All that glitters ... No question girls today are doing it all! Including cocaine unfortunately. Whether It's to get hogh, look cool or lose weight, one has to wonder why so many teens are willing to risk everything for a whiff of this dangerous--and deadly--drug.

Take some white powder, and snort it up your nose. like you'd ever do something that gross. Ashley, ed drinking and smoking pot at 16, but cocaine thing she knew she would absolutely never try. "It's a 'hard drug' like heroin and that seemed way too seedy to me," says Ashley. But never say never. "One day, my friend had lines of cocaine drawn out on her bathroom sink, and she asked if I wanted some. For some reason, I just said, 'Sure.' It didn't seem like any big deal.

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"I didn't feel much. But when I got home, I couldn't sleep, so I just stayed up all night--and I loved it! I felt excited, like anything could happen to me and I wouldn't care. From the moment I tried it, I was totally hooked."

After continuing to use cocaine for about a year and a half, Ashley lost 20 pounds from her already thin body, racked up 350 demerits at school and almost got expelled. She knew it was a matter of time before she went to jail. Her parents sent her to a rehab facility, and she's been drug-free for over a year.

Cocaine is a super-expensive drug, so you'd figure very few teens can afford it, right? Wrong. A recent University of Michigan study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that, while there has been a drop in the use of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana in the past few years, there has been absolutely no drop in cocaine use among teens.

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And government studies don't paint a complete picture, says Dr. Jeff Nalin, executive director, Echo Malibu Youth Treatment Center. "We've found that, in reality, cocaine is definitely a drug of choice among young women right now from all walks of life. Girls are attracted to stimulants since they're so concerned with being thin. What we're seeing is that teen girls are using more significant amounts of cocaine and that they're using it younger and younger, even by age 13."

Janice Styer, a therapist at the Caron Treatment Center in Pennsylvania, agrees: "Girls are getting hooked on coke in tremendous numbers because it's highly addictive." Ashley is just one of many.

PUTTING LIVES ON THE LINE

You'd have to live on a deserted island to be unaware of the perils of using hard drugs like cocaine, heroin, ecstasy or crystal meth. And yet, teens are willing to risk heart attacks, brain damage and even death to use cocaine. While the number of teens who use cocaine isn't even in the ballpark with those who use alcohol and pot, cocaine use is every bit as serious.

"I'd heard coke was only mentally addictive, so I thought I could stay really strong and not get addicted," says 19-year-old Christine, who started using at 15. "But that didn't work."

"You see the physical signs of addiction--heart problems, lung problems, kids losing their teeth or noses by age 20," warns Dr. Nalin. "There is a psychological component, because at the beginning, you get the effects you want and none of the secondary problems you don't want. But once the addiction catches up with you, you realize you're in legal trouble, you're moody, you don't look good anymore, and your happiness starts to leak out. It often takes until this point for people to seek treatment and realize that what they were using it for before is not what they're using it for now."

And the risks go beyond that. There are some very real hidden dangers. "I used all my money from work for drugs," explains Christine. "But that wasn't nearly enough to get the amount of coke I needed, so my best friend and I started hanging out with older men who had money and cocaine--and we had to do things for them in return. It was totally disgusting and humiliating, but I was willing to do anything to get it."

Christine is far from alone, according to Dr. Nalin: "Today, the number of young women who have been the victims of sexual assault while using cocaine and other drugs is astronomical They do things they would never normally do and are ashamed of doing just to get drugs. Cocaine is such an expensive drug that people are willing to do things to get it."

Says Angela Albano, director, Mountainside Estate for Women, "Teen girls will even commit crimes as things progress. Many times, these are girls with good morals from decent families."

Ashley is grateful she never resorted to anything immoral, but she paid the price in other ways: "I literally didn't sleep for weeks at a time, and I constantly got in trouble at school for acting out. As a result, I couldn't attend my senior prom. I felt like I could do anything and there'd be no consequences. I even lied to my best friend. Getting high was more important."

