Cocaine Addiction Symptoms and Warning Signs

Cocaine Abuse Warning Signs

If you are a cocaine user, you might have found that you quickly developed a tolerance to the effects of the drug. This means requiring more of the drug to achieve the same level of pleasure or satisfaction as when you first started using. Increasing the dose of cocaine is one of the first warning signs of cocaine abuse, and it should not be taken lightly.

It is highly likely that once you start increasing the dose of cocaine you are taking you will need to continue doing this to achieve the desired feelings of pleasure or relief. Your tolerance to the drug will continue to increase with time, meaning that you will always keep needing more to achieve satisfaction.

You might also find that you are becoming preoccupied with cocaine. When you first started taking the drug, you might very well have enjoyed the experience, but you may not have thought about the drug again until the next time you were presented with the opportunity to use it. However, if you start to use the drug more frequently, you could begin thinking about it more often. Constantly thinking about cocaine is another warning sign to watch out for.

The imaging study showed that cocaine addicts in their thirties and forties had brains that were indicative of people in their sixties or older. As well as this, cocaine addiction results in memory loss and poor cognitive functioning over time.

Some of the long-term effects of cocaine abuse are:

• high blood pressure
• increased risk of heart attack and stroke
• lung damage
• liver damage
• kidney damage
• respiratory problems
• malnutrition
• disorientation
• apathy
• sexual problems
• severe depression

Short Term Cocaine Abuse Signs

If you are worried about someone you care about using cocaine, there are a number of signs to look out for. Short term signs of cocaine abuse include:

Cocaine Abuse and the Brain

Cocaine abuse has a profound effect on the human brain. It can cause changes to the way in which the brain functions, and it can even cause long-term damage as well as speed up the aging process, as discussed in the paragraphs above.

Taking cocaine stimulates the pleasure centre in the brain, causing a flood of the natural feel-good neurotransmitter, dopamine, to be released. Dopamine is naturally released by the brain in response to things designed to make you feel good, such as the smell of food you enjoy for example.

However, unlike when dopamine is naturally produced by the brain and then reabsorbed, when it is produced in response to cocaine, the brain does not reabsorb it. The consequent build-up of chemicals in the brain results in a surge of pleasure that then affects the reward centre, causing the affected individual to associate the drug with pleasure and reward. This can make you want to use it again and again.

After a while, your brain will rewire itself around cocaine use and will no longer naturally produce dopamine in response to pleasure. This in turn means that in order to feel any pleasure, you will need to take cocaine.

Sudden changes in behaviour can indicate a problem with illicit drugs, but not always, which is that which makes the whole situation rather tricky. You need to look for other warning signs as well, such as dilated pupils, loss of appetite, aggression, and paranoia. If you believe that someone close to you is abusing cocaine, it is particularly important to raise the issue as soon as possible.

Symptoms of Cocaine Addiction

There are a number of symptoms and behavioural changes synonymous with cocaine addiction. For your information before we proceed, addiction is characterised by a compulsive need to use a substance, despite knowing that negative consequences could result from your use.

So if you have an addiction to cocaine, you are likely to continue to use it even when you have promised yourself that you wouldn’t. This is because you will find it almost impossible to resist the cravings. You are likely to use more of the drug than you planned, and you might be putting your use of it above everything else. You will become preoccupied with the drug and you could consequently suffer financial problems because of your use.

You are likely to lie to loved ones about your use and you may feel guilty after using it, especially if you promised family members or friends that you would not use it.

Causes of Cocaine Addiction

There is no single cause of cocaine addiction in every addict. Every person is different and the reasons they develop addiction will be specific to them. Nonetheless, while there is no way of pinpointing an exact cause of cocaine addiction, there are certain factors that could increase the likelihood of it developing. These include:

Symptoms of Cocaine Withdrawal

The first step on the road to recovery from cocaine addiction is withdrawing from the drug; this can be complicated process though thanks to the symptoms associated with it. While rarely life-threatening in and of itself, cocaine withdrawal is unpleasant and uncomfortable and can result in symptoms such as:

Cocaine Overdose

Overdose is, unfortunately, a common problem insofar as cocaine abuse is concerned. In 2016, in England and Wales alone, cocaine deaths rose by 16 per cent, from 320 to 371. This was the highest number of deaths from cocaine abuse since records began in 1993 (according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS)).

It is believed that higher purity cocaine is responsible for the surge in deaths. As cocaine purity levels rise, people’s risk of overdose increases right along with it. Elevated levels of cocaine can cause the body to go into overdrive due to overstimulation of the central nervous system. This causes the heart to race and blood pressure to rise dangerously high.

Cocaine Overdose Symptoms

It is important to be alert to the signs of a cocaine overdose if you are a regular user of the drug or if you know someone who uses it. The symptoms include:

It is important to seek medical help immediately if you or someone you love is displaying the above symptoms after taking cocaine. These symptoms could be the prelude to a stroke, heart attack, or seizure.

Cocaine Overdose Treatment

Cocaine overdose requires medical intervention to reduce the risk of severe or life-threatening complications. Various tests will have to be done to assess the extent of the damage.

If a dangerously high temperature is present, steps will be taken to lower it while medical professionals will continuously monitor the patient to ensure there are no issues with the heart. Sedative drugs could also be administered to keep the affected person calm and to give him or her the chance to recover from the impact of the overdose.

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