10 Consequences of Cocaine Abuse
About Cocaine
According to the Center for Substance Abuse Research, cocaine is a highly addictive and a commonly abused illegal drug. Cocaine is a stimulant, and is currently a Schedule II substance. Stimulant drugs heighten a user’s body’s activity, including increasing their energy, alertness, heart rate, and blood pressure.
The most commonly used form of cocaine is a white powder that comes from the leaves of the Erythroxylon Coca plant. The white powder is typically delivered into a person’s body by snorting it through their nostrils, although cocaine can be smoked or injected.
Cocaine is also defined as a club drug since many people abuse this stimulant while they are at clubs or at parties. Although most people first begin to abuse cocaine as a one-time event, cocaine is addictive and prolonged use of the drug can lead to many health problems including brain damage, stroke and heart attack. In addition, cocaine abuse not only affects the user’s physical health but also their behavior and their mental health.
Ten Consequences of Cocaine Abuse
Abusing cocaine can strain your relationships, cause anxiety and depression, and have a number of other consequences.
There are numerous consequences that stem form cocaine abuse, and every person will suffer from different negative consequences from their drug use. Below is a list of the ten most common consequences that occur from cocaine abuse…
1. Chances of Heart Attack Increase: A person who abuses cocaine risks the chance of having cardiac arrest due to their heart rate increasing. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, people who use cocaine can suffer from heart attacks, which may cause sudden death. Deaths related to cocaine are often a result of the heart stopping followed by an arrest of breathing.
2. Increased Blood Pressure: When it is in a person’s body, cocaine will increase their blood pressure, which can result in other health problems.
3. Stroke: Cocaine also increases the risk of a user having a stroke, which can be fatal.
4. Anxiety: Cocaine is a stimulant, so anxiety is a common side effect of the drug.
5. Depression: After cocaine leaves a person’s system, their dopamine will be depleted resulting in them feeling sad, fatigued, and depressed.
6. Seizures: Unexpected seizures occur from a person’s body temperature rising when they are on cocaine.
7. Financial Loss: Cocaine is expensive and a person who abuses the drug frequently will experience some type of financial loss.
8. Addiction: Cocaine is addictive and if a person continues to abuse the drug, the may develop the chronic brain disease of addiction, which they will battle with of the rest of their life.
9. Loss of Friends and Family: Many people who abuse cocaine pull away from their close friends and family.
10. Permanent Brain Damage: Prolonged use of cocaine can permanently damage a person’s brain chemicals.