Early Signs, Symptoms, and Complications of Cocaine Addiction
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cocaine addiction treatment abuse often causes immediate negative consequences, but some people who abuse Cocaine are capable of quitting on their own. The effects of Cocaine are felt relatively quickly and are short-lived compared to other substances—only lasting roughly 30 minutes. Taken in smaller doses, Cocaine produces effects of happiness, sociability, concentration, and a decreased need for sleep. By recognizing the signs of Cocaine abuse, you can get your loved one the help they need before an addiction takes hold. An addiction to Cocaine can be hard for many people to distinguish. Knowing the symptoms can help you determine if someone needs help.
As the duration of the high is relatively short, people who abuse cocaine typically use the drug in a binge and crash fashion. This means that the drug is taken repeatedly within a short period of time at higher doses in order to sustain a high. This process can lead to cocaine addiction which is a chronic relapsing disease caused by changes in the brain and intense drug-seeking behaviors.
Effects of withdrawal from cocaine
Blue Ridge is located on 50 acres in Ball Ground, Georgia, just an hour north of Atlanta. Cocaine is the most powerful stimulant made from 100% natural substances. It is generally diluted or “cut” with inert materials such as corn starch, sugar or baby powder to increase the profit. Other times it’s diluted with amphetamine which is another stimulant or heroine which is an opiate and has the opposite effect.
- This is why those who are addicted need the drug to simply feel normal.
- This type of cocaine usage means that a user takes cocaine often in a relatively short period of time to sustain the high caused by the cocaine.
- While an addiction to cocaine can destroy almost all aspects of a person’s life, there is treatment availablethat can help an addict get clean and stay clean.
- Executives and professionals can find confidential help to recover from cocaine use in the private setting at Headwaters.
- Getting help for cocaine addiction will allow you or your loved one to start healing from any past pain and prevent any further damage.
Giving up Cocaine doesn’t require medical detox and is generally not life-threatening. However, finding treatment, whether it be rehab, therapy, or a 12-step program, can increase the chances of successfully quitting. These treatments help people cope with withdrawal, cravings, and reestablishing a drug-free life. Cocaine is a dangerous stimulant created by the purified extract of theErythroxylum cocabush. Although there is a variety, the two most common forms of cocaine found on the streets are powdered and crack cocaine.
Statistics for cocaine abuse
A cocaine overdose can be far more dangerous than overdosing on another drug—even lethal. Some people overdose on cocaine much more quickly than others, making it difficult to know when to stop. Long-term cocaine use changes the chemical makeup of the brain, making recovering from cocaine addiction extremely difficult. Options is a mental health and addiction treatment center for adolescents, adults, and seniors.
- An addiction to cocaine is very difficult to overcome on your own.
- Cocaine use can have debilitating short-term consequences and permanent long-term ones.
- Cocaine, also known as “coke,” “blow,” and “snow,” is a powerfully addictive stimulant narcotic that is often considered to be an upper-class way of getting high.
- Different processes produce the two primary forms of cocaine we see on the street.
- In fact, cocaine was often included in many elixirs and tonics developed in the early 1900s to treat an array of illnesses.
People between the ages of 18 – 25 have the highest cocaine addiction rates of any age cohort. In the United States in 2005, cocaine was listed as the most frequently reported drug to the Drug Abuse Warning Network by hospital emergency rooms. That same year there were a staggering 448,481 emergency department visits involving the use of cocaine. People sometimes become addicted to cocaine because they believe using it will make them fun, outgoing, and happy.
Withdrawal From Cocaine, Treatment, And Next Steps
Users take cocaine in binges, in which cocaine is used repeatedly and at increasingly higher doses. With repeated exposure to cocaine, the brain starts to adapt so that the reward pathway becomes less sensitive to natural reinforcers10,18(see “What Are Some Ways that Cocaine Changes the Brain?”). At the same time, circuits involved in stress become increasingly sensitive, leading to increased displeasure and negative moods when not taking the drug, which are signs of withdrawal. These combined effects make the user more likely to focus on seeking the drug instead of relationships, food, or other natural rewards. Cocaine addiction treatment methods commonly rely on behavioral modification, for example, cognitive-behavioral therapy.