Cocaine Addiction
Cocaine is one of the most popularized, glamorized and abused illicit drugs in current culture. Approximately 1.9 million people use this dangerous drug each month. Some nicknames for it on the street are coke, crack, blow, snow, white lady, horse and nose candy. It has the reputation for being a powerful stimulant, capable of enhancing someone’s confidence level and giving the user enough energy to stay up and party. However, with a high like that comes a lot of negative and not so fun consequences. For starters, cocaine is very addictive and habit forming. People start off doing it recreationally and end up needing it to get through the work day. Using cocaine, even a few times, can lead someone into a heavier type of addiction. Cocaine is most commonly snorted in powder form, but sometimes injected from a liquid form or smoked from a rock. Though there are some false rumors out there saying you can’t get addicted to cocaine, its’ high is intensely euphoric and addictive, and people get into the habit of frequent use until it’s too late; they’ve become entirely hooked on it.
Cocaine Abuse and Addiction: The Signs to Look Out For
A major red flag is an intense craving for cocaine. This addiction, like all others, is a slippery slope. You can’t just continue to use it recreationally expecting it to stay a party habit and then be done with it. It’s normally not that easy. The cravings come into play, and they come into play a lot more frequently than they used to. Before you know it, you’ve gotten yourself into a full-blown cocaine addiction. Another sign of addiction to cocaine is if the drug keeps the user from functioning in life, whether it’s job related or related to relationships. Let’s say the drug (predictably) makes the person act aggressively one day, and they end up fighting someone they’re close with. Or the low from the drug causes them to be extra grumpy at work, which makes a dent on their work performance. Once someone’s life starts to crumble, even if it’s only little by little, this is a sign that the drug is taking its toll. If the user keeps needing more cocaine, as their tolerance and dependency increases, and they start needing it more often, this is a sign that they’re addicted. If they weren’t addicted, they wouldn’t need it at all technically. Once this level of dependency starts to occur, the person becomes a slave to the substance, trying to get their hands on as much of it as they can as often as they can. If the user starts to get withdrawal symptoms when they aren’t doing cocaine then there’s a fair chance that they’re involved in a cocaine addiction. The severity and level of these withdrawal symptoms obviously depend on how deep into the addiction they’ve unfortunately gotten themselves in.
Some mood and behavioral symptoms of cocaine abuse are: irritation, restlessness, feeling superior, panic, paranoia, very talkative, violent mood swings, lack of motivation, increased energy, erratic or bizarre behavior, acting violent, acting reckless
Some physical symptoms of cocaine abuse are: not needing much sleep, malnutrition, headaches, muscle twitching, nosebleeds, dilated pupils, decrease in appetite, runny nose, abnormal heart rhythm, cravings, nasal perforation
The Plight of Cocaine Withdrawal Symptoms
Withdrawal symptoms are commonly what ties a user down, driving them to take more of the drug. In the case of cocaine, the withdrawal symptoms are a vile set of consequences from abusing the drug. When someone is withdrawing from cocaine they ordinarily experience: depression, anxiety, pain, tremors or shakiness, body aches, not able to concentrate, cravings for the drug, chills
What you need to know when dealing with a cocaine addiction is that withdrawing, though not easy, is the initial stage toward a drug free life. After you get through the withdrawal process things will get better and easier to deal with. Of course these symptoms are difficult to go through, but the plus side is that the person need not go through them again should they stay clean and sober. Making sure to keep that in mind on your road to recovery is probably the most important thing. Knowing that it gets better from there is not only a comforting fact but also true. You’ll need to face these painful symptoms in the beginning, but know it’s a stepping stone to becoming sober and drug-free.
Dangerous Effects From Abusing Cocaine
Using cocaine is a big risk that many people are unaware of. People use it with abandon without realizing and recognizing that there are serious health risks involved to using even a little bit of it. The consequences are potentially serious and dangerous when taking this drug and people curious about cocaine should become more aware of this fact. Some severe problems which can occur after someone takes cocaine are: heart attack, stroke, seizure, sudden death
The fact that cocaine can kill you should be warning enough to stay as far away from this illicit substance as humanly possible. It is a harmful drug with equally harmful substances. An escalated drug addiction can wreak havoc on somebody’s health because it only increases the risk of any one of these things happening. Unfortunately the drug is endlessly glorified in movies, television and pop culture in general, and has been for a long time. However, the reality of the matter is a lot more serious and intense than it’s made out to be and this is by no means just a party drug but an actual substance which can cause more harm than meets the eye to the uninformed.
Cocaine Treatment and The Long Run
In the long run, no one can keep up their cocaine habit for long. Sooner or later they’re going to have to put the blow down and stop. Whether it’s sooner, or later, this person is going to have to seek treatment for their addiction. Because cocaine addiction is largely, like a lot of addictions, a mental thing, a lot of related treatment has to do with the user changing their thinking patterns and discipline of past bad habits. Changing the addict’s life around is important because they need to get out of the repetitive habit that lead to their downfall to begin with. This is often best done at an inpatient program because it provides the space and time to recover from their addiction. This type of program offers an opportunity to really recognize what’s going on with them and how they can go about living a drug-free, sober lifestyle for good. Addiction is an unfortunate thing, but with the right tools under your belt it can easily be a thing of the past. The first step to recovering is facing the fact that you’ve got an addiction to cocaine, and then deciding you’re going to do something about it. It’s that easy. As long as the addict is willing and decisive, they can effectively change the behavior that once let them be controlled by this substance. In conclusion cocaine is a potent drug, way more powerfully addictive than people would think to expect. One thing leads to the other, and somebody might find themselves twisted in an addiction that was once just “recreational”. It’s important to keep yourself and others aware of the dangers of cocaine and the addiction in itself.
