How Much Cocaine Can I Safely Take?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. The key word here is “directly,” because it is the relationship with the brain that makes cocaine one of the most addictive substances. While cocaine has been used for thousands of years, the purified chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, has been an abused substance for more than 100 years.
Cocaine Side Effects
The initial use of cocaine makes a person feel euphoric and energetic, but even with the first use of it a person can experience a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral side effects including the following:
- Runny nose, nose bleed, persistent sniffing
- Tremors and chills
- Perspiration
- Hyper activity
- Elevated speech pattern
- Weight loss due to its appetite-suppressant impact
- Difficulty falling asleep or suffering from disruptive, inconsistent sleep patterns
- Disregard for personal hygiene
- Isolation
- Changes in friends
- Change in work or school performance
- Suicidal thoughts
- Stealing
- Lying
- Withdrawing from normal activities
Cocaine Overdose Risk
Cocaine does damage to the following bodily systems:
- The pleasure centers in the brain and it actually interferes with, alters, and may even damage these specialized cells
- Your central nervous system which responds with increased blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and respiration. Extended use of cocaine can actually cause stokes, brain seizures, respiratory failure, even death
- Instability in the bladder and it damages the liver’s ability to do its job; a distressed liver can lead to hepatitis and other serious ailments
- Cocaine reduces the blood supply to the intestines and can cause nausea, diarrhea, and inflammation
Therefore, the answer to the question how much cocaine is safe to take is none. NIDA reports that even with the first use of cocaine, you increase the risk of “heart attacks, respiratory failure, strokes, seizures, abdominal pain, and nausea. In rare cases, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly afterwards.”
Treatment for Cocaine Addiction
The effective treatment program for cocaine addiction must initially assess the physical, emotional, behavioral, and biological aspects of addiction. Throughout treatment, the program has to be monitored, evaluated, and adjusted as needed to meet the changing needs of the addict in recovery.
While the first step in any treatment program is to stabilize patients through detox, the program then needs to provide an environment and support system in which patients can learn new behaviors. An analysis of the addict’s previous behaviors enables the drug treatment team to develop a program that allows the person to restructure her lifestyle to avoid these triggers and/or replace the way she responded to the triggers.
Many successful treatment programs rely on many different resources from experienced counselors, to other recovering addicts, clergy, physicians, mental health experts, nutritionists, and more. The goal is to take advantage of the various skills that these people bring to the recovery plan.
Cocaine Addiction Help
If you need help finding the right treatment program for your cocaine addiction, call our toll-free helpline today. We are available 24 hours a day to answer any questions you might have about cocaine addiction treatment. We are here to help.
