Physical Effects of Cocaine

Cocaine is a stimulant drug used by many people as a recreational drug, but has a great potential to affect the functioning of different systems in the body. Its effects are felt almost immediately after a single dose, though they disappear within minutes or hours. It is a highly potent drug that can easily trigger an addiction. Cocaine use can cause a wide array of physical, mental, emotional, financial and social effects. In this content, you are going to learn more about the physical effects of cocaine.

Chronic cocaine use cause physical problems which can be felt even many years after cocaine cessation. Cocaine use stimulates the central nervous system. Cocaine is found in different forms like a fine white powder, crystalline rock or liquid form. It can therefore be used in different ways like snorting the powder through the nasal canal, injecting into the body system, smoking or chewing. In as much as cocaine is used for medical reasons, many people use cocaine as a recreational drug.

Reasons Why People Use Cocaine

A small percentage of individuals use cocaine as a medical dose and only a few uses the drug as prescribed by the doctor. If incorrect dosage of cocaine is used and the wrong channel of administration is used, the patient develops a physical dependency on the drug very fast.

Use of cocaine for medical purposes can in long run lead to addiction. It makes the body to demand higher dosages of the drug and with time, it becomes difficult for that individual to use the drug even after he recovers from the medical condition he was in.

A big number of people use cocaine in a misguided attempt believing that the drug will help boost performance. Cocaine use leads to reduced need for food or sleep. Some individuals therefore attempt to use the drug to achieve their weight loss goals. Others use the drug to help them with demanding projects that requires them to stay awake for long. With time, whatever started as a fun puff of cocaine becomes a lifelong addiction that can take a toll of your life.

What Happens When You Use Cocaine?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug whose effects range from mild to severe and can lead to loss of life. Once cocaine is administered into the body, its effects are felt almost immediately and can last for hours depending on the dosage and frequency of use.

Cocaine use provides quick euphoric feelings. Increased energy and inflated self-esteem are some of the common effects of cocaine use among different users. While some users may experience increased energy and elevated moods, the reverse is also experienced by some.

The drug interferes with the functioning of the central nervous system and functions by speeding up various physiological processes in the body. Cocaine use increases body temperature. An individual who uses cocaine experiences profuse sweating due to the raised body temperature. If that person engages in various physical activities, body temperature can rise to dangerous levels leading to heatstroke. If this condition remains untreated, it can put the victim at risk of brain damage and heart damage and can eventually lead to death.

What Causes Addiction When You Use Cocaine?

Understanding how cocaine triggers addiction in your brain is key to learning how to avoid cocaine and live a better life. Addiction to cocaine can start immediately with the first dose. How? This has something to do with dopamine – the reward system of the brain that triggers the pleasure chemical.

Dopamine is the pleasure chemical- a neurotransmitter that functions along with the brain’s reward system and triggers positive feelings in response to activities that brings pleasure to you:- for instance eating.

If your brains get exposed to high levels of dopamine, resulting to repeated pleasurable behaviors, you experience strong euphoric surges that are difficult to forget. With time, your body starts demanding for more and eventually it becomes difficult to function without the drug. Actually, the more you take cocaine; it creates resistance and forces you to take higher doses to feel the same effects. When you find that the cravings or urges for more cocaine has become hard to control, find help before it is too late.

According to research, individuals who are undergoing lots of stress are very sensitive to low dosage of cocaine. This is as a result of the increased levels of the stress hormone called corticosterone.

Also, cocaine addiction has been associated with prefrontal cortex, which happens to the brain’s self-control center which is involved with regulation of decision making. Use of cocaine or other drugs/alcohol affects the functioning of prefrontal cortex and it becomes difficult for you to control yourself when faced with temptations to take cocaine even with full knowledge that cocaine is not good for you.

Symptoms Of Cocaine Use

In order for you to understand the risks of cocaine use, it is important you learn the signs of cocaine addiction. This will help you realize that you are in a real mess and you need help. If not you, you may be having a loved one struggling with cocaine addiction. Knowing the signs of cocaine dependency will help you realize that he/she is in a problem and he/she needs help. The earlier you notice these signs the better for you to find help before the addiction becomes severe and the condition becomes complicated.

• Nasal congestion
• Increased body temperature
• Increased heart rate
• Restlessness
• Talkativeness
• Loss of appetite –leading to weight loss
• Insomnia
• Dramatic mood changes

When an individual continues with cocaine use for a lengthy period, there are physical and psychological short-term and long-term effects that he/she will experience. For instance: –

• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Muscle twitches
• Nausea
• Abdominal pains
• Increased blood pressure / body temperature
• Abnormal heartbeat
• Seizure
• Stroke
• Coma
• Death

Is Cocaine Overdose Deadly?

Cocaine is a deadly drug and the drug overdose can cause death. In the US, more than 4,500 people died in 2011 due to cocaine overdose. Cocaine overdose can lead to respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, stroke or sudden death. The risks of cocaine overdose can be more severe if the drug is used along with other drugs or alcohol, worst of all being the combination of cocaine and heroin.

