Cocaine is one of the most popular stimulant drugs that you can get on the streets. It’s popularity is due to the extreme and energetic high that it gives its users. Because of this high and the way that it impacts the brain, cocaine is also an incredibly addictive drug, and one that leaves addicts with both a mental and physical dependency.
Originally, cocaine came from South America, where coca leaves are native to. For thousands of years, natives to this region would chew on the leaves to gain energy. While this was also a fairly addictive activity, the modern version of cocaine is a highly purified version of the chemical compounds of coca leaves, and is vastly more dangerous, especially considering that people consume cocaine by snorting or smoking, rather than by chewing.
Cocaine’s high is unique
A little bit of cocaine goes a long way. A single low-dosage is enough to give users an intense high, which places the user in a state of euphoria and manic energy. Cocaine actually heightens the mental alertness of the user, which makes cocaine addicts feel more confident and brash while they are under the influence. During this period, the user experiences their senses in a heightened state, and can be hypersensitive to sights, sounds, and smells.
Short-term effects of cocaine addiction
While the high of cocaine is very pleasurable, there are very negative physical effects that occur to the user. While in this heightened state of energy and alertness, the user’s cardiovascular health is impaired, as there is an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. This can lead to an irregular heartbeat, which greatly increases the chances of a heart attack. Most overdoses from cocaine are caused this way. However, overdoses can also occur from seizures or strokes that are induced by overusing cocaine.
Long-term effects of cocaine addiction
Cocaine is immensely addictive because it is able to rewire your brain’s reward system to think that it needs cocaine. This is similar to how many other drugs function, but is especially intense in the case of cocaine, because cocaine induces such a high rate of pleasure. Because of the dopamine that your brain releases, these dopamine receptors begin to not work unless you are under the influence of cocaine. After a while, the addiction becomes physical, and it is much harder to stop using.
Long-term cocaine addiction leads to chronic health problems, although this depends on the frequency of the usage. The cardiovascular problems that one has when using cocaine begin to get worse over time, and the chances of a heart attack are greatly increased for cocaine addicts. Cocaine also has a negative effect on other key organs, and can be a major contributor to kidney and liver failure, as well as respiratory problems that make breathing difficult.