PAN &Viftn V V V U V 9 I %%VE 00UrW W in any other industrialized nation in the world. "Add to that the fact that the use of one of the most dependence-producing substances known to man-cocaine-is once again in- creasing and you have grounds for real concern," Dr. Lloyd Johnston, one of three researchers who conduc- ted the Institute for Social Research study published last fall. Johnston adds that it is important for people to recognize the way in which a severe cocaine dependency develops, or, he warns, the already serious epidemic will expand even further. "Certainly the best way to avoid becoming one of the casualties is never to start using this drug in the first place," Johnston says. Of those in the 24-and-under age bracket who have tried drugs, 10 to 15 percent are at risk of becoming sub- stance abusers, according to professionals at the McAuley Center, whose clientele includes University students. "You take 30,000 undergraduate students, multiply that times ten per- cent, and you're talking a pretty hefty number," McAuley Center's Carolan says. University health officials have no hard statistics on campus drug -use, according to Caesar Briefer, director of University Health Service. "It's hard to know," Briefer says, adding that "people come forth (for help) only under certain circumstan- ces." The Health Service is unequipped to treat substance abusers, so students with substance abuse problems seeking help through University counseling or Health Service are usually referred to other treatment clinics in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Chelsea, or Brighton. However, professionals at the University medical center are curren- tly discussing plans to establish a sub- stance abuse center "where treat- ment and research would be the focus," says Len Scott, a counselor at the University's Student Counseling Office. Although there is a need for such a center, support from University medical professionals had been lagging, according to Scott. "It's very expensive to have treatment programs," he explains. "These things have to pay for themselves." "The leadership in the medical school is seeing that the center is im- portant), and are talking about it now," Scott says. "There just isn't anybody from inside who is interested and qualified to establish such a cen- ter." While there are campus chapters of Alcholics Anonymous and Al-Anon groups, no groups exist for abusers of other drugs. "I do think we need more infor- mation available to the student body in accessible form, about cocaine in particular," Scott says. Scott, who teaches a mini-course on alcohol, pot, and cocaine through the Alice Lloyd Pilot Program, notes that while cocaine use has risen only in recent years, "there's not enough being done educationally about it... like we do about alcohol." Not recognizing the problem is "probably an unconscious wish that (drug abuse) isn't happening," Scott says. "I think that there's resistance about dealing with drug abuse on campus-and not just on this cam- pus." An ad hoc committee consisting of housing, health, counseling personnel and students is currently discussing ways of educating students at the Un- ,iversity about drug abuse, stressing prevention. While programs have been im- plemented in dormitories in the past, this committee has proposed that off- campus student housing such as far- fraternities, sororities, and co-ops be offered workshops put on mainly by their peers. Eduction may be a step in preven- ting drug abuse, but for those who are already hooked, much more needs to be done. "There are no self-help groups on campus on drugs," says Jane Hassinger, a senior counselor at the Student Counseling Office. "There should be, (because) there are students on drugs." S EEKING PROFESSIONAL help is the only viable alternative for straightforwardly about the after- math of his one-time gram-a-day ad- diction. "It's nothing to be proud of," he says. "Lack of discipline and drug use go hand in hand." Dave recalls the time he became so fond of doing drugs that he forgot to go to his classes. "I'd be laying in the Diag after lun- ch... feeling hung-over... depression 'A woman who tried cocaine and became addicted to it knew she was hooked in 30 seconds. With cocaine it's just a matter of time before it catches up with you.' -Lisa Benson Public affairs director, Cocaine Hotline drug users who have lost control of their lives. Yet, recognizing and ad- mitting drug addiction has never been easy. Dave and other members of his therapy group at a local drug rehabilitation clinic have seriously considered starting a cocaine self- help group, modeled on the Alcoholic Anonymous system, in order to provide a support system for addicts who want to discuss their probelms. "I have a disease, and I'm trying to treat it," says Dave, referring to the cocaine addiction that caused him to flunk out of the University. "I'm 27 years old, and I have no money, no career, no degree, and no friends," sayd Dave speaking By Jill Osero wsky M IKE HAD EXPERIMENTED with alcohol in high school, but he was "totally against" using any other drugs when he moved into South Quad four years ago. "Then I saw people who were bright using them, and they were able to have good experiences," he says. Now it is not unusual to find Mike-still a clean-cut preppie from a small Michigan town-dropping acid, tripping on LSD, smoking pot, or-his favorite-snorting cocaine. Mike, an LSA senior who once called himself a "pre-yuppie," prefers cocaine over any other drugs because of what he refers to as its ''sensory ecstasy.'' "Cocaine is a social drug," Mike says. "It makes you more wiping to be with people and desire to be with people." Mike says that because he snorts the $100-an-ounce substance only when he is with friends, he doesn't have a problem. D AVE CAME TO the University from Texas 10 years ago hoping to find the campus teeming with '60s radicals, but was disillusioned with the conservatism he found. He says he turned to cocaine in an attempt to deal with the pressures of coming to a prestigious school where everyone