Cocaine Addiction
If you, a friend, or family member is suffering from addiction to cocaine, get in touch with us.
Researchers have found that cocaine stimulates the brain’s reward system inducing an even greater feeling of pleasure than natural functions. In turn, its influence on the reward circuit can lead a user to bypass survival activities and repeat drug use.
Cocaine Addiction
Chronic cocaine use can lead to a cocaine addiction and in some cases damage the brain and other organs. An addict will continue to use cocaine even when faced with adverse consequences. Dependency can develop in less than 2 weeks.
Some research indicates that a psychological dependency may develop after a single dose of high-potency cocaine. As the person develops a tolerance to cocaine, higher and higher doses are needed to produce the same level of euphoria.
Facts About Cocaine
Cocaine is a white powder refined from the coca plant which grows in South America. It is usually placed on a smooth surface such as glass and cut up with a razor blade, forming thin lines or trails which can then be sniffed up through a makeshift straw such as a banknote.”Snorting” is the commonest form of consumption although it is sometimes injected.
It is easily absorbed through he lining of the nose. Repeated snorting of cocaine damages the membranes of the nose and can perforate the nasal septum (barrier between one side of the nose and the other.)
If you are suffering from cocaine addiction and what explore the possibility of cocaine rehab or detox please get in touch. Our counsellors know what you are going through because most of them have been there themselves.We are 100% commited to advising you in the best possible way when choosing what course of action to take next.
How is Cocaine Used?
“Snorting” – absorbing cocaine through the mucous membranes of the nose. Injecting – users mix cocaine powder with water and use a syringe to inject the solution intravenously. Freebasing – Cocaine hydrochloride is converted to a “freebase” which can then be smoked. Crack Cocaine – Cocaine hydrochloride is mixed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and other ingredients, causing it to solidify into pellets or “rocks”.
The crack is then smoked in glass pipes. Cocaine and crack speed up the body in a similar way to amphetamines, but the effect is shorter and more intense – less than an hour for cocaine and as short as several minutes for crack. As with amphetamines, cocaine releases an intense rush of energy, makes a person feel good, mentally sharp, talkative and confident. When blood levels begin to dive, the craving is often overwhelming to take more.
Symptoms of Cocaine Use
The early euphoric experience disappears in heavy users, who can feel very restless, with nausea, excitability, extreme agitation, anxiety, paranoia and possible hallucinations. Very high doses can rarely cause heart failure, convulsions and death. Regular cocaine users often have interrupted sleep patterns.
They feel unable to cope until they’ve had some charlie, stressed-out and irritable. Life for weekend users can become a process of trying to get through the week until Friday.
Regular users may feel that they cannot have a “good time” without the drug. Stopping the drug produces terrible headaches, tiredness, nausea, sleepiness and depression.
Anxiety, panic, bloody nose, increased energy, talking rapidly, rapid pulse and respiration, Paranoia, confusion, dilated pupils, hallucinations, altered motor activities (tremors, hyperactivity), stuffiness and a runny nose.
Paraphernalia Commonly Associated With Cocaine?
Paraphernalia associated with inhaling cocaine includes mirrors, razor blades, straws, and rolled paper money. Paraphernalia associated with injecting the drug include syringes, needles, and spoons, along with belts, bandanas, or surgical tubing used to constrict the veins. Scales are used by dealers to weigh the drug. Sometimes substances such as baking soda or mannitol are used to “cut” cocaine in order to dilute the drug and increase the quantity of the drug for sale.
Effects of Cocaine
Through the use of sophisticated technology, scientists can actually see the dynamic changes that occur in the brain as an individual takes cocaine. They can observe the different brain changes that occur as a person experiences the “rush,” the “high,” and finally the craving of cocaine. They can also identify parts of the brain that become active when a cocaine addict sees or hears environmental stimuli that trigger the craving for cocaine.
Researchers know that certain kinds of experiences, such as those involved in learning, can physically change brain structure and affect behaviour. Now, new research in rats shows that exposure to stimulant drugs such as cocaine can impair the ability of specific brain cells to change as a consequence of experience.
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