Cocaine is a powerful and extremely addictive stimulant drug. The source of cocaine is Erythroxylon coca. These coca leaves have been chewed and ingested by people in South America for thousands of years. People ingested those leaves for their stimulant effects. Humans managed to isolate cocaine hydrochloride, the purified chemical, from the plant centuries ago. In the first half of the 1900s, purified cocaine was used as the core active ingredient in a wide variety of elixirs and tonics. People believed that these products could treat a great array of illnesses. By now, you might already have heard that cocaine was even used as an ingredient in the early formula of Coca-Cola®. Before synthetic local anaesthetic was widely developed, surgeons utilised cocaine to block pain. However, medical professionals soon learnt that the powerfully addictive substance could adversely alter brain function and structure if used repeatedly. Cocaine is a street drug. Its appearance resembles a white, fine, crystalline powder. It has aliases such as Blow, Powder, Snow, C and Coke. Street coke dealers also cut or dilute cocaine by adding non-psychoactive ingredients such as flour, baking soda, talcum powder and corn starch to increase profits. It is also common for cocaine to be tainted with psychoactive stimulants like amphetamine; other drugs like heroin (also known as Speedball); and chemically related local anaesthetics like procaine. Addicts normally abuse two chemical forms of cocaine: the water-insoluble cocaine base and the water-soluble hydrochloride salt. Users either snort or inject the hydrochloride salt. The base form of cocaine is usually created by processing the drug with water, sodium bicarbonate or ammonia. The mixture is then heated to remove the hydrochloride. This produces a smokable substance known as ‘Crack’ due to the crackling sound it makes when smoked. Cocaine is much like other drugs of addiction. The drug targets and over-stimulates your brain. It negatively affects the user’s reward system, which is designed to release short-term feelings of pleasure. After repeated use, cocaine alters how the brain works. It teaches the individual that they can only achieve the same feelings of euphoria if they use cocaine more often and in higher amounts.