“You were all I never wanted,
How confident are you in your ability to judge a situation? Could you tell how sick a loved one is before they tell you? Are you good at spying when someone is more tired than they say they are?
Could you spot the signs of cocaine addiction in yourself if they were right in front of you?
Over 1 million Arizona residents aged 12 and older reported having a substance use disorder in 2022. This is just the people who openly admitted it or sought help for their substance use, so the actual number may be much higher.
To help more people get access to care and recognize when they, themselves, need it our team at Recovery Center for the Arts wants to shed some light on cocaine use and its side effects. You’re not alone in this, but knowing is half the battle when it comes to beginning your journey to healing.
How Does Cocaine Use Impact Your Body?
To better understand the signs of cocaine use and a cocaine use disorder, it’s important to know how cocaine impacts your body in the first place.
Cocaine is a stimulant. Now, stimulants are more common than you may realize. Caffeine falls under the category of stimulant. There are also many medications that are stimulants, like those to treat narcolepsy or ADHD. Cocaine, however, is an illegal substance which is what makes it more dangerous than other stimulants that are easily accessible due to its unregulated nature.
Stimulants primarily influence our central nervous system which is the messaging system within the body. It also directly interacts with your dopamine system. Dopamine is the reward chemical our body naturally produces when we do positive things like eating or having sex.
When dopamine is produced, it stays present near dopamine receptors for a period of time before being recycled back into the body. When cocaine is present, not only does it stop the recycling process, but it also greatly boosts dopamine production. While both of these may not sound like negatives, let’s talk further about how these changes actually lead to side effects.
Understanding the Difference Between Short-Term and Long-Term Side Effects
Besides being broken down into the different parts of the body it impacts, side effects can also be categorized by how quickly they appear and leave – otherwise known as short-term and long-term effects.
Short-term side effects are those that occur when the substance, in this case cocaine, is still present within the body. They can also sometimes relate to side effects that may linger for a little bit after the substance has left the body, but they don’t stick around for long.
Long-term side effects, on the other hand, are the effects that develop because of the changes caused by the continued and consistent presence of a substance in the body. These effects develop over time and can last for months or even years after someone has ceased their cocaine use.
This doesn’t make one type of side effect any more dangerous than the other, but more often than not the long-term damage can have more lasting effects due to the time frame in which they appear and stick around.
Spotting the Physical and Behavioral Signs of Cocaine Use
There are two primary ways that cocaine’s side effects can manifest: physically or behaviorally. Physical side effects aren’t always visual, they can include internal damage as well. Behavioral side effects, too, aren’t always easy to spot. Rarely are any side effects instantaneous – they build slowly over weeks and months, making it easier to overlook them until they’re very intense.
One easy way to help potentially prevent this is by being more aware of the potential side effects in the first place.
First, the most common physical side effects of cocaine use, over any period of time, include:
- Nasal damage
- Runny nose
- More frequent nose bleeds
- Scarring
- Gum damage
- Changes in appetite
- Changes in sleep patterns
- New or worsening cough
- Trouble swallowing
- Tremors
Second, here are some behavioral side effects you should watch out for:
- Increased depression
- Increased anxiety
- Paranoia
- Bad dreams
- Worsened concentration and reasoning
- Increased irritability
- Increased violent behaviors
How Dangerous Are the Long-Term Effects of Cocaine Use?
None of the long-term effects of cocaine are innately life-threatening. Many of these effects, however, can be life-changing.
The most impactful side effects of cocaine use primarily depend on your lifestyle and priorities. One person might not be too worried about developing asthma because of cocaine use, while another person may be much more concerned because it would impact their hobbies, like hiking.
The most life-altering long-term effects of cocaine use include loss of sense of smell, changes in ability to think, Parkinson’s disease, heart conditions, and asthma. Other side effects from long-term cocaine use include malnutrition, depression, collapsed veins, nasal damage, and an increased risk of bloodborne illnesses.
Knowing When It Goes Too Far – When Cocaine Use Needs Treatment
While no level of substance use is inherently safe, we understand that most people reach a certain point before they decide to seek treatment.
So, how can you recognize where that point is?
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself about whether or not things are going too far:
- Does cocaine use (thinking about it, engaging with it, recovering from it) take up most of your day?
- Has your cocaine use impacted your finances?
- Have you been disinterested in passions and hobbies you used to have in favor of cocaine?
- Has your substance use negatively affected your relationships with family and friends?
- Do you need more cocaine than you used to to experience the same effects?
- Do you experience side effects and cravings when you aren’t regularly engaging with cocaine?
- Have you tried to stop before but were unable to?
- When you picture your future, is cocaine in it?
There’s no threshold or low point you have to reach first to be worthy of treatment. If you want healing, then you deserve to have access to proper care and support.
What Treatment Options Are Available for Cocaine Use in Arizona?
Listen, we get it. Not only are lifestyle changes hard, but they can be scary, too. When something becomes a prominent part of your life, especially over many years, the idea of changing your norm is daunting. The unknown, even if deep down you want the change, can become an obstacle to your healing.
Our goal is to show that finding a quality cocaine rehab program doesn’t have to be impossible, nor is the journey itself “more trouble than it’s worth.”
A good rehab program offers you support and understanding. They connect you to others who have walked down similar paths as you, so you can continue forward with people who get it. They want to work with you as an individual and not prescribe you to a plan that’s “one-size-fits-all.” A good program will help you find your passion again, and that’s what makes the journey worthwhile.
There is happiness and healing out there, and our team at Recovery Center for the Arts wants to show you the way. With a program built on the creative spirit and helping you heal your inner child, we are committed to seeing you thrive. Give us a call today at (480) 386-1593 to get started.
Recovery Center for the Arts – Finding recovery through creativity.