What is cocaine?

Cocaine is a central nervous system stimulant that causes euphoric feelings, hyperactivity, and increased blood pressure and heart rate. It is referred to as coke, nose candy, snow, or toot on the streets where it is readily available. Additionally, crack is the freebase form of cocaine. Regardless, no matter what form of cocaine a person chooses, both of them are highly addictive. The DEA considers cocaine as one of the primary drug threats in the US and is also a concern of public health officials as well due to its addictive nature.

Although cocaine is not as popular as it was in the 1970’s and 1980’s, it is still a primary concern of the DEA and law enforcement agencies throughout the US. However, cocaine affects anyone that comes into contact with it whether they are a professional or a homeless person living on the streets and addicted to crack. No one is immune to the effects of the drug unless they don’t try it. It still remains a prevalent factor on the streets today and is a primary reason for numerous ER visits.

Facts and statistics regarding cocaine use and addiction

Cocaine is not selective and affects individuals from all walks of life. It is also associated with numerous violent crimes in the US today. The following facts and statistics clearly indicate how serious of a problem that cocaine is today and are a good indication as to how addictive cocaine is:

• 1 out of every 4 individuals between the ages of 26 and 34 have used cocaine at some point in their lifetime
• after marijuana, cocaine is the most widely available and used drug in the US, recently replacing amphetamines for second place
• it is estimated that 1.5 million Americans are using cocaine at least once a month, a number that has remained nearly unchanged for the last 10 years
• nearly 10% of all American high school seniors admitted to trying cocaine while they were attending high school
• over 15,000 deaths occur ever year as a result of cocaine use and overdose
• roughly 90% of these individuals admitted to having used alcohol and trying marijuana
• the US is the biggest importer and user of cocaine in the world
• there are over 600,000 Americans today that are addicted to crack cocaine

As it currently stands, cocaine use and addiction is common among teens, college students, and adults. It is not restricted to a particular age group or demographic.

Cocaine’s long-term effects

It is well known that cocaine is one of the most powerfully addictive drugs around which makes it highly unlikely that an individual will be able to control how much of the drug they will want or how often they will use it. Additionally, once the addiction to cocaine gets a firm grip on the individual, the risk of relapsing increases even if the person abstains from using the drug for an extended period of time. For those who are undergoing abstinence from the drug, triggers in their environment are usually what cause the relapse.

Recent studies have revealed that even when the individual is abstaining from using cocaine, exposure to cocaine use or even memories of using it can easily trigger extreme cravings and lead to relapse. Repeated exposure to cocaine causes the brain to adapt and tolerance builds up quickly. Eventually, the individual begins having difficulties functioning throughout the day and must have the drug in order to do so. When it gets to this point, the person is dealing with addiction or dependency.
As the tolerance increases so does the severity of the addiction or dependency and the individual must use increasingly higher doses of the drug in order to achieve the desired effect or “high” that cocaine produces. At the same time, the person using the drug can become increasingly more sensitive to the anxiety-producing, convulsant, and toxic side effects of using the drug. Once this happens, the addicted or dependent individual uses cocaine by binging.

Using cocaine in increasingly higher doses can lead to a number of problems such as irritability, panic attacks, paranoia, and restlessness. The individual may even experience a full-blown psychosis where they experience auditory hallucinations and loses touch with reality. Additionally, increasing doses will lead to a higher risk of adverse physical and psychological side effects occurring.

The way in which the person uses cocaine can produce different side effects. For instance, the constant injecting of the drug can result in “tracks” developing on the forearm and the person may also experience severe allergic reactions that can turn fatal. When the person is snorting cocaine, this can lead to hoarseness, irritation of the nasal passages, a loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, problems swallowing, and a continually runny nose. However, loss of appetite and chronic weight loss is common no matter how it is ingested.

Basic signs of cocaine abuse and addiction

Cocaine abuse and addiction is usually diagnosed when a destructive pattern of abusing the drug leads to more significant problems. These patterns are manifested by one or all of the following:

• continued use of cocaine despite encountering ongoing relationship or social problems resulting from the effects of using the drug
• recurrent use of the drug can result in not meeting important obligations at home, on the job, or at school
• recurring legal problems that are directly related to cocaine use
• using the drug in extremely dangerous situations such as driving a vehicle or operating heavy duty equipment or machinery

Getting professional help is only a phone call away

The Delray Recovery Center can provide you with a cocaine abuse, addiction, or dependency program that can be customized in order to address your specific clinical and personal needs. The intent of the program is to enable you to overcome your addition and experience a full recovery so that you can remain substance-free for the rest of your life. For more information regarding our facility and programs, please call us at the toll-free phone number listed above.