The 6 Warning Signs of Cocaine Addiction, and How It's Treated

Cocaine is among the most widely consumed illegal drugs globally, and unlike many, its use is relatively normalized in all social classes. For this reason, addiction to cocaine is one of the most common in the world.

But not because it is popular is it less dangerous as a psychoactive substance. The truth is that the ability of this drug to wear down the quality of life of the consumer is remarkable, and notices its effects of damage accumulated in a relatively short time, contrary to what many people believe. Thus, Knowing how to identify the warning signs of cocaine is essential. In this article we will see what they are, and what to do about this disorder.

• Related article: "The 14 most important types of addictions"

Red flags associated with cocaine addiction

In order to facilitate the identification of this health problem in any person, below we will explain what are the typical signs and symptoms of cocaine addiction.

1. Short-term physiological and psychological symptoms

In this section

we will see above all what are the physiological and psychological phenomena that appear minutes after having consumed, although the normal thing is that they disappear in a matter of hours (although it is possible that the person consumes several times at throughout the day, causing relatively large amounts of this substance to remain in your blood over a period of time dragged on). Knowing them serves to have proof of to what extent the person in question uses this drug often or not.

1.1. Short-term physiological symptoms

The physical signs caused by cocaine are usually the most obvious and easy to identify in anyone. The main ones include an increase in heart rate, which can cause tachycardia and an increase in body temperature.

The person's nervousness can also be identified, as well as noticeable restlessness or over-excitement, often manifested by repetitive movement of the legs or other parts of the body.

In addition to that, dilated pupils are also another of the physical symptoms easy to detect by an outside observer.

1.2. Short-term psychological symptoms

Euphoria is another of the classic characteristics linked to cocaine use and one of the most identifiable effects in the person who consumes it.

It is a general feeling of well-being both on an intellectual and physical level, which pushes the person to perform acts that they would not do under normal conditions. Therefore, it is similar to what in cases of bipolar disorder is known as hypomania: the person acts from optimism unreasonable about his own abilities, and overestimates his chances of succeeding in whatever he does. propose.

Many times, this state of artificial euphoria also causes excessive verbiage in the person, which results in long monologues by the addict.

2. Loss of appetite

The neural circuits responsible for controlling appetite lose their activation when the person suffers from a cocaine addiction, since These neurons are completely thrown into the task of rewarding (through pleasant sensations and the cessation of withdrawal discomfort) for the experience of drug use.

This phenomenon occurs in many other drugs, and entails a process of deterioration, weight loss and a propensity to disease, in cocaine addicts. However, it must be borne in mind that this is a long-term effect and has accumulated effects over weeks and months; In the minutes following consumption, many people may feel very hungry and binge.

3. Alterations in self-perception

Some direct consequences of this euphoria are the perception of an increase in one's physical or intellectual abilities and a feeling of superiority in general, which influences the person to carry out all kinds of crazy behaviors even when it has not been used for several hours or days.

In addition to that, cocaine addicts also completely lose the feeling of pain, tiredness or fatigue.

Due to this, it is not uncommon to see professionals from very competitive environments always accept more workload since they expect to be able to do everything by taking for granted that cocaine will give them that "extra" energy, this being illusory (since the misuse of the body's resources continues to occur, although it is not experienced with so much discomfort in a immediate).

4. Insomnia

The problems when trying to fall asleep due to the effect of the drug, which is a stimulant substance and as a consequent activator of the nervous system, it is another aspect to consider.

It is a direct consequence of the effects of the drug on the brain, which can also cause other health problems such as pain headache, general malaise and greater exposure to anxiety disorders (something enhanced both by the drug itself and by lack of sleep).

• You may be interested in: "Insomnia: what is its impact on our health"

5. Radical lifestyle changes

There are many changes at a personal, social or work level that occur in the life of a cocaine addict during the course of his addiction.

The most notable are a deterioration in family or friendship relationships, a loss of interest in occupations or activities that previously interested the person and a change in habits nightlife, with departures and arrivals home that, depending on the family context, are often hidden. In the long run, there is also a drastic drop in academic, school or work performance, even if the stimulating effects of Cocaine and its impact on the ability to work were one of the reasons the person started using it in the first place.

In addition to that, an increase in the daily expenses or weeks of the addict is also common, since cocaine is one of the most expensive drugs that exist.

6. Changes in mood

Finally, among the classic signs that a person addicted to cocaine presents are: frequent mood swings, irritability in the face of setbacks, anxiety when not consuming or depression.

These emotional symptoms can be a consequence of some of the above mentioned signs, or they can also be the cause of some of them.

How is the treatment?

The treatment of cocaine addiction must be carried out in two ways: the medical-psychiatric and the psychotherapeutic. Both work by combining with each other to not only make the effects that the drug has had on the body fade, but also for the person to learn to be autonomously again and learn to better regulate your own emotions and behavior patterns, thus avoiding relapses and better managing the initial discomfort from the abstinence.

Regarding medical treatment, the initial phase of treatment is especially important, in which the patient's body is eliminating the remains of the drug that were stored in the blood and in tissues, and the person is prevented from engaging in harmful behaviors in order to alleviate that discomfort of the first days. Psychiatric support will continue throughout the process, giving professional support to the challenge of living without continuing to consume and offering tools to deal with the possible anxiety that may arise due to this.

Psychotherapy also helps the person know how to handle negative emotions related to drug withdrawal, but beyond this, it allows the patient to learn to find new sources of motivation, ways effective in detecting early the thoughts and behaviors that may predispose you to relapse, and ways of relating to others that take you away from the drug. To do this, it uses very diverse techniques and strategies, such as Mindfulness, the use of self-registration, etc.

Are you looking for therapeutic support against addictions?

If you are seeking treatment for an addiction problem, get in touch with our team. On Llaurant la Llum We have both a complete team of medical and psychotherapy professionals as well as complete facilities for outpatient or residential treatment.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
• Goldstein, R.A.; DesLauriers, C., Burda, A.M. (2009). Cocaine: history, social implications, and toxicity - a review. Disease-A-Month, 55 (1): pp. 6 - 38.
• National Collaborating Center for Mental Health (2008). Drug Misuse: Psychosocial Interventions. Leicester: British Psychological Society; NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 51.