Many behavioral treatments have been found effective for stimulant abuse, including in both residential and outpatient situations. Behavioral therapies are often the only available effective treatment for many drug use problems, including cocaine use. Today, cocaine is regulated as a Schedule II drug—it has a high potential for abuse but can be administered by a doctor for legitimate medical uses, such as a local anesthetic for certain eye, ear, and throat surgeries. In the 1960s, illicit cocaine use rebounded, and by the late 1970s, the drug had become popular among middle- and upper-middle-class Americans.
The impairment of these cognitive centers can lead to the compulsive use of cocaine—with little to no regard for the consequences. The impairment of judgment and loss of impulse control further promotes high-risk behaviors, sometimes increasing the risk of accidents or exposure to infections like HIV and hepatitis C. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness. Cocaine intoxication is a state where someone is not just high on cocaine but also develops other physical symptoms that make them ill. If you’re worried about your cocaine use and want help, you have options. Consider talking to your primary healthcare provider if you’re comfortable doing so.
Recognizing unhealthy drug use in family members
An initial, short-term effect—a buildup of the neurochemical dopamine—gives rise to euphoria and a desire to take the drug again. Researchers are seeking to understand how cocaine’s many longer term effects produce addiction’s persistent cravings and risk of relapse. In the author’s laboratory, work has focused on buildup of the genetic transcription factor ΔFosB. Levels of ΔFosB in the limbic system correlate with addiction-like behaviors in mice and may precipitate very long-lasting changes to nerve cell structure.
Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medicine. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs. When you’re addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes. Recreational cocaine users have been found to have harder arteries, thicker heart muscle walls, higher blood pressure, and up to a 35 higher risk of a hardened aorta, compared with people who have never used the drug. The team scanned the brains of 120 individuals, half of whom were addicted to cocaine. Results showed a widespread loss of gray matter among cocaine users.
Improving care
The majority of people treated for a powder cocaine addiction treatment remain drug free. Most people who have treatment for cocaine addiction have good results. Unlike treatment for heroin, there are no medicines that work as substitutes for powder cocaine, crack cocaine and other stimulants. If you use cocaine and alcohol at the same time, your body creates a very toxic product called cocaethylene.
If your health care provider prescribes a drug with the potential for addiction, use care when taking the drug and follow instructions. The risk of addiction and how fast you become addicted varies by drug. Some drugs, such as opioid painkillers, have a higher risk and cause addiction more quickly than others. The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) says that 70 percent of people who go into treatment for powder cocaine problems either stop completely or significantly reduce their consumption within 6 months. Cocaethylene prolongs the euphoric effects of cocaine and makes them more intense. The basal ganglia, a part of the brain that houses the reward system, was found to be larger among individuals who were dependent on cocaine.
Short and Long-Term Effects of Cocaine Use and Addiction
You may develop thinning or deterioration of the septum nasi (the septal cartilage in your nose) if you snort the drug. Injecting the drug can increase your risk of a serious skin infection, such as a bacterial staphylococcus infection. Cellulitis (a severe type of skin infection) and necrotizing fasciitis (destruction of the infected tissue), and a systemic infection can develop as well. Cocaine acts on the reward centers of the brain by increasing the effects of naturally occurring neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and dopamine) that make a person feel good. Listed below are some of the physical, behavioral, and psychological signs of cocaine use.
Cocaine addiction accounts for roughly 6% of all drug rehab admissions in the United States. This addiction can be difficult to treat, and the majority of those seeking treatment for cocaine addiction are polydrug users (use more than one drug recreationally). Recreational use of cocaine is illegal because it is dangerous and can lead to severe health consequences, including stroke, heart attack, and overdose.
You might receive treatment with a pharmaceutical drug if you have a co-addiction that can be treated pharmacologically, such as an addiction to alcohol or opioids. Some people are more vulnerable to cocaine addiction than others. With that said, studies have suggested that some groups are at the highest risk.