About Cocaine Abuse and Addiction
Cocaine abuse and addiction impacts the lives of millions of Americans every year. Many people use cocaine at parties to enhance their experience, but the drug can cause a person to want to use it more frequently and can lead to them becoming addicted to the drug.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cocaine is an extremely strong stimulant that people form addictions to. Cocaine is made from the coca plant that is typically plant found in South America. Cocaine will cause a person to experience a short-lived pleasurable high that will result in the person feeling more energized and more powerful.
Once a person uses cocaine and enjoys the way they feel on the drug, they may continue to seek out and use the drug. When a person begins to constantly look for ways to get the drug and use the drug, they will begin to have an addiction to the drug. People addicted to cocaine will continue to use the drug even if their drug use is causing problems to occur in their life.
People addicted to cocaine commonly experience financial problems due to the cost of the drug and to their tolerance levels increasing towards the drug. This means that the more a person uses cocaine the more tolerance to the drug their body will form, which results in the person constantly needing to take more of the drug to receive the effects they desire. This can become an extremely costly addiction for people who do not get help. Moreover, cocaine is illegal and a person caught using, buying, or selling the drug can be charged with a criminal offense, which will be permanently marked on their record.
The Effects of Cocaine Abuse and Addiction on a Person’s Body
Aside from the financial and criminal problems associated with cocaine abuse, cocaine is extremely potent and causes a great deal of harm to a person’s physical and mental health. Every time a person uses cocaine their heart rate will significantly increase, which can lead to heart palpitations and cardiac arrest. In addition, when used, cocaine goes straight to a person’s brain impairing their chemical makeup, which can lead to them having seizures.
When a person is on cocaine their body will feel more powerful and they may feel happier than usual. This is because their serotonin levels have been altered from the drug. However, when a person comes off of cocaine, their serotonin levels will be depleted causing them to feel sad and depressed; this feeling of sadness can last for days at a time.
Cocaine abuse and addiction can lead to numerous complications in a person’s life and a person who has formed an addiction to the drug should seek out help as soon as they can so that they do not cause any more harm to their body or to their life.