Still, Dr. Nalin believes the biggest risk of using cocaine and other drugs is its emotional toll: "What we see in treatment is that during the years a teen uses, years when they are supposed to learn about their identity and interests, they miss all of that because they haven't genuinely been connected to their emotions. Some use at 14, and by 17, they still act like they're 14. They're developmentally immature."

Although a very bright girl, Ashley was on the verge of being kicked out of high school. A school counselor asked her if she was using and, in what she describes as a cry for help, she confessed everything. The counselor contacted Ashley's parents. Her father confronted her the next day and made Ashley decide whether or not she was willing to go to rehab. "When I saw my dad cry," Ashley recalls, "it completely hit home. I asked him, 'But what will my friends think of me?' and he said softly, 'What do they think of you now?' I'll never forget that. I went to rehab for 30 days and have been sober ever since."

Christine's experience was even more harrowing: "I was always an honors student, but I quit school six months before graduation to run away with another user who was on parole. He took me to his apartment where he lived with six other drug addicts, and that night, a drug dealer molested me. He was so gross, but I let him do it because I needed the drugs."

Luckily for Christine, her mom found her and admitted her to a rehabilitation facility and then long-term treatment at the Excel Academy, a boarding school in Texas for at-risk youth. "I lived at Excel for 23 months, and I finally got to graduate from high school while I was there." WHY GOGAINE, WHY NOW?

The reasons girls turn to drugs are many: a bad home life, low self-esteem, stress, rebellion, peer pressure, depression and sheer boredom can all send a teen over the edge.

"Emotional discomfort of teen girls is widespread," says Styer, "and coke in particular gives them a feeling of wellbeing. They're empowered, have a great sense of euphoria and feel they can do anything'--for about 30 minutes. That's a real lure when you've felt powerless for so long, like so many girls do. But it's very temporary, and it's followed by a down of depression, paranoia, irritability and anxiety. So to avoid that down, girls keep seeking the high. When you're young, anything that will give you that feeling of confidence is really appealing. But it's a false sense of empowerment, which causes poor decision making'--often with devastating consequences."

There also seems to be a star quality to using cocaine. "Part of cocaine's popularity is its lack of stigma in using it these days," says Albano. "When you see Kate Moss doing coke on the cover of a tabloid and hear of other celebrities casually going in and out of rehab, it doesn't seem like such a big deal-and it makes them feel glamorous."

But cocaine's recent spike in popularity may also be about the pressure to be thin. By middle school, girls are obsessed with body image. "The No. 1 reason girls turn to cocaine is weight loss," says Dr. Nalin. "Girls often use it for that reason alone at first, but then the drug takes over and they have all the problems of any addiction."

That's what happened to Christine: "When I was 15, my best friend lost a lot of weight quickly--and she looked amazing. I asked how she was doing it, and she told me she was doing coke. I couldn't wait to try it. I bought some from another friend's boyfriend, and I went to my room and snorted a little. I remember getting this amazing energy rush. I loved it. I felt incredibly happy and productive on it--reading, doing schoolwork, organizing things. But the high only lasts a short time, so I did almost all of it that one night. After that, I thought, 'I want more!' And from then on, I used it pretty much on a daily basis."

Ultimately, Christine lost the weight she wanted to lose-and more. By the time she hit bottom, she had lost so much weight and caused so much damage to her body that she could barely function and almost died from pneumonia.

Another reason girls are going for coke? It can make someone who isn't outgoing feel gregarious and fun. Temporarily. "Girls like the false persona cocaine gives them," says Dr. Nalin. "That's enticing to a young girl who doesn't know who she is yet. If you can suddenly throw in the mix something that instantly gets you there, it seems like the magic bullet. But the truth is, it winds up taking a lot away from you."

KICKING THE HABIT

A lot of teens truly believe they can kick this thing anytime they want. But virtually all cocaine addicts come to realize that trying to recover without help is pointless. "Coke addicts need some kind of program," says Albano, "whether it be inpatient rehab or outpatient counseling. And they need to remove themselves from their old environment and drug-using friends, or they will immediately go back to using."

