Cocaine Abuse

Cocaine abuse causes serious problems in the user’s life and typically leads to full blown cocaine addiction. Often the user will experiment with the drug once and find that the "high" they experience is like nothing they have ever felt before. Many cocaine users report that over time they fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first cocaine exposure. However, they continue using cocaine in an attempt to recreate that initial “high.” At this point the person has a cocaine abuse problem that is very quickly becoming an addiction to the drug. They develop a tolerance to cocaine’s effects and in turn increase the amount they ingest. This drug is often thought to be less addictive because it lacks the physical withdrawal symptoms seen in alcohol or heroin addiction. Cocaine has powerful psychological addictive properties. As more than one user has reflected, "If it is not addictive, then why can't I stop?"

Cocaine can be abused a number of different ways. Sniffing or snorting the powder is a popular method of using the drug because it is quick, convenient, and easier to keep secret. Smoking or injecting cocaine delivers a very powerful, short-lived high but requires more isolation. The pleasurable effects of snorting cocaine up the nose may last 15 to 30 minutes but will be less intense after each use unless the amount in increased. The effects of smoking or injecting cocaine last around 5 to 10 minutes and the intense high is followed by a strong desire to do more of the drug.

After a short high, the pleasurable effects of the drug diminish and the cocaine user often takes more of the drug to recapture the desired effect. This in turn causes severe strain on their body. The damaging effects of cocaine abuse may include stroke, heart attack and unpredictable behavior in the user. Other physical side-effects depend on how the drug is abused and can include anything from nosebleeds to gangrene.

The physical warning signs of cocaine abuse can vary depending on the person. Quite often, the eyes are a good indicator of cocaine use. A cocaine user’s eyes will appear wide and often bloodshot with dilated pupils. Stimulants like cocaine increase heart rate and blood pressure so heart irregularities can be a warning sign. Cocaine users often have an elevated/speed up speech pattern so speech irregularities in the way they would normally speak is a warning sign. Cocaine is an appetite suppressant so people that use cocaine regularly often lose weight or are not hungry at meal time. Also, because cocaine is powerful stimulant, people who use it often have a difficult time falling asleep. These cocaine abuse warning signs are what to look for if you suspect someone you know might be using cocaine. Like any warning sign, they are no guarantee, merely indicators to raise serious concerns.

The trend of drug abuse in the United States is presently multiple or polydrug abuse, and cocaine is no exception. Cocaine is often used with alcohol or sedatives such as Valium, Ativan, or heroin as an upper/downer combination. The other drug is also used to moderate the side effects of the primary drug being abused. A common polydrug abuse problem seen especially in adolescents is cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana.

There are many negative consequences of cocaine abuse. Some of these include being arrested, isolating loved ones, deteriorating health, and having financial or job difficulties. Psychologically the cocaine user can feel depressed, have unexpected mood swings, and may have thoughts of suicide. In the end cocaine abuse, chemical dependency, and addictive behavior spare nobody and are a problem that is widespread throughout society.