Dangers Of Cocaine Addiction - Some Information

Many people, including youngsters, are tempted to try cocaine for recreational purposes, refusing to believe that it can harm them anyway. The dangers of cocaine addiction are undeniable. If the risks of cocaine are properly presented, the incidence of cocaine abuse would decrease.
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that is highly addictive. Most users become addicted only because of the pleasurable initial high that the drug provides. This happens in the first few minutes after taking the drug. The most common form of cocaine that is ingested is the hydrochloride powder form that can be snorted or alternately dissolved in water and injected.

Cocaine alters levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine and stops it from being recycled. This causes a dopamine build-up which results in the euphoria. Consistent and long-term use of cocaine causes the body to develop a tolerance for the drug. That is, larger amounts of the drug are required by the body to produce the same effect.

Once the effect wears off, the user feels depressed and anxious. They may also feel so drowsy that they sleep for days on end. If they do not take the drug again, they experience severe withdrawal symptoms such as painful cramps and tremors being just some of them.

The different methods of administration of cocaine also have their own adverse side effects. When cocaine is regularly snorted, there is considerable damage caused to the nasal area. Frequent nose bleeds occur and the user has a constant runny nose. Cocaine users lose their sense of smell. Injection of cocaine increases the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and hepatitis through shared and infected syringes. Swallowing of cocaine causes considerable damage to the intestinal track and bowels.
Regular use of cocaine affects the respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and neurological systems.

It is dangerous to consume cocaine dissolved in alcoholic drinks. The chances of developing diseases of the liver dramatically increase. Poisonous by-products are created in the liver that is potentially more dangerous than either of the drugs by themselves.

When someone takes cocaine, the heart rate and blood pressure increase. This causes a stroke to occur in some cases. Blood vessels constrict when cocaine is used. This can partly or even fully shut off blood supply to the brain and cause further damage.

The respiratory system of cocaine users is affected to the extent of having lung collapses, pulmonary edema, chronic cough, inflammation, etc.
There is no safe dose of cocaine. Overdose of cocaine causes convulsions, shuts down certain brain centers, causes heart failure and even sudden death.

Some other dangers of cocaine addiction are listed below:Using cocaine regularly causes frequent feelings of depression, sadness, irritability, etc.Paranoia and panic attacks are seen to commonly occur in cocaine addicts.Regular cocaine use turns out to be a very expensive habit. Many a time users get into heavy debts.Aggression is commonly seen in cocaine users. They become suspicious and mistrustful.Risk of developing mental disorders is always high with cocaine addicts.Under the influence of cocaine, users take careless risks that may often result in great harm.Use of cocaine by pregnant women can cause children to be born with less-than-normal birth-weight.Cocaine users frequently experience numbness of extremities.

No matter in what form cocaine is ingested, the drug presents clear dangers to the user's psychological and physical well-being.