Cocaine is among the top drugs that are abused in the U.S. and is popular among young adults aged 18 to 25 years old. The United Nations reported that about 17 million people used cocaine globally in 2012. The drug floods the brain with the neurotransmitter dopamine creating feelings of euphoria and well being and also blocking the perception of pain. Other effects of the drug can include an increase in energy, enhanced motor skills, talkativeness and an increase in mental focus and concentration.

Cocaine Addict

For recreational use, cocaine can be smoked, snorted or injected into veins, and popular street names for the drug are coke, toot, snow, and blow. Cocaine is often mixed with other substances like talcum powder, sugar, cornstarch and other drugs or substances. When cocaine addicts buy their drug illegally on the street, they are unaware of what ingredients are actually in the cocaine and may be at risk of serious health complications or death from overdose from a lethal mix. Using alcohol and cocaine together may also prove to be a lethal mix.

Cocaine is a dangerous drug that is highly addictive, and tolerance to the drug can build up rather quickly, requiring the user to take more of the drug to achieve the same desired effects as before. Cocaine users often believe that the drug will help enhance their mental and performance attributes, but nothing is further from the truth. Unfortunately, cocaine addicts find out too late that they have become trapped in a cycle of addiction that they cannot escape from without professional help. What may have started out as a fun thing to do will soon turn into a hellish nightmare. Babies born to cocaine-addicted women are also addicted to the drug, and tens of thousands of cocaine babies are born in the U.S. each year.

Cocaine can cause many different adverse effects and a cocaine addict may experience twitching, agitation, respiratory depression, hyperactivity, restlessness, strange or bizarre behavior, hallucinations, paranoia and violent behavior. Damage to the brain and body can create psychiatric disorders, hardening of the arteries, stroke, heart attack, kidney damage, and an increase in heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure. Cocaine addicts may develop Parkinson’s disease, a ruptured aorta, malnutrition and heart muscle damage. Addiction to cocaine can also cause chemical changes in the brain creating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), other psychoses and behavioral changes.

Cocaine Symptoms

Cocaine addiction is often partnered with co-occurring mental illness that the cocaine addict suffers from. The addict may have started using cocaine as a way of self-medicating to ease the symptoms of his mental illness. Some of the mental disorders that co-occur with cocaine addiction include clinical depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorder. Cocaine addicts who also suffer from mental illness should receive professional medical help that address both issues. If the addict goes into a drug rehab treatment program he will be physically and mentally assessed and an integrated treatment plan would be designed specifically for his unique situation.

The cocaine addict should be treated with a medical detox process first to wean his body off of all offending substances. He should be monitored throughout the process and medications could be administered to help his mind and body cope with the withdrawal effects. Some of the symptoms of cocaine withdrawal can include:

• spasms,
• muscle aches,
• nausea,
• diarrhea,
• cravings,
• anxiety,
• vomiting,
• fatigue,
• sleep problems
• and depression.

A comprehensive treatment plan may include individual and group counseling plus medications to control his mental illness.

Both cocaine and methamphetamines create the strongest psychological dependence of all drugs. Cocaine affects the reward centers of the brain and tolerance to the drug can happen quickly. If cocaine is taken with other drugs it can cause extremely dangerous physical and psychological effects. Whatever rewards a cocaine addict thought they were going to receive from the drug will quickly be proven wrong. Instead they will find themselves in serious trouble that they are unable to get out of. As a preventive measure and to raise awareness, the youth of America should be taught about the dangers of cocaine addiction before they even consider trying the drug. Let Drug Detox Centers Denver be your recovery resource. Just give us a call today at (720) 370-3036.