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Cocaine Symptoms And Signs of Abuse

Knowledge is power. be their lifeline.
Understanding the symptoms can be the key to yourself or a loved one successful quitting cocaine & starting a long-term recovery. At Miracles Asia, we offer 30, 60 and 90 day residential treatment programs for people wanting to change their coke habits.

Table of Contents

Cocaine addiction is one of the most serious and dangerous problems when it comes to substance abuse. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), over 14 percent of all Americans aged 12 and older have used cocaine in their lifetime.

What's more, according to a 2008 report from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), almost a quarter of the nearly 2 million drug abuse-related hospital visits that year involved cocaine. This means that cocaine was responsible for over 400,000 hospital visits in the United States in 2008.

In order to prevent a potentially tragic outcome, it is crucial to recognize the warning signs that a loved one or family member may be abusing cocaine and seek treatment with a reliable drug rehab in Thailand, like Miracles Asia.

Read on and find out how to tell if someone is on cocaine and what you can do to help them overcome the addiction.

Key Takeaways
Signs of cocaine abuse and addiction include physical, behavioral, and emotional symptoms.
Cocaine addiction has both short-term and long-term consequences on individuals overall health.
Miracles Asia is the leading Thailand rehab center that provides personalized treatment programs and ongoing support to its guests.

What Is Cocaine?

Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system. This illegal drug comes in the form of a white powder, which can be snorted, injected, or rubbed onto the gums. It can also be converted into a rock form called crack cocaine, which is typically smoked in a pipe.

When snorting cocaine, the powder is often formed into a line or "bump" and then inhaled through the nose. When cocaine is injected, it is mixed with water and then injected directly into the bloodstream using a syringe.

What Are the Effects of Cocaine?

When a person uses cocaine, it increases the levels of dopamine in the brain, which produces intense feelings of pleasure and euphoria.

Cocaine drug abuse also causes other physical and psychological effects, such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, dilated pupils, and a loss of appetite. People who use cocaine may also experience irritability, anxiety, restlessness, and paranoia.

With repeated use, cocaine can lead to an increased tolerance, where the person needs larger and more frequent doses to achieve the desired effects. 

Continued use of cocaine can also lead to addiction, which is a chronic and relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite negative consequences.

In addition to its addictive properties, cocaine use can have serious health consequences, including cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, as well as respiratory problems and other medical complications.

Physical Symptoms of Cocaine Addiction

Cocaine is one of the most powerful types of stimulant drugs that can have both physical and psychological effects on the body. While it may initially create feelings of pleasure, increased energy, and confidence, it can also cause a range of negative side effects.

Cocaine use can have a range of short-term and long-term consequences, some of which can be quite severe. 

In the short-term, cocaine use can cause a range of physical and psychological signs of cocaine use, including:
Dilated pupils
Higher body temperature
Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Constricted blood vessels
Chest pain
Headache
Nausea and abdominal pain
Repeated use of cocaine can lead to tolerance, which can quickly spiral into addiction. Long-term cocaine use can have even more severe consequences, including:
Permanent damage to the heart, including heart attack, arrhythmia, and heart failure
Damage to the nasal passages, including perforation of the septum, chronic runny nose, and loss of sense of smell
Increased risk of stroke, seizures, and respiratory failure
Increased risk of infectious diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C, if the drug is injected
Dental problems and gum disease
Sexual dysfunction
Weight loss 
Some of these consequences, such as damage to the heart and nasal passages, can be permanent and require costly and invasive surgery to fix. 

It's important to seek help from a healthcare professional or addiction treatment center if you or someone you know is struggling with cocaine addiction. 

With the right support and treatment, it is possible to overcome addiction and reduce the risk of long-term health consequences.

Behavioral Cocaine Addiction Symptoms

Cocaine addiction can have unpredictable effects on a person's behavior. While some people may feel euphoric, energetic, and talkative when they use cocaine, others may become irritable, anxious, paranoid, or even violent.

Some of the short-term behavioral signs of cocaine addiction include:
Chattiness
Risk-taking
Erratic, bizarre behavior
Agitation
Violent behavior
The effects of cocaine can vary depending on various factors, such as the dose, purity of the drug, method of administration, as well as the individual's physical and mental health. 

Repeated use of cocaine can also lead to increased tolerance, which means that a person needs higher doses to achieve the same effects. This can increase the risk of adverse effects, including aggression, violence, and even psychosis.

Abusing cocaine for a long period of time can lead to long-term effects, such as:
Poor hygiene
Tremors and muscle twitching
Disconnect from or seeming rejection of family members and loved ones
Risky behaviors
Stealing or borrowing money
Manipulation or “sneakiness”
Falling behind at work or school

Mental and Emotional Cocaine Addiction Symptoms

Cocaine overdose can cause significant changes in the reward system of the brain, which can lead to addiction. 

When a person uses cocaine, they flood their brain with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and reward. This flood of dopamine creates a powerful high that is short-lived but can be intensely pleasurable.

However, over time, repeated cocaine abuse can cause the brain to become less responsive to chemical messengers, leading to a decrease in the pleasure response. This can result in a need for higher doses of the drug to achieve the same cocaine high, which can lead to addiction.

Moreover, when the effects of the drug wear off, individuals who abuse cocaine may experience intense drug cravings, depression, anxiety, and irritability, which can lead to violent behavior in some cases. Chronic cocaine use can also lead to other mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety. 

Short-term mental and emotional symptoms of substance abuse include:
High energy
Euphoria
Giddiness
Loss of inhibition
Alertness
Sensitivity to touch, sounds, and sights
Paranoia
Hallucinations
Mood swings
Insomnia or hypersomnia 
Irritability
Homicidal thinking
Suicidal thinking
Cocaine withdrawal symptoms of a long-term cocaine drug use include: 
Mental illness, such as depression or bipolar disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 
Anxiety or panic attacks
Feeling dizzy or off-balance
Intense cravings

The Bottom Line

Cocaine addiction is a serious and chronic condition that has negative effects on the users’ lives and requires professional treatment. Without treatment, the addiction is likely to worsen, leading to a range of physical and mental health problems, and even death.

If you notice signs or symptoms of cocaine abuse in your loved one, it is essential to approach the conversation with care and concern. 

They may be defensive or in denial, but it is important to express your love and support and encourage them to seek help. There are many effective treatments for cocaine addiction, including therapy, medications, and support groups.

It is also important to recognize the risks associated with cocaine use, including the risk of fatal overdose, which can even lead to sudden death. 

Cocaine overdoses can happen even after the first use, and certain combinations, such as mixing cocaine with alcohol, heroin, or other drugs can significantly increase the risk of overdose.

If you or your loved one is struggling with cocaine addiction or if you would like to receive more information about drug addiction, get in touch with the Miracles Asia admissions team and lean how the  addiction treatment program can help - or you can return to the homepage for a complete overview of everything available to our clients.

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