Stop Cocaine with Laser Therapy Treatment
Are you the "weekend" partier and now every day is the weekend?
What is cocaine?
Cocaine is also known as: Angie, C, C-dust, candy, coke, snow, flake and blow.
Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the South American coca bush. Cocaine is sold as a white powder and is most often snorted; however, it can also be smoked or dissolved and injected.
Cocaine is usually mixed with drugs such as amphetamines, talcum or dextrose.
What does cocaine do to the body?
Cocaine produces a short "high" feeling that is immediately followed by the opposite - an intense feeling of depression, agitation and craving for more.
If the drug is snorted, the drug will reach the brain in several minutes and the high feeling lasts approximately an hour. If the drug is injected, the cocaine will produce the high in a few seconds and lasts anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Smoking cocaine produces an almost instant high and lasts only a few minutes.
When the high is gone, the person feels anxiety and irritable because they need more of the drug. This is why many users will try to use as much as possible to keep the high feeling and avoid the "crash."
What are the short-term effects of cocaine?
- Increased alertness,
- Increased energy
- Blood pressure rises
- Heartbeat races
- Extreme happiness
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Decreased appetite
- Dilated pupils
- Blurred vision
- Sweating
- Unpredictable behavior
- Anger
- Paranoia
- Vomiting
- Twitching
- Hallucinating
- Chest pains
What are the long-term effects of cocaine?
- Loss of sense of smell
- Anxiety
- Paranoia
- Weight loss
- Malnutrition
- Congested, runny, chapped or bleeding nose
- Erectile dysfunction
- Extreme depression
- Tissue damage and infections
- Infections of the heart lining and valves
- Hepatitis, HIV, AIDS and other diseases can be contracted from sharing dirty needles
- Holes in the barrier separating the nostrils
- "Crack lung" which includes severe chest pain, problems breathing, and high temperature
- Heart attack
- Shallow breathing
- Seizures
- Stroke
- Death
What are the risks?
People who use needles are at risk of contracting diseases.
Loss of interest in other areas of life including friends, family, school and work. You never know what you are getting or how it will affect your body, so using a small amount of cocaine puts you at risk of an overdose. Overdose is more likely when cocaine is combined with alcohol or other drugs.
If a woman is pregnant and uses cocaine, the baby may be born prematurely. There is also a risk that the baby will be addicted to cocaine.
Addiction to cocaine
Cocaine is physically and mentally addictive. Cocaine interferes with the way chemicals are processed in the brain. People who are addicted to cocaine feel a strong urge to use, even though they realize it is causing them physical and psychological problems. Cocaine may become the most important thing in their life.
When people stop using cocaine, it causes them to "crash" sending them from feeling very euphoric to distressed. This severe mood swing brings about strong cravings for more cocaine. Using frequently to stay high is the beginning of addiction.
Symptoms of cocaine withdrawal can include:
- Intense cravings for more cocaine
- Hunger
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Anger
- Exhaustion
- Sleeping for days
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts
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