California Cocaine Detox & Treatment Rehab Centers -

Cocaine

Cocaine is an illegal drug also known as white, snow, blow, coca, coke, rock and crack due to its white powder appearance. The powder form of cocaine can be snorted, ingested and rubbed onto the gums for a numbing effect. Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America where locals chew the leaves for energy and use it as a local anesthetic. In the United States, cocaine is classified as a Schedule II drug by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as it is an addictive stimulant drug that has a high potential for abuse and dependence.

Symptoms of Abuse

A person addicted to cocaine may be pleasant one moment, while irrational and angry at another. Other signs and symptoms of cocaine abuse to look for:

Frequent nosebleeds (snorting)
Hoarseness (snorting)
Collapsed veins or marks on arms from injecting
Substantial weight loss in a short time frame
Erratic behavior
Problems fulfilling responsibilities at school, work or home
Stealing money from loved ones

If someone is exhibiting these symptoms it may be time to seek help from cocaine rehab centers.

Short-Term Effects

Cocaine produces almost an immediate high that is triggered by the flood of dopamine, a brain chemical associated with rewarding and pleasurable stimuli like sex, food and addictive drugs. This heightened dopamine release is responsible for the high produced by cocaine.

Within a few minutes, cocaine users may experience the following short-term effects:

Heightened energy
Alertness
Elevated mood
Euphoria
Irritability
Paranoia
Anxiety
Nausea

Muscle twitches
Tremors
Restlessness
Raised blood pressure
Increased heart rate
Dilated pupils
Constricted blood vessels
Higher body temperature

The effects of cocaine last anywhere from five minutes to an hour, depending on whether it was snorted, injected or smoked. Cocaine used in large amounts can lead to violent, odd or unpredictable behaviors by users and can increase anxiety and paranoia. After the effects of cocaine wear off, cocaine users may have strong cravings to do more of the drug and have anxiety and insomnia.

Long-Term Effects

Depending on the method of use, cocaine can lead to other long-term health consequences. For example, injection cocaine users have an increased risk for infectious diseases such as HIV. People who frequently snort cocaine can end up with a deviated septum or other problems with their nasal cavity.

People who use cocaine for long periods of time are also at risk of a number of health problems:

Depression
Psychosis
Paranoia
Respiratory or cardiac arrest
Bleeding in the brain (called a cerebral hemorrhage)

Heart attack
Malnourishment
Irregular heart beat
Seizures
Stroke
Sudden death

Cocaine Addiction

People with cocaine addiction rarely admit to using the drug and they may concoct elaborate stories to explain their erratic behavior, their shabby work or school attendance, and their poor state of health. They manipulate those around them to get money to get the drug. Even when it is glaringly apparent to everyone that the person has a problem, the addict he will continue to deny it. Rehab from cocaine can be difficult, which is why finding treatment is so important.

Cocaine addiction is insidious because it is gradual. Once it takes hold, it is all that matters. Cocaine addicts become so consumed with procuring more of the drug that they remain in constant state of anxiety, fearing that they will run out. As the addiction progresses, everything else in their life becomes secondary: family, friends, hygiene, work, school, food. It is not unusual for a heavy cocaine user to quickly become emaciated when he or she is in the throes of addiction.

Chronic cocaine users who abruptly stop taking the drug run the risk of dangerous, and possibly fatal, symptoms of withdrawal. Some of the most common cocaine withdrawal symptoms include:

Paranoia or suspicion of others
Anxiety
Insomnia

Restlessness
Cravings to use
Depression

Sovereign Health of California

At Sovereign Health of California, you or your loved one will be set on a path of freedom from this highly destructive path of cocaine addiction. Our cocaine addiction treatment program begins with our naturally assisted detoxification (NAD).

Sovereign Health’s cocaine addiction treatment involves a combination of individual and group counseling, family therapy and diverse evidence-based and complementary treatments, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), equine therapy and yoga, depending on each patient’s needs.

Sovereign Health of California is a leading provider of cocaine addiction treatment, and we can treat you. Following detox, patients can begin the diligent work of rebuilding a foundation free from addiction. It is hard work, but it is also the most important work one will do in life. But he or she will not go it alone.

Sovereign’s promise is to work as hard as the patient. We ask nothing more; we demand nothing less. For further information about cocaine addiction recovery or the treatment of substance use disorders at Sovereign Health of California, call our 24/7 helpline and speak with a member of our team. We will answer your questions and allay your concerns about cocaine rehabilitation.

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