The way cocaine use gets portrayed in popular media can lead to the mistaken impression that you can take it without much effect. It is possible to develop a cocaine addiction that leads to serious impacts on your health and life. Northern Illinois Recovery Center can help individuals learn more about the drug, signs of addiction, and when you may be at a point where you need treatment.
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What is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a stimulant drug that comes from the leaves of the coca plant. It’s used to be the main ingredient in many tonics and elixirs sold to treat various ailments in the early 20th century. Many doctors relied on cocaine as a form of anesthesia. The drug contains addictive properties that can cause you to form a dependency after one use. Individuals with a substance use disorder tied to cocaine may need to seek help at a drug rehab facility.
How Do You Get Addicted to Cocaine?
Many people get introduced to cocaine at social gatherings. The drug is typically snorted or injected as a powder. You can also smoke cocaine in a crystallized form called crack cocaine. Taking the drug can produce the following cocaine effects, including:
- Extreme euphoria
- Bouts of high energy
- Mental alertness
- Sensitivity to sounds, sights, and what you feel
- Feelings of paranoia
- Irritability
Continued use of cocaine can lead to you developing a tolerance. When that happens, people typically start taking larger amounts of the drug to feel similar effects. The highs produced by cocaine are due to the drug encouraging your brain to produce excess amounts of dopamine. It’s a hormone that contributes to feelings of pain and pleasure.
It gets to a point where your brain starts telling you that it can’t function properly without you providing it with more cocaine. That leads to cravings, which can consume your life. Anything else you used to take pleasure in can fall by the wayside.
Ongoing cocaine abuse can lead to health problems like:
- Losing your sense of smell
- Nosebleeds
- Continuous runny nose
- Problems swallowing
- Persistent cough or other respiratory problems
- Problems with your bowels
- Contracting blood diseases like hepatitis C or HIV through a needle
How Do You Know If You Are Addicted to Cocaine?
Once you develop a tolerance to cocaine, you may start having withdrawal symptoms when you stop using the drug. The feelings brought about by cocaine withdrawal can keep people from getting help with their addiction. Ongoing cocaine use can end with you overdosing. At that point, it’s a good idea to seek professional help for your issues.
Signs of cocaine withdrawal include:
- Having a lack of focus
- Finding your appetite growing
- Feeling like your brain is sluggish
- Increased agitation
- Depression
- Sleep issues
- An inability to feel pleasure
- Anxiety
- Having thoughts of suicide
Cocaine addiction can lead to significant psychological impacts that are just as worrisome as any physical symptoms. Doctors typically recommend that individuals with a possible cocaine addiction look for help from an addiction specialist who understands how to treat their condition. Options for getting help for a substance use disorder include a partial hospitalization program and intensive outpatient treatment.
Get Addiction Treatment at Northern Illinois Recovery Center
Northern Illinois Recovery Center provides clients with the opportunity to participate in various addiction aftercare programs once they complete a program. They learn skills and techniques they can rely on to remain sober in their daily life. Our facility offers evidence-based therapy treatments designed to help clients change the behaviors that put individuals at risk of addiction, such as:
Find out more about the programs and services offered through Northern Illinois Recovery Center by calling 855.786.1978. It can be the first step in creating a better life for yourself.
Licensed Physician and Surgeon
Dr. Beth Dunlap, a board-certified addiction medicine and family medicine physician, and is the medical director at Northern Illinois Recovery Center. She is responsible for overseeing all the integrated medical services at both campuses. Beth completed medical school, residency, and fellowship at Northwestern University, where she continues to serve on the faculty as a member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She has extensive experience in addiction medicine at all levels of care, and her clinical interests include integrated primary care and addiction medicine, harm reduction, and medication-assisted treatment.
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