Physical and Psychological Effects of Cocaine Addiction

If you want to protect yourself and your family from cocaine addiction, you must first understand the drug – its origin, its appearance, and its immediate and long-term effect on the human body. By doing so, you can teach your children the effect of the drug to them and ultimately to avoid the drug and people who use them.

What is Cocaine?

Cocaine is a fast-acting stimulant that affects the body’s central nervous system, putting off the need to sleep, increase the levels of alertness and energy and inhibits appetite. Because of its effect on the body’s absorption of dopamine, it gives cocaine users a feeling of euphoria, a feeling similar to a batter getting a home run or a soccer player scoring a goal.

Cocaine comes in a wide variety of names, most come from the way they are used or the way the are prepared. Cocaine is also known as Coke, Dust, Nose Candy, Toot, Line, Sneeze, Snow, Powder, Liquid Lady, White Pony, Flake, C, The Lady, Rock, Crack among others. Cocaine, because of its effects, is classified under Schedule 2 Controlled Substances pursuant to the Federal Controlled Substances Act.

What are Its Effects?

The effects of cocaine on the human body vary depending on several factors. The person’s history can affect the reaction of the body as well as the amount and the manner the drug was taken. Short-term and long-term effects exist, and they may be categorized as the physical and psychological consequences of using cocaine.

Immediate physical effects include restlessness, euphoria and alertness, felt within minutes of taking the drug and continue for about 20 to 120 minutes. Insomnia, vomiting, pupil dilation, nosebleeds, increased temperature and pulse rate, rapid breathing also become apparent.

Prolonged use, which is normal for many cocaine users because of its highly addictive properties, could cause cardiac and respiratory failures, strokes, coma, and gastrointestinal problems. Cocaine users could also develop physical addiction to the drug along with vertigo, extreme paranoia and involuntary muscle twitching. Toxic reaction similar to amphetamine poisoning is common to cocaine users. Hepatitis and AIDS could also be transferred through non-sterile needles. Death from overdose, lungs and heart failure and stroke are also common.

Psychological effects include change in the way an individual handles interpersonal relationships. When psychological dependence develops, there is the tendency that the drug will become so central in the person’s thought that the mind can only process information that would help an individual get more access to cocaine. Anxiety, hallucination and depression are common among cocaine users. Severe sleeping and eating disorder can also progress from continuous use.

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1 comment on “Physical and Psychological Effects of Cocaine Addiction”

1. Melissa Roberts skriver:
   October 6th, 2010 at 11:50 am

   this website helped alot! i am doing a health project on cocaine. i have learned alot

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