Understanding Cocaine Addiction

 

Cocaine is also known as coke, C, flake, snow, crack, and blow. It is most commonly snorted, but can also be smoked (also known as “freebasing”) or dissolved in water and injected.

It's popularity as a recreational substance is in part due to its perceived positive effects on mood, motivation, and energy—heightening concentration, increasing sociability, decreasing shyness, and more.

Cocaine acts in the deep areas of the brain that reward us for “good behavior” – such as activities that lead to food, sex, and healthy pleasure. Stimulating this brain area with cocaine feels good and can create a powerful craving to use more and more cocaine. Repeated cocaine use leads to tolerance – higher and higher doses needed to attain the same effects, dependence, and addiction. There is no amount of cocaine usage that is considered safe.

Cocaine has extremely negative effects on the heart, brain, and emotional wellbeing of users. Many people who use cocaine become physically and psychologically dependent upon the drug, which can lead to long-term and devastating life-threatening consequences.

Cocaine is responsible for more U.S. emergency room visits than any other illegal drug. Cocaine abuse damages the brain, heart, blood vessels, and lungs – occasionally leading to sudden death.