Effects Of Cocaine Use In Pregnant Women

Anyone anytime can become a victim of cocaine addiction and pregnant women too struggle with this nasty addiction. Whether she started using cocaine before she got pregnant or later after conception, cocaine poses her life and that of the unborn baby into real danger.

According to research based on fetal growth and neonatal behavior of women who use cocaine during pregnancy, it has been reported that women coming from low-income families are at a high risk of use of cocaine during pregnancy.  Most of the children born of these women are mentally retarded and are exposed to learning impairments. These women give birth to underweight children and the children’s growth after birth becomes retarded.

Adverse Effects Of Cocaine Use On Health And Functioning

Chronic cocaine use negatively affects the functioning of various body organs and therefore leads to heath impairment. Due to poor feeding recorded with most cocaine users, these individuals become prone to many sicknesses and diseases due suppressed immunity. According to research, cocaine users are at a high risk of catching colds and other infections compared to their counterparts.

In order to experience fast highs and euphoria, most cocaine user prefer smoking or injecting cocaine into the body system. In most cases, these individuals share the syringes and this greatly puts them at a high risk of contracting HIV and other infections.

Most individuals who engage in alcohol/drug abuse are prone to irresponsible sexual behaviors. Unprotected sex leads to risks associated to transmission of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV. Most women who use cocaine are at a high risk of unwanted pregnancy. Most high school girls who are not ready to give birth engage in unsafe abortions which can lead to severe health complications or even death.

Individuals who are addicted to cocaine make the drug the top priority in their lives. Use of cocaine becomes a ‘do or die’ thing that they cannot do without it. This means that most of them neglect their career and family responsibilities because all what they can think about is cocaine.

The highs and euphoric effects of cocaine affects sobriety. This means that the addict behaves abnormally and this interferes with sober judgment. This implies that the individual cannot be entrusted with important duties. This can lead to loss of a job putting the victim into bad financial crisis which affects his entire life and family.

Driving under the influence of cocaine can result to fatal accidents and injuries. In the US, emergency cases related to cocaine based accidents are alarming. Pedestrians are also at risk. Road accidents and injuries can lead to impaired body functioning or even death.

Cocaine abuse is associated with episodes of psychosis like delusions and visual hallucinations leading to increased emergency room visits and health many health scares. The overwhelming false believes makes an individual behave abnormally. He/she might feel fearful, panic or even over defensive. Hallucinations can make a cocaine addicted victim dangerous or even difficult to manage.

Are You Or Loved One Struggling With Cocaine Addiction? Find Help

If you are tired of that ugly addiction and you want to bring your life back on track, or you have a loved one struggling with cocaine abuse problems, you can find help. Treatment for cocaine abuse and addiction is available. Talk to a professional addiction specialist to help you with cocaine addiction.

It is important you talk to your doctor first before you quit cocaine. Why? The withdrawal symptoms can be overwhelming and life-threatening which can be difficult for you to handle on your own.

How Do You Know That You Are Addicted To Cocaine?

If you find cocaine difficult to quit even after experiencing negative effects, and you find it difficult to control the quantity and frequency of cocaine use or you experience withdrawal symptoms in your attempt to quite cocaine, then know that you are addicted to cocaine.

Many people suffer a big deal because they live in denial and do not want to accept the fact that they are in a real mess. Instead, they continue using cocaine in secret and hide from family or friends since they do not want anyone to interfere with their lives. This is not right. As soon as you realize that you have problems with cocaine use, find help immediately.

If you continue using cocaine despite all the alarming signs that your life is in trouble, then, you are in for trouble. When the addiction becomes severe, treatment becomes expensive and complicated. You never know what will happen during your next dosage. Therefore make up your mind to quit cocaine today. Talk to someone who is waiting on call to help you out.

Do You Want To Quit Cocaine Today?

Understanding cocaine addiction will help you know the right path to follow for a successful drug cessation to enjoy long-term results. Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant and it is therefore difficult for you to control the strong urges or cravings that you experience every time you want to quite cocaine use. If you have ever struggled with these urges, then you know what I mean by strong cravings. It’s not like any other craving you have experienced before. It’s intense! Research shows that individuals addicted to the drug prefer cocaine over food. These are not the cravings you can ignore without medical intervention.

Since these cravings are so powerful and hard to control, with the help of a professional addiction specialist, you can overcome them. Cocaine has many destructive consequences and it is not good for you. Find help for you to overcome the nasty addiction and begin your journey to sobriety.

Where To Find Cocaine Addiction Treatment

If you want to quit cocaine and bring your life back on track, finding the best treatment option that works for you is the way to go. Each cocaine abuse case is handled uniquely based on your age, gender, addiction severity, use along with other drugs/alcohol and your health condition.

Call your local rehab facility and talk to a doctor who advises you on the right treatment option that works for you. If your case is an emergency, you will be required to stay within the rehab facility before you gain sobriety then you can have scheduled appointments to see your doctor.

