Signs Of Cocaine Use & Addiction | BLVD Treatment Centers

Cocaine is a fairly unmistakable drug. A user more often than not knows what they want when they get hold of a gram or two of coke. And the amped-up after effects of the drug, well, those are also quite obvious signs of cocaine use.

Cocaine amps up a person, if only for a brief period of time. Having taken the drug, a user feels what experts call euphoria. Nothing is beyond them. The world is theirs for the conquering.

And then, minutes later, the cocaine user is at it again, snorting another line or tapping a vein to get it nice and fat for its injection.

Between these actions in the cocaine addict’s life, there seems to be little else other than to get high or get out to find from where your next high will come from.

THE MOST OBVIOUS SIGNS OF COCAINE USE

• Easy or increased agitation: A coke user is more likely to become angry over issues that would otherwise be glossed over if they weren’t on the drug. This increased agitation is also a sign that the user is going through withdrawals, and probably needs a fix.

• Increased enthusiasm: Having just done a line or two, a coke user’s energy and happiness levels will rise exponentially due to the release of increased dopamine. They will feel empowered and in many cases, be much more talkative.

• A lack of restraint: As a coke user’s enthusiasm rises, their inhibitions may also lower. They are less cautious and more apt to take risks than if they were not on the drug.

• Inability to be still: In some cases, a person who has recently taken cocaine will be active and jittery. This nervousness goes hand-in-hand with the increased talkativeness, paranoid behavior, and an inability to simply sit still.

• Increased signs of a cold: Those who use cocaine can invariably start sniffling, get a runny nose or even nosebleeds if their main way of induction is snorting. This does not occur if they inject cocaine.

• Inability to concentrate: Because cocaine can create so much energy within its user, it can sometimes be impossible for the user to stay focused on one task. An inability to concentrate is a sure sign of both recent and long-term cocaine use.

• Involuntary muscle movements: Tics, yawning, shakiness and sometimes an inability to control simple hand-eye coordination is an additional affliction as well as a tip off that a person has just taken cocaine.
• Sexual stimulation: In many cases, cocaine can be a sexual stimulant. Increased sexual behavior, particularly in a person who does not ordinarily display sexual desires is a strong sign a substance such as cocaine is being used.

LESS OBVIOUS SIGNS OF COCAINE USE

With the way cocaine increases a person’s energy level, there’s no doubt it can cause internal damage, particularly to vital organs.

Cocaine can cause cell death in the muscles of the heart, which is medically called cardiomyopathy.

Meanwhile, those who use cocaine intravenously can inflame the inner tissues of the heart, leading to endocarditis.

Both of these effects can cumulate and lead to heart attacks and cardiac arrhythmias, which may be fatal.

These heart issues are known in the medical community as cocaine-induced cardiotoxicity, and can also include:

• Inflammation of heart muscle.

• Rupture of the aorta, the major artery leading from the heart.

• Severe declines in health and life quality due to reductions in cardiac function or severe blood loss.

• Risk of stroke, and/or brain damage resulting from blood supply interruptions to the brain.

And if not to make matters worse, cocaine use is also associated with kidney damage.

That’s a lot of damage that chronic use of one drug can cause. Cocaine can also cause the breakup of relationships, families, friends, the loss of a job and worse yet, the loss of self-value.

Strongly consider seeking help if cocaine is coming between you and the life you truly should be living, which is addiction free.

If you feel you or a loved one has an issue with cocaine, contact BLVD Treatment Centers. At BLVD Treatment Centers we custom tailor our recovery programs within the safe and nurturing confines of our rehab treatment centers. Located throughout California, in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and in Portland, OR, our mission is to assess the severity of your addiction to help you achieve true recovery within 30 days. Call us now at 1-866.582.9844.