Cocaine Addiction And Dependency

A Cocaine addiction / cocaine dependency is a serious issue. The article will explain exactly why cocaine is no light issue.

What Is Cocaine?

Cocaine is a central nervous system stimulant and appetite suppressant. Derived from the leaves of the coca plant, cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid also known to recreational users as crack. It is used medically as a topical anesthetic for eye, nose or throat surgery, but is used recreationally to invoke euphoria and increased energy.

In its purest form, cocaine appears as a white powder. It is often cut with other harmful substances and may then appear dirty white, or pinkish in color. Most often, cocaine is snorted into the nostrils, where it penetrates the mucous lining and enters the blood stream. Other forms of cocaine are not suitable for snorting and are instead smoked. Injecting cocaine is also common, and produces the most rapid, intense physiological effect because it is received directly into the blood stream.

The Effects Of Cocaine

The effects of cocaine may last for between twenty minutes and several hours, depending on the dose, purity and method of delivery of the drug. Initial signs of cocaine use include hyperactivity, restlessness, increased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as euphoria. The euphoria is induced because cocaine stimulates dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens – the brain’s pleasure center. Often the euphoric s state is accompanied by feelings of discomfort, or a craving to experience the drug again. Sexual gratification is often amplified with cocaine use. Short term side effects include itching, increased heart rate, hallucinations and paranoid delusions.
With continued use, the side effects worsen. Chronic cocaine users report insatiable hunger, bodily aches and pains, sleep disturbances and lethargy. Side effects of long-term smoking of cocaine include chest pain, lung trauma, breathlessness and flu-like symptoms. Users who have snorted cocaine for an extended duration may suffer degradation of the cartilage which separates the nostrils.

Cocaine has several serious physical health consequences, including a seven-fold increase in the lifetime risk of heart attack and a 24-fold increase in the risk of heart attack in the hour following cocaine use. The risk of developing serious auto-immune disorders including lupus, vasculitis, Goodpasture’s disease or glomerulonephritis are also markedly increased for long-term cocaine users.

Cocaine Dependency Treatment

Cocaine addiction is very severe and is exacerbated by the fact that cocaine use actually stimulates cravings to use the drug again. Cocaine dependency has positive reinforcement effects – certain stimuli, such as being at a dance party, invoke the desire to use the drug. Since cocaine is a stimulant, users may often take large quantities of depressants, including alcohol or sedatives to “come down”, which further increases the drug’s potential harm.

Treatment for cocaine addiction usually includes cognitive behavioral therapy, however trials for a cocaine dependency vaccine are currently being conducted in the United States. Certain epilepsy drugs have also been shown to suppress cocaine addiction.