"You can't treat addiction on your own," Styer concurs, "but you can seek help. Local Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings for teens are very helpful. You can find them in your phone book, but also look for a drug addiction counselor. If all that fails, then go to a place like Caron for inpatient treatment."

"I think rehab alone didn't work because it just wasn't enough for me," says Christine. "Although it was really hard at Excel, I eventually realized I was hurting my family--and myself--way too much. That's what got me through it."

Christine is totally committed to remaining clean, but she knows she has to take it one day at a time. "If I use again, I will most likely die within a short period of time. Not only can my body not take it anymore, but the people I was around were very violent. They wouldn't think twice about killing me."

Ashley, too, finally had the courage to turn her life around. "The first couple weeks in rehab were a haze. I was extremely sick the first week, but after that I looked around at the girls who'd been there awhile and knew that if they were OK, I would be too. I'm 10 times closer to my parents now!"

Ashley, too, is aware of what would be in store for her if she were to use again: "I was on the verge of suicide. If I don't remain sober, I'm certain jail or death are waiting for me."

"Girls have a misconception about cocaine," Christine adds. "They think it's fun, but it will kill you. I could have died. Coke doesn't make you cool or raise your self-esteem, because the acts you'll do to get it are so demeaning. You think you're consuming [the drug], but it consumes you." Christine has the health consequences to prove it. "I have a lot of damage to my pancreas and liver, and I will always have bad stomach problems. And I bruise like a 90-year-old."

Still, do Ashley and Christine miss life in the fast lane? "I don't miss my old friends at all," says Ashley. "They weren't real friends. They didn't want the best for me--they wanted my money! When they heard I was sober, no one was happy for me. They said, 'That sucks!'"

Christine lost her best friend who was also a user: "My best friend and I grew up together. But now she's in jail, and I may never be friends with her again. It's heartbreaking."

COKE IS NO JOKE

Here's one final reality check, and we hope to really drive this point home: Cocaine is a very potent and highly addictive stimulant--it speeds up your nervous system and directly affects your brain. No matter how much or how often you use--and no matter what your age--it can cause sudden death from heart attack or stroke. That's not all ...

Coke can cause respiratory failure, irregular heart rhythm and enlargement, high blood pressure, stomach problems, malnourishment, tooth decay, damage to sinuses and nasal tissue, depression, paranoia, psychosis, and suicide.

Ashley and Christine have come a long way, but they'll have to fight their addictions daily--for the rest of their lives. Their past cocaine use has changed their brain chemistry forever, so they will always have a craving for it.

"Although I still struggle, now my life is like night and day," says Christine. "My life wasn't fulfilling or happy."

"I feel so much better about myself," says an elated Ashley. "I'm stronger. I know that life is a gift, and on any given day, it could be taken away. Although I am an addict for the rest of my life, the possibilities for me are limitless."

DID YOU KNOW?

A recent study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found some very scary statistics ....

* Since last year, the number of teens attending a public middle school where drugs are used, kept or sold has increased a whopping 45 percent. The increase jumps to 50 percent for private middle schools.

* Over a third of 12- to 17-year-olds surveyed know a student who has used acid, cocaine or heroin.

* That stat doubles to two-thirds for high-risk teens. Fifteen percent of kids surveyed were deemed high-risk based on factors such as parental involvement and neighborhood environments.

HELP IS ON THE WAY!

If you need help with any drug addiction, talk to someone you trust, like a non-using friend, a parent, a counselor, teacher or coach. Here are some resources ...

* You can attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings for teens in your area. They're listed in your local phone directory, and the meetings are free and totally anonymous.

* For info, support and referrals to counselors or treatment centers in your area, contact the Echo Malibu Youth Treatment Center at echomalibu.com or call their Helpline at 1-800-780-ECHO.

* Or go to the Caron Treatment Center at caron.org, or call 1-800-678-2332.