Smart bracelets and cocaine are a bad combination
Last May, we reviewed the 2018 European Drug Report. The study showed a growing trend in cocaine use in our country, which raised alarms about this issue. Around the same topic, a new trend has emerged that warns us of dangerous tendencies. It involves using smart bracelets or smartwatches to “control” consumption.
Cocaine is a stimulant that immediately causes a euphoric effect in those who use it. During the 20 minutes its effects last, it causes sweating, motor agitation, and a rapid heart rate. This last effect is what has drawn attention in relation to smart bracelets.
This time, as with so many other unintended uses, the use of fashionable wearables comes to us from the United States. Cocaine users use their smartwatches to measure their heart rate and, in this way, they believe they can regulate the “optimal” level, that is, without a life-threatening risk. Of course, this is an aberrant use and a highly dangerous fiction. Many doctors warn about the false sense of security these devices provide, as the risk of overdose remains.
“Cocaine users use their smartwatches to measure their heart rate”
In reality, the data these bracelets collect is not 100% accurate, and given the very nature of addiction, it is doubtful to rely on the “control” exercised directly by the addict. Fatal consequences are not going to be avoided that way.
Even in the 21st century, there are still those who believe there are magic recipes that will protect them from cocaine abuse. Attributing the magic in this case to a technological gadget does not change how absurd and dangerous the attitude is.
Smart bracelets have been a very useful technological advance, but they were not designed for that purpose. Neither the bracelets are reliable nor are those who want to use them that way. Anyone who tries to “control” consumption like this is already aware that using is always a risk; these people must take the step of accepting that addiction needs professional support and support from their environment to overcome it.
