Effects of Cocaine
Individuals who suffer from cocaine addiction dont know the effects of cocaine. Hopefully, with the help of Addiction Recovery Network we will be able to make these devastating effects known to the general public and help raise awareness to this troubling matter. Cocaine is a drug that is extremely fast acting, but only provides a feeling that is short lived, which is why many individuals continually use cocaine throughout a session. When using cocaine, the effects are felt within 15 seconds, and peak up to five minutes later, although it does depend on the purity of the drug. The drug completely wears off after roughly 30 minutes. Individuals use cocaine because it allows you to feel alert and energized, with a sudden burst of self-confidence. It also helps you feel sexually aroused, so many individuals take the drug if they have issues becoming aroused. The effects of cocaine are usually unique to every individual.
Effects occur in two categories, short and long term:
- Short-term effects of cocaine use appear regardless of how long a person uses the drug; even first time users can experience short-term effects like loss of appetite, increased temperature, high blood pressure, increased energy, and increased heart rate.
- Long-term effects depend on the duration, consumption amounts, and dependency levels. It is important to note that cocaine can cause lasting impairment, dependency, and ultimately cause death. Death fatalities are mostly associated with seizures, cardiac arrest, and respiratory failure.
There are many long-term effects of cocaine use. After just one night of taking cocaine, an individual is going to feel fatigued and irritable, and this feeling continues for several days. Long-term effects of cocaine can have significant effects on an individuals mood, and it is even possible for the individual to feel depressed and irritable. Mood swings, including violent ones, are common for individuals who regularly use cocaine.
Long-term effects of cocaine have a compounded outcome since they cause different damage to the body.
Physical Effects of Cocaine Use
- Heart Complications
- Stroke
- Gastrointestinal
- Respiratory complications
- Coma
- Chest pains
- Fever
- Impaired vision
- Muscle pains
- Convulsions
Psychological Effects of Cocaine Use
- Cheating
- Laziness
- Isolation
- Low esteem and self-denial
- Paranoia
- Restlessness
- Road rage
- Hallucinations
- Irritability
Another long-term side effect of cocaine use is paranoia. This is also going to affect how an individual performs on a daily basis, as they are more likely to feel like someone is constantly looking over their shoulders. This can lead to poor performance in school and work.
The Deceitful Effects of Cocaine
Some effects of cocaine may seem promising in the beginning; loss of appetite might lure those who want to lose weight; high energy levels might also attract sports people and others who need to put forth extra efforts to achieve desired results. However, this ultimately leads to dependency and hence, the associated fatalities.
Never Satisfied
Due to high dependency and tolerance, addicts never feel satisfied and that is why they tend to increase the dosage. This is dangerous because it can lead to insanity and eventually cause death. It becomes very hard to recover from the effects of cocaine. It is a long hard road since the substance abuse treatment requires strong-willed individuals, support from loved ones, and expert help.