Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Is Cocaine Addictive?

Cocaine is one of the most highly addictive drugs in existence. It increases energy and alertness and produces such an intense euphoria that, once tried, many find hard to resist.

Cocaine Addiction

We’ve all heard about the rat studies where rats are given the choice between food and cocaine and they always choose the cocaine to the extent that they starve themselves to death. The same thing happens to cocaine addicts as they destroy themselves both physically and psychologically. The dependency on cocaine causes them to lose their dignity, their self respect, self control, and their ability to live life with any sense of normalcy. To so many, it becomes a costly, vicious, cycle that leaves the addict in desperation while chasing the next high becomes their priority.

How is Cocaine Abused?

Cocaine normally comes in a white powder which is snorted or diluted for injection. Another form of cocaine which plagues society is crack cocaine which is a form of cocaine that has been “cooked” into a hardened substance and then smoked.

Smoking crack or injecting cocaine opens the door to a wider potential for adverse health risks including poisoning from dangerous chemicals, infections, and diseases from sharing dirty needles and other paraphernalia.

Physical Effects of Cocaine

Cocaine is an addicting drug.

Cocaine is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that increases dopamine, the neurotransmitter related to pleasure. This increase and accumulation of dopamine is what gives users the intense euphoria they so much crave. Cocaine makes a person hyperactive and increases energy, alertness, and talkativeness while also increasing heart rate and blood pressure which can be dangerous.

The data from the 2011 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report on drug related emergency department visits showed that cocaine was involved in 505,224 or 40.3% of the visits involving illicit drugs. It has been linked to a number of serious physical side effects including:

Dependency and addiction
Withdrawals
Cardiovascular problems
Respiratory problems
Neurological problems
Digestive problems
HIV, AIDs, hepatitis c, and other diseases
Seizures
Coma
Overdose
Death

Psychological Effects of Cocaine

With repeat usage, the CNS becomes impaired to the point that the person is unable to manage their thoughts, behaviors, or emotions. It will rely on the use of cocaine to balance the lack of normal dopamine production and to induce any feelings of “normalcy.” Cocaine addicts often have co-existing substance abuse problems and/or mental health problems. Long term or chronic use causes psychological impairments such as:

Anxiety, depression, or bi-polar disorders
Paranoia psychosis
Restlessness or irritability
Insomnia
Anger or Aggression
Drastic mood changes
Irrational behaviors to obtain cocaine
Auditory hallucinations or tactile hallucinations (“coke bugs”)

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Co-Occurring Disorders

A Co-Occurring Disorder is condition wherein mental disorder as well as alcohol problems is faced by an individual side by side. This is a condition that occurs very often. It is important to manage one disorder at a time by treating each one simultaneously to get the best possible outcome. Co-Occurring Disorders are also referred….

The Disease Model of Addiction

If I went to my doctor with a set of symptoms, no one would question the fact that I was sick. No one would impose a moral judgment on me for having those symptoms, and I wouldn’t be viewed as a law breaker for being ill. But many people reject the idea of addiction as….

Youths’ drug of choice? Prescription

Baby boomers made marijuana their ‘gateway’ — and some still can’t let go, a report says — but a younger generation finds prescription drugs are an easier score. It’s been four decades since the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, but aging baby boomers haven’t stopped turning on. The federal government’s National Survey on Drug….

Binge drinking linked to breast cancer

A leading surgeon says breast cancer rates could soar unless young women cut back on binge drinking – and that mammograms are being “oversold”. Dr Trevor Smith said alcohol was among the lifestyle choices that contributed towards New Zealand’s having one of the highest breast cancer rates in the world. He called on the Government….

Many unaware of alcohol calories

Many people are unaware of the calorie content of alcohol, a survey shows. Four in 10 did not know a glass of wine has the same calories (120) as a slice of cake, or that a pint of lager and a small sausage roll have 170 each. The poll of 2,000 adults in England was….