The more you continue with cocaine use, you start experiencing the opposite of the pleasurable feelings that you were experiencing before. Instead of the feelings of inflated moods and energy, feelings of depression, uneasiness and cravings for more cocaine overwhelm you. You experience intense issues with sleeping and eating putting you into extreme fatigue and weakness. Convulsions and muscle spasms keep increasing. In return, cocaine will make you feel more angry, hostile, paranoid and nervous even when not in the highs. Chronic cocaine use puts your life in extreme danger because a heart attack, respiratory attack, coma or sudden death can be expected any time.

As tolerance to cocaine increases, you are forced to take higher doses of the drug to experience the same effects. Loss of appetite and sleeping depravation gets into the extreme. As time goes by, you become psychotic and hallucinations become the order of the day.

When your brains neurotransmitters become totally dependent on the drug to overcome stressful situations, it becomes hard for you to face the realities of life without cocaine. Any time you meet a challenge, all you can do is to rush for an extra dose of cocaine to ‘think better’.

Cocaine abuse makes you lose interest with other areas of your life. You spend most of your time thinking about cocaine and where to find money for your next dose. High school students and most low income individuals get involved in crime like robbery to get money for more cocaine. Some of them steal family assets and sell them at throw away prices to get quick money for the next dose. This puts them at a high risk of spending their lives in jail or faces many other criminal charges.

When you lose interest with eating, sleeping, work, family and friends, your health deteriorates; you lose your source of income and face broken relationships. Most cocaine addicts stay in isolation and suffer a lot of emotional issues with no one to help. Addiction hinders you from living the life that was meant for you. It hinders growth in all aspects of your life. Cocaine abuse hinders you from achieving your life’s goals and you might end up living a meaningless and hopeless life.

With drug addiction, you no longer think about grooming yourself. What do you expect? You end up with Stinky smell, bad breath, unkempt hair and beards, dirty clothing and fingers or more. Your general physical appearance worsens and people isolate themselves from you.

In attempt to quit cocaine, experiences of severe depression can be overwhelming and suicidal attempts become the next possible thing. When intense cravings strike, you can do anything to get out of the situation –including committing murder.

When Cocaine Abuse Goes Overboard

Long-term effects of cocaine abuse are deadly if they remain untreated. For instance:-

• Permanent damage to the brain, heart and blood vessels
• Damage to the liver, kidney and lung
• Respiratory failure
• Damage to the nasal tissues
• Severe tooth decay
• Sexual problems –infertility or damaged reproductive system
• Malnutrition
• Mood disturbances
• Psychosis
• High blood pressure
• Severe depression
• Increased risky behaviors

Stop Cocaine: It’s Fatal

If you have never used cocaine before, be warned; cocaine is deadly. Don’t attempt cocaine. If you have used cocaine and you are struggling with a horrible addiction, find the right addiction treatment that works for you.

Any person can get into cocaine use and abuse. So, don’t point fingers on your friends or family who are using cocaine. The best thing you can do for them is to help them find help. Do not wait till addiction becomes severe and dangerous to control. Call a professional doctor now and talk about your experiences with cocaine.

If you are reading this content with the intention to help someone you love out of this menace, you’re doing the best thing ever. Most of the individuals struggling with drug /alcohol addiction are suffering alone due to denial. You can talk to him/her and help him/her know that his life is in a serious problem. Help him find treatment and offer the physical, emotional and financial support needed during addiction treatment.

When Do You Know That Addiction Treatment Is The Thing For You?

Immediately you take your first cocaine dose, just know that you are in for it. Actually, cocaine can be deadly even when taken for the first time. When you start experiencing the signs for cocaine use and the effects cocaine use, don’t wait until it becomes fatal. Find help now and save your life.

Is Cocaine Addiction Treatment Expensive?

There is no standard amount for cocaine addiction treatment. It depends with the severity of your addiction and the health facility you visit. Check whether your health insurance covers addiction treatment to lower your cost for the same. If you do not have sufficient funds, ask family and friends to support you. You may have to dig deep into your pocket to finance your addiction treatment but it is worth it.

Why Addiction Treatment Is Important For You

Just like many drugs /alcohol addiction treatment, the process can be painful, tough and life-threatening due to the intense withdrawal symptoms. Do not attempt to quit drug alone especially if the addiction is severe. You need to do it under the supervision of a medical doctor to help you with medication to overcome the detoxification stage which Is The Most Dangerous Part Of Treatment.

Also, the doctor will help you manage pain and intense cravings. Medication may be administered to make addiction treatment less painful, tolerable and fast. The doctor will also be present to help in case of any emergency. Staying under medical supervision for intense addiction treatment is crucial. The doctor will help you overcome the suicidal feelings and other risky behaviors.

Need Help?

For a comprehensive addiction treatment that guarantees long-term sobriety , call your local rehab and talk to a doctor who is willing to take you throughout a successful cocaine addiction treatment.