstasy use that are held in high regard, one a German study the other Dutch. I shall try to post links to these later, although they are undoubtedly on Erowid if you poke around.
Take care.
I don't like coke, it makes me edgy
Exactly what he said.
PD
Or get something to eat, have a shower and go to sleep.
I just can't cope with the comedowns anymore, more to do with the fact I get terrible panic attacks on them than anything else.
In conclusion, cocaine is very over-rated and in my opinion to fully appriciate cocaine you have to sit and think "what would I feel like now if I hadn't done coke?". It is very subtle and also quite adictive. I think that cocaine is quite a good introduction into "hard drugs" for someone who for example has only ever smoked weed, as a lot of first time users feel no effects. MDMA gives a much better feeling than cocaine but you also lose the ability to be in any normal social situation (talking to "sober" people etc... it may be very obvious you're on drugs), it also has a worse comedown (coke having vitually no comedown bar slight moodswings a few days later).
For a big nite out when you plan on doing drugs do MDMA, if you're got a bit of spare cash and fancy making a normal nite out better buy a bit of coke but be careful you dont get hooked.
As for coke, if someone offers me a free line I'll happily endulde. If I somehow end up with a fair bit of cash I may buy a gram or go halfs on an eigth but I do not consider my use frequent as it normally works out to be every month or two often puntuated with six month gaps.