The 10 long-term effects of cocaine addiction

Cocaine is one of the most widely used drugs in the world and, in fact, today it is relatively normalized in circles that have nothing to do with the contexts of marginality that are usually thought of when dealing with the issue of substances addictive In fact, Spain is currently the European country in which the most cocaine is consumed.

But despite its popularity, this psychostimulant has very negative effects on both physical and psychological health of the person. Therefore, it is important to understand the effects that this substance has on the body and mind of people, and the implications of its continued use over relatively long periods.

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What are the main long-term effects of cocaine addiction?

In recent decades, cocaine use has been increasing in Western countries and consumers are becoming younger, which constitutes a real public health problem that is perpetuated due to the social dynamics of normalization and imitation. In fact, in some social settings, the use of this drug has come to be romanticized,

comes to be seen as one more component of a lifestyle based on sacrifice and the need to give the most of oneself to achieve all the professional goals that one sets for himself.

But beyond this interested way of seeing the consumption of a very harmful drug, the reality is that cocaine produces significant problems, some of which are underestimated simply because they take place on a long-term time scale and, therefore, are not taken into account as much. bill.

Below is a summary of the main long-term effects of continued cocaine use.

1. Insomnia

Chronic insomnia and sleeping problems are usually one of the main symptoms shown by people who continue to use cocaine for several months or years.

This difficulty sleeping is related to the activating effects that the drug has on the organism, which develop in the person a continuous feeling of euphoria and hyperactivation nervous.

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2. Harmful eating patterns

The appetite of people who have been consuming cocaine for a long time is expressed in an altered and driven by impulsiveness, something that can cause real long-term health problems, usually more related to malnutrition than undernutrition.

3. cardiovascular disorders

For several decades, medical science has been studying in detail the effects of extended cocaine use on people's cardiovascular health.

It is well known that there are several cardiovascular diseases associated with cocaine use and these types of alterations tend to affect severely affect a person's health and even shorten their longevity due to the wear and tear of blood vessel tissues and the heart.

Some of the most common cardiovascular disorders caused by cocaine are cardiomyopathy, acute coronary syndrome, left ventricular hypertrophy, and arrhythmias.

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4. psychotic disorders

The continued use of cocaine can cause the appearance of psychotic disorders in the long term: schizophrenia, paranoid ideas of persecution or grandeur, auditory hallucinations, etc.

This appearance of psychic disorders is due to the ongoing damage that long-term cocaine use exerts on certain structures of the human brain, whose consequences are truly devastating, since they completely change the personality of whoever introduces the drug into their body on a regular basis.

5. Respiratory disorders and damage to the respiratory system

Nasal use of cocaine is one of the most widespread in the world, and this practice has a direct effect on the person's health and the proper functioning of their body.

Some of the main problems that we find in nasal consumption are the loss of smell, nosebleeds, hoarseness, swallowing problems, irritation of the nasal passages, and in more cases serious, nasal septum perforation.

Respiratory disorders are also common, especially in nasal or inhaled consumption, cases in which the risk of contracting respiratory diseases of all kinds increases.

The main respiratory disorders associated with long-term use of cocaine are pneumonia, generalized cough, asthma, and difficulty breathing normally.

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6. emotional disturbances

There are many emotional alterations that people who consume this drug can suffer during a long time, since cocaine has a destructive effect both on the person's psyche and on his health physical.

The main psychological or emotional alterations of continued cocaine use are an increased risk of developing depression, anxiety, or mood swings.

In addition to that, symptoms such as irritability and even aggressiveness are also common.

7. Menstrual disturbances

The continued use of cocaine has been shown to cause a wide variety of menstrual disorders in women. The continued consumption of cocaine in women can result in a hormonal alteration that ends up translating into changes in the menstrual rhythm.

8. sexual alterations

Sexual impotence in men is also a classic feature of continued cocaine use, especially the occurrence of erectile dysfunction or painful erection.

In addition to that, we can also find symptoms like loss of sexual desire caused by pain or inability to have continued intercourse.

9. Gastrointestinal disorders

Long-term cocaine use also has a devastating effect on the gastrointestinal tract of the person who continues to use it.

Among the main gastrointestinal affections that affect the health of the individual we can find digestive hemorrhage, hollow viscus perforation, and ischemic colitis.

10. Increased risk of contracting diseases

As in most chemical addictions, the continued use of cocaine also exposes the person to a greater risk of contracting certain diseases, due to the lifestyle to which people with an addiction are exposed.

Some of the most common diseases are usually HIV or Hepatitis (in case of intravenous administration), lung diseases such as pneumonia or severe allergic reactions.

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When is the time to go to therapy?

The time to seek professional help for cocaine use is when the use of this drug has become routine. This implies that it is not necessary to wait to be aware that an addiction has developed, since in practice, this type of disorder begins earlier. If cocaine use is not daily but is part of everyday life and weekly habits, most likely there is already a problem and that the disease has begun to establish itself and affect the biological and psychological dynamics on which the person functions.

Fortunately, through a combination of medical and psychotherapeutic assistance it will be possible to help the person to detoxify and adopt strategies for emotional management and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits and adequate socialization to keep the drug.