I Was Disappointed in Your Answer

DR. WALLACE: I was disappointed that you didn't provide more information about crack cocaine in your answer to the girl in Cleveland whose boyfriend was starting to use cocaine. She wanted to know if he could use it and not become addicted. This was a great time to tell her and your young readers about crack cocaine and its potency.

Crack is more readily available and cheaper than powder cocaine. It is much more addictive and potentially deadly. A person can be addicted after only a few uses. Also, a person can die immediately upon using crack. I would be afraid that a young person reading your column would assume he or she could try cocaine or crack once or twice and not suffer any ill effects. I am afraid that's not so.

You said that addiction is when a user feels uncomfortable or unhappy without it. In the case of crack cocaine, users are more than uncomfortable. They are desperate — desperate enough to rob, steal from family members, and commit violent acts against family members and strangers to get money and items to trade for more crack. They have even committed murders to get the crack they crave. Addicts say it's an insatiable craving.

You also minimized withdrawal symptoms. Depending on the drug, withdrawal symptoms can seem worse than death. I have seen many people go through withdrawal. Someone suffering from withdrawal is much more than distressed. The physical pain can be unbearable. They also may experience hallucinations, nausea/vomiting/dry heaves, cramping muscles, violent outbursts and a severe craving for the drug.

This is not to say that every time someone uses a drug, this is going to happen. But if they try it thinking they'll just use it casually, they might get addicted, and these and other symptoms will definitely occur.

I hope that you take my comments into consideration. I enjoy your column and praise what you do for today's young people. — Christine, Drug Abuse Resistance Program (DARE) Ft. Walton Beach, Florida Police Department.

CHRISTINE: Thanks for the useful information. The DARE program is an effective tool in getting teens to understand the dangers of abusing drugs. Besides encouraging teens to stop using drugs, DARE does a splendid job educating young adults to avoid drug experimentation.

In the column on cocaine addiction, I said that if cocaine is used three or four times a year, there is a chance that the user would not become an addict, but if it is used three or four times a week, the user will become addicted. I received this information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Your information shows that crack cocaine is much more potent, dangerous and addictive than powder cocaine. This is extremely important for all who are tempted to try crack cocaine.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM