Cocaine Addiction: Recognising the Signs and Seeking Help

Cocaine addiction treatment may sound scary but it needn’t be. For the person dependent on it, Cocaine addiction can be devastating. It has the power to destroy a life especially relationships, finances, employment prospects and even could take your life. Seeking cocaine addiction treatment can help mitigate these effects. 

Here at Find Me a Rehab, our expert clinicians can help you with Cocaine Addiction Help as well as assistance with Crack Cocaine Addiction. If you need Help for Cocaine Addiction call and speak to an experienced addictions clinician for free, confidential and impartial advice.

Widely touted to be a recreational party drug (there is no such thing) Cocaine is incredibly addictive. An illegal drug, cocaine is a stimulant that is made from coca leaves that are found in South America. It has, very limited, medical use and is rarely used by doctors when treating patients. Fortunately, cocaine addiction treatment strategies are available. 

While commonly known for being snorted, cocaine can also be used by rubbing the powder onto their gums or by injecting it into the bloodstream. It can also be used in a crystallized form (Crack) and smoked. Whichever way it is taken, the effect will be the same: An intense, short-lived euphoria with increased energy levels and alertness.  

Why is it addictive?  

Within the brain are complex reward pathways, systems that enhance pleasurable experiences and will encourage the user to continue to use. This can happen when someone has sex, eats a favorite food as dopamine is released.  When this happens, the Dopamine attaches itself to proteins on nearby neurons. At the same time, another protein will come and remove the Dopamine and recycle it for further use. When you use cocaine, dopamine is not removed and accumulates, hence the euphoria that users experience. Understanding these mechanisms can be vital in cocaine addiction treatment approaches. 

Someone who uses cocaine will then associate use with this euphoric experience, leading them to constantly repeat the experience, hence they become dependent. In time, the user’s brain will alter its stress reactions and increase feelings of dissatisfaction and negative moods. This will also increase the chances of relapse if they stop using. The longer it is used for, the more changes to the brain occur. Professional addiction treatment often deals with these changes. 

The effects of cocaine can last up to an hour and may exhibit one, or more, of the following signs and symptoms:  

• Heightened mental alertness 

• Overtalking 

• Euphoria 

• Increased energy levels 

• Hypersensitivity to sound, light and touch. 

• Extreme anxiety 

• Panic 

• Paranoia 

• Intense irritability 

• Stroke 

• Seizure 

• Headaches 

• Death 

• Extreme violence 

Tolerance and sensitization 

The brain, over time, will adapt to cocaine use meaning that the more you take, the more you need to have the effect a small amount would once produce. If someone suddenly stops and then restarts, they may lose their tolerance, overdose and die. In addition, the brain, when adapted to cocaine use will heighten stress and anxiety responses when small amounts are used. Users may then try and negate this by using more, leading to overdose. Continued use can lead to psychosis. Encouragingly, cocaine addiction treatment can address these issues. 

Here at Find Me a Rehab, our expert clinicians can help you with Cocaine Addiction Help as well as assistance with Crack Cocaine Addiction. If you need Help for Cocaine Addiction call and speak to an experienced addictions clinician for free, confidential and impartial advice.

Long term physical health problems caused by cocaine:  

• High blood pressure 

• Heart attack 

• Stomach ulcers 

• Severe weight loss 

• Chronic insomnia 

• Chest pain 

• Regular nosebleeds 

• Damage to nasal septum 

• Loss of taste 

How is Cocaine addiction treated?

Unlike Alcohol and Heroin addiction, there is no medical detox for Cocaine. Unless someone is using exceptionally large amounts, medication is not, usually, required. For some, a few days of supportive medication to assist with the comedown may assist. In the main, Cocaine addiction recovery is centred around therapy and aftercare. However, due to the very serious potential for medical complications, medical supervision, during rehab, is essential.

Here at Find Me a Rehab, our expert clinicians can help you with Cocaine Addiction Help as well as assistance with Crack Cocaine Addiction. If you need Help for Cocaine Addiction call and speak to an experienced addictions clinician for free, confidential and impartial advice.

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