You’re at a work event with your partner. People are chatting as appetizers are being passed around. You’re having a good time. Your partner tells you they need to go to the bathroom and ask if you can hold onto their bag. You do so without a problem, continuing to snack as you wait for them to return.
While they’re still gone, you hear a buzzing in the bag. You dig around inside, trying to find their phone in case it’s an important phone call. As you’re searching for their phone, you notice something tucked away, barely peeking out from behind a zipper. The phone stops buzzing as you stare at the bag for a moment. Inside of it is a white, powdery substance. What on earth does your partner have in their bag? Are they carrying drugs on them?
Nearly 3 million Californians reported having a substance use disorder in the past year. Here at Pacific Sands Recovery, we’ve seen the impact that education about substance use can have. As a facility that believes in solution-focused treatment, we extend that same philosophy when we work with our community, too. Today we’re going to be answering questions about how to identify substances, specifically cocaine. Cocaine identification can be important not only for the safety of the person finding it but also to help better facilitate a conversation about it in the future.
So You’ve Found a White Powdery Substance – What Is It?
The most commonly found form of cocaine is a white, powder form. This form, however, is also fairly common in many other substances. Today we’re going to be going through different tips that can help you better determine if the product you found is cocaine or not.
Different Substances That Can Look Like Cocaine
Heroin, fentanyl, and meth are all substances that can often be found in a white, powder form. While there are some ways to differentiate between these and cocaine, these aren’t 100% guaranteed.
For example, heroin has a higher chance of coming in a more off-white form than cocaine. Methamphetamines, commonly referred to as just meth, can sometimes be less refined and come in a slightly chunkier powder form. Meth also commonly comes in a rock form, which cocaine can come in as well. Meth, however, is more commonly transparent, unlike cocaine.
Fentanyl, on the other hand, is impossible to differentiate with the naked eye. The only way to tell if a product is fentanyl, or simply has fentanyl laced within it, is to use a fentanyl testing strip.
What You Need to Know to Properly Identify Cocaine
If other substances can look like cocaine, and even common baking products like flour and baking soda come in a white powder form, how can you tell what is or isn’t cocaine?
Can You Identify Cocaine By Sight or Smell?
As we mentioned before, cocaine comes in two primary forms – a white powder and a white to off-white rock-like form. The rock-like form of cocaine is known as crack cocaine. The off-white color can range from yellow to pink undertones. It is usually entirely opaque.
Cocaine is primarily consumed by smoking, snorting, injecting, or rubbing it on the gums. Depending on the type of cocaine, you will most likely find it in a bag, or maybe hidden within an old medicine bottle. You might find other drug paraphernalia around it, too, such as needles or a pipe. Cocaine pipes are often glass tubes with a small sphere on the end. They might be discolored due to use.
You might be tempted to try to taste or smell the product to figure out what it is. The smell of cocaine is faint, though some report it to have a chemical-like scent to it. The taste of cocaine is often described to be a strong, bitter taste.
Things like scent and taste are not safe ways to identify cocaine. Both tasting and smelling are common forms of ingesting cocaine, and you can’t know what else is in the substance you found.
Are There Other Ways to Identify Cocaine Use?
If you can’t easily identify cocaine based on just your senses, what do you do next?
To better ascertain the substance you found, you can turn to context clues next. This can include everything from words your loved one uses to different physical and behavioral side effects they may be exhibiting. If they’re hiding substances like cocaine from you, there is already a chance that they might be managing a cocaine use disorder.
Context Clues – Common Street Names for Cocaine
Street names are one way to figure out if someone might be living with a cocaine use disorder. Street names are a way for people to reference substances, like cocaine, without others knowing what they’re talking about.
Some common street names for cocaine include snow, coke, blow, flake, hail, sleet, and hardball. Street names can vary from place to place and not all street names are common knowledge. By utilizing the context clues of their sentences, however, you might be able to figure out if the things they’re saying are related to substance use.
Behavioral Changes – The Side Effects of Cocaine Use
Cocaine use has many side effects that can develop, especially with long-term use. These side effects can impact both physical and mental health. Additionally, substance use and dependency can lead to different behavioral changes. Any combination of these cocaine side effects below could be indicative of a cocaine use disorder.
- Increased/frequent nose bleeds
- Paranoia
- Increased anxiety/depression
- Changes in appetite
- Insomnia
- Higher blood pressure
- Increased sex drive
- Dry mouth
- Increased irritability
- Unpredictable or violent behaviors
These symptoms, especially in combination with things like quitting hobbies they used to love, financial hardship, or withdrawing from friends and family, can be signs of a cocaine use disorder.
So You’ve Found Cocaine – Now What?
After finding an unknown substance, even if you do determine that it is cocaine, you might not know what you should do next.
If you’re going to talk with your loved one about it, make sure it’s not a confrontation. If they’ve been hiding it from you so far, they’re probably doing so because they are afraid of your reaction. Substance use disorders can be life-consuming, and what they need from you most is your support when they address it.
Approach them with an open mind and no judgment. Remind them that you care and want them to be happy and healthy. Ask them about how they feel about their cocaine use. You can include leading questions like why they take cocaine, what their fears are with stopping, and where they see themselves in the future regarding this.
Offer your support to them. That first step into recovery can often be the most daunting. Work together to research rehab centers. You can also offer assistance in other ways like driving them to their first appointment or helping them continue practicing the new skills they learn during their recovery journey.
Whatever you do, don’t forget to remind them that you love them, and don’t be afraid to take time to reflect and heal yourself, too.
Treatment Options for Cocaine Use in California
When it comes to finding recovery programs here in California, you have options. There are several things to keep in mind when searching for the right place. You’ll want to look into places that offer detox programs, inpatient programs, and outpatient programs. Everyone’s recovery plan will look different, but by knowing what the options are, you can help find the right program to suit your needs.
Going through a cocaine detox program is a great way to start recovery. It allows you to go through cocaine withdrawal in a safe environment surrounded by trained, medical professionals. Detox often sets the foundation for the next step in your journey.
Inpatient and outpatient programming are the main basis for starting your recovery. Inpatient programs allow you to stay on-site so you can focus on your recovery and not worry about anything else. Outpatient programs can either be used in place of inpatient, offering the same treatment while you stay in the comforts of your home, or it can be a transitional phase. Many people go from inpatient to outpatient as a way to still have ongoing support as they address new stresses and obstacles they might face while adjusting to being at home again.
Here at Pacific Sands, we offer the full continuum of care to help ensure you get the support you need. Our staff are hands-on, with our clinical director being on-site nearly 50 hours a week. We’re dedicated to ensuring you have the proper support and care during your healing journey. If you have any questions about our cocaine recovery program, give us a call anytime at 949-426-7962. We’re here for you whenever you’re ready.
Pacific Sands – The first step towards a new life.