was at least as smart as he was. "Some people develop bizarre sexual preferences, try drugs, become radical punks, join frater- nities," Dave says. "I turned to par- tying a lot. It just happened to be what I was comfortable with." "Back then there was no con- sideration that coke was an addictive thing," says Dave, who is now un- dergoing treatment for his addiction. He no longer calls his cocaine use " a social thing." Alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine-in that order-are students' drugs of choice on campuses nation- wide, according to a study published in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Cocaine use has grown more rapidly than the other two in recent years, and health officials are con- cerned about the dangerous effects of "the most addictive substance known to humans," according to Neil Cocaine Hotline in New Jersey. "With cocaine, it's just a matter of time before it catches up with you." Because the drug chemically affec- ts the brain in a way different from other substances, if taken long enough, addiction is inevitable, she says. Treatment for addiction means total abstinence. But recently a new drug, bromocriptine, which eliminates the craving for cocaine, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Pioneered by doctors Mark Gold and Charles Dackis of Fair Oaks 'Some people develop bizarre sexual preferences, try drugs, become radical punks, join fraternities. I turned to par- tying a lot. . . back then there was no consideration that coke was an addictive thing. '-Dave Cocaine addict A new ready-to-smoke cocaine, nicknamed "crack", also has healthI officials worried. Crack, a freebase, has had the impurities removed from it and is more potent than other forms of cocaine. "It's highly addictive, very inex- pensive, and very dangerous," Ben- son says. Richard Pryor, the famous, comedian, torched his chest and face freebasing cocaine in the late '70s. In- vestigators of the late actor Ricky Nelson's fatal plane crash suspect freebasing on board may have been a cause of the tragedy. Mike says he learned the basics of freebasing when he worked in a chemistry lab one summer. "Cocaine used in freebasing is first put through an ether extraction. Cocaine is a polar molecule and ether is a nonpolar solvent, so they will separate after being mixed. "Also put into the ether-cocaine solution is ammonia to rid the cocaine of impurities. The impurities would be the additives put into the cocaine to cut it before sale," Mike explains. Mike says he avoided buying cocaine with harmful dilutants by get- ting it from roommates. Last year, his friends made enough profit from their drug business to vacation to Europe. But there is also a high price to pay when selling an illegal substance. "As far as being a dealer, there's a tremendous risk involved because you're dealing with rogues and there are no conventional forms of insuran- ce," says Mike of his friends' line of work. Dave has stronger words for .drug dealers: "People did it were mother- fuckers," Dave says. "It's a cutthroat 3 a- business." TWENTY-TWO million Americans have tried cocaine at least once. Of those numbers, young adults bet- ween 18 and 25 show the highest per- centage of lifetime coke use. About 2.2 million in this age bracket are current users-meaning they had tried it one or more times prior to the 1982 survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In another survey, University of Michigan researchers found that cocaine use is on the rise among high school seniors. "...(The) rates of illicit drug use which exist among American young people today are still troublesomely high and certainly remain higher than Trom the cocaine. The bell would ring from Burton Tower, and I'd go home to watch Bill Kennedy (on T.V.)." ALTHOUGH HE DIDN'T always have money to buy drugs, Dave had a Columbian friend in Ann Arbor who supplied him with cocaine. The dealer gave him the cocaine to sell, but Dave ended up snorting more than he sold. The easy availability of the drug caused Dave to grow careless. He recalls sloppily dishing cocaine out of a bag for his customers instead of weighing it. When his friends came to collect money, and Dave couldn't pay, Dave suddenly realized the dangerous ex- tent of his habit. "I owe this guy thousands of dollars," Dave says, adding that he hopes he never sees him again. Finally realizing he had addiction that left him physically haggard and in debt, Dave thumbed through the Yellow Pages last June to get professional help. In his case,,counseling proved less expensive than his habit. Every time Dave walked into a restroom he would snort a line. But for $150 a week, Dave is now receiving therapy and hasn't taken cocaine or other drugs in eight months. Still, he doesn't see himself as being "cured." Like alcoholism, drug dependency Matt PetreWEEKEND se th, is re( the pr afi wk Ca pe bu at ab dr to be fr M ab m nc tl It he pl tic re "t to st d( w lil th ar tv rc hi w or of re hE a al 'd or .: «1 Carolan, director of Catherine McAuley Health Center in Ypsilanti. "In terms of marijuana, cocaine is 100 times more potent and 100 times more dangerous," Carolyn says, ad- ding that "neither is social or har- mless." Many cocaine users occasionally think of themselves as "social" users, but health officials say it is possible to become addicted to the stimulant af- ter a single snort. "A woman who tried cocaine and became addicted to it knew she was hooked in 30 seconds," says Lisa Ben- son, public affairs director of the Hospital in New Jersey, the drug is the first that has stopped cocaine ad- diction, Benson says. Cocaine can be ingested in different ways, the two most popular being snorting and freebasing. Snorting the white powder has always been a popular high, but freebase, a chemically purer substance made through distilling the coke, is con- sidered a richer buzz and is more ad- dictive than injected cocaine. Freebasing is a dangerous process which requires using a propane torch to "nuke" the impurities from the cocaine. 6 Weekend-February 7, 1996 ---- --- .. ... ..