Cocaine Intoxication

Cocaine Intoxication

“Cocaine intoxication occurs when you snort, smoke or inject too much cocaine. One becomes restless and overactive shortly after using cocaine, but with excessive use, cocaine intoxication can lead to death” (Adult Health Advisor, 2005). The four stages of cocaine intoxication are cocaine euphoria, cocaine disphoria, cocaine hallucinosis and cocaine psychosis. It has been noted that cocaine intoxication closely resembles a psychiatric disorder. In the movie, “The Boost”, the main character Lenny Brown goes through each stage of cocaine psychosis and examples of his progression can be seen in the movie.

The first stage of cocaine intoxication is cocaine euphoria which is described as being similar to a manic episode. Individuals in stage one of cocaine intoxication display restless types of behavior such as rapid movements, insomnia and rapid speech are present in this first stage. Behaviors of hyper-alertness, hyper-sexuality and loss of appetite are also commonly associated in cocaine euphoria. Along with these restless behaviors, reports indicate that users experience increased pleasure and do not feel like sleeping because they have increased energy. These two affects of cocaine euphoria are relatively seen as positive effects of the drug which leads to continued use. In “The Boost”, Lenny first enters the cocaine euphoria stage while he is in Joel’s office at the first party at Joel’s house. Lenny is down about sales and disappointed in his performance. Because Lenny’s personality and desire for people to have a favorable opinion of him, he is willing to try anything to do better. For this reason he does a line of cocaine with Joel and instantly is uplifted. Lenny’s wife notices his boost in confidence and increased energy which was a vast contrast from earlier in the night. Lenny also speaks rapidly and stays up late with his wife after the party, which as mentioned earlier are two effects of cocaine euphoria.

Stage two of cocaine intoxication, cocaine disphoria, has almost the opposite symptoms of stage one. This is primarily caused by the cocaine levels dropping in the body. This stage is sometimes referred to as a “crash”. Other symptoms include anxiety, sadness, apathy, irritability and sexual indifference. Contrast to cocaine euphoria, individuals feel tired and want sleep, but cannot fall asleep. Users in this stage also have strong cravings for more cocaine to return to the increased pleasure and energy in stage one. As the movie moves forward, so does Lenny’s experience with cocaine intoxication. In the bar scene when he is waiting for the dealer with his wife, he is irritated with the dealer for being late, even though his wife is relatively unaffected by having to wait. Also, one can see how Lenny craves more cocaine once he is out of the hospital. He was just released for overdosing on cocaine, but as soon as he gets in the car with his wife, he asks her if she has any. Another example to show how desperate Lenny is to obtain more cocaine and try to impress people is by stealing $20,000 from his boss.

As one moves into stage three, the symptoms and affects start to become more severe and dangerous. This third stage is referred to as cocaine hallucinosis. In this stage, individuals experience hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations are sensory experiences that occur in the absence of actual stimulation (Kassin, 2004, 654.) In cocaine hallucinosis, users see, hear, feel, taste and smell things that are not there. Delusions, in contrast to hallucinations, are false beliefs that are usually accompanied by schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders (Kassin, 2004, 654). This is one of the reasons how cocaine intoxication resembles a type of psychotic disorder. Also, cocaine hallucinosis causes effects similar to a psychotic break. Users also experience psychomotor excitement, aggression and sexual indifference. It is during this stage that the individual realizes that it is the cocaine causing these symptoms. In the movie, examples of two of these effects are evident. Lenny’s neighbor Mark sells a script he wrote for $50,000 and Linda goes out to dinner with him. Lenny is immediately jealous and displays a lot of aggression. When Linda returns from dinner, he is furious that she brought him a doggy bag and even physically assaults her. He immediately regrets his action, apologizes and explains that it is the cocaine causing him to act in such a manner.

The forth and probably most dangerous stage is cocaine psychosis.