Addiction Info - Cocaine
When cocaine is used and abused, short & long-term effects are many.Cocaine use is damaging to the body and the consequences related to cocaine will often lead to permanent damage, addiction & death.
While each person responds differently to cocaine use, many short and long-term effects occur.
Frequent short-term use effects include:
1) increased energy
2) decreased appetite
3) unexplained, oftentimes dramatic, weight loss
4) increased heart rate & increased blood pressure
5) dilated pupils
6) elevated temperature
7) nose trouble – sniffing, runny nose and/or nose bleeds
Many begin cocaine to get a quick pick-me-up, or to drop twenty pounds, or sometimes, just to have fun with friends. While these results may seem promising in the beginning, those prone to addiction will find it difficult to stop using.
While using, one may go for days without eating and if this behavior is continued – can lead to addiction. In increasined quantities, cocaine will intensify the high. At these times, erratic & violent behavior may occur.
Over time, as tolerance builds, the effects of cocaine on each individual may vary, yet as a highly addictive drug, the craving will continue while major physical costs mount.
Some of the these complications include heart disease, heart attack, stroke, respiratory failure, seizure, dangerously elevated blood pressure, and stomach problems.
As the abuse becomes habitual, the cycle of craving and use ushers in lying, cheating, stealing, absenteeism at work and denying the use of cocaine. Other long-term effects oftentimes include irritability, hallucinations, dramatic mood changes, interrupted sleep patterns and general restlessness.
Other physical effects run the gamut from long-term liver damage to depression. External problems run from legal problems to relationship trauma (and drama). Often, the ability to manage ones’ own life is disrupted. One gets “off track” while abusing cocaine.
The things lost become more important and valuable.
The cycle of addiction can be broken – and it begins with getting the addicted individual in to treatment. The recovery process will begin for the entire intervention network.
