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Use of Cocaine and its Health Effects
Cocaine is an extremely potent, addictive drug that you may have heard being referred to as a stimulant. People who use cocaine will notice an increase in levels of energy, alertness and attention span.
The drug originates from the coca plant, which can be found in South America and is a Class A drug in the United Kingdom. Other colloquial names for cocaine which you may be familiar with is crack, coke, rock, snow and blow.
Cocaine can be found in several different forms. The most common form is a white, fine powder. It can also be made into a rock crystal. The majority of cocaine users take the drug by snorting the white powder into their nose.
Other users decide to rub it into their own gums, inject it with a needle or dissolve it in water. If someone is taking rock crystal, they heat it up and breathe the smoke directly into their lungs.
Cocaine Drug Abuse
Cocaine is such a potent drug you can become addicted after one hit. It has a variety of short term and long-term effects. Examples of short-term effects include a decreased appetite, paranoia, feelings of intense happiness, being angry or irritable, and extreme sensitivity to sight, sound and touch.
Some of the longer-term effects also spill over into long-term health problems. Cocaine and its effects on the body are profound. Cocaine addiction can lead to a loss of smell, a runny nose, and trouble swallowing.
It can cause long-term headaches, and lead to strokes, heart attacks and heart disease. Someone suffering from a cocaine addiction can also have lung damage, bowel decay, mood problems and trouble having and maintaining an erection. Sharing needles also heightens the risk of hepatitis or HIV.
When you are suffering from a cocaine addiction and its effects, you will have strong cravings for cocaine and the subsequent high that it brings.
And the more you use cocaine, the more your brain adapts to it and you will require stronger doses to achieve the required highs. This is when you develop a dangerous addiction or suffer from an overdose, which can be fatal.
More frequent, stronger doses are also likely to cause long-term changes in the chemistry of your brain. Your mind and body will come to be dependent and reliant on cocaine.
This means that it will be harder for you to sleep, concentrate and recall information from your memory. Your reaction times will ultimately become slower and your risk of heart, lung and stomach problems will increase.
Signs and Symptoms of Drug Abuse
Because cocaine can have a devastating effect on an addict’s life, it is helpful to spot the tell-tale subtle signs of cocaine addiction early. This allows treatment to take place earlier and attempts to minimise the impact of the drug on the body and brain.
Someone who is experiencing a drug addiction may have suddenly changed personality in a very brief period of time. You may have noticed a change in behaviour, someone who is usually placid and sociable has become withdrawn and distant or has become snappy and aggressive.
Someone suffering from cocaine addiction can also become suddenly unreliable – this will be particularly noticeable in a work colleague and someone who has been dependable in the past has suddenly started to underperform in work, perhaps to the extent they have fallen foul of disciplinary action or have even lost their job.
You may have noticed a change in someone’s physical appearance – they might look suddenly unkempt, extremely tired or have lost a lot of weight in a very short time.
If you recognise any of these signs, it could be that the person you’re worried about is experiencing a cocaine addiction or taking part in drug abuse.
Whilst you may be able to raise your concerns with them, you may need to seek intervention if someone is at risk of severely damaging their health or is at risk from an overdose.
Cocaine Rehab
Due to the extremely addictive nature of the drug, if you are displaying signs of a cocaine addiction, or a friend or loved one is showing signs and symptoms of drug abuse, immediate intervention is essential.
If left unchecked, a cocaine addiction can run through and ruin someone’s life in a matter of weeks and have extremely devastating long-term consequences to health. Finding appropriate cocaine rehab is therefore very important.
Drug addiction and drug abuse requires a number of different approaches, but cocaine detox is essential in order to break your dependency on the drug.
You will also need to undergo counselling and other different types of therapy as part of an individualised treatment programme that has been created to help you to overcome cocaine addiction.
The best kind of therapy to overcome cocaine addiction is residential rehab, which allows you to focus on your recovery and recover from your addiction in a safe and secure environment free of negative influences.
If you seek help from Rehab Clinics Group, we will use our network of rehab centres across the country to bring you the treatment that you need. We treat all of our clients as individuals and we will create a bespoke treatment programme that has been created with only you in mind.
This allows the opportunity to establish key information about you and when you first check in to our rehab centre, we will conduct a detailed evaluation of your condition, the extent of your addiction and establish the reasons that you have developed an addiction in the first place.
These reasons vary widely from person to person and this is why individualising all of our treatment is so important.
If you’d like information about how Rehab Clinics Group can help you to overcome a drug addiction or cocaine addiction, please call us without delay on 0800 470 0382 or text HELP to 83222 and allow one of our caring, highly trained staff to give you advice and set you on the path to recovery without delay.
