Author Description

Cocaine, which is believed to have surpassed marijuana as the most frequently used illegal drug in the U.S., has emerged over the past decade as a major public health problem. This book offers a comprehensive discussion of cocaine that will be of particular interest to mental health professionals and drug abuse researchers. After reviewing the history of cocaine use and of popular beliefs about its clinical and addictive properties, the contributors examine the behavioral and neuronal actions of cocaine that could account for its abuse potential, consider the neurobiology of opiate reinforcement and activation, and discuss sensitization to chronic or long-term use. Turning to clinical issues, they evaluate the research that has been conducted on drug and psychosocial treatment of cocaine abusers. A final chapter places cocaine in a different context, as one of many psychoactive plants used in the religious ceremonies of primitive New World societies.