How Does Cocaine Affect The Body?

Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that ups your levels of alertness, attention, and energy. You may hear it called a stimulant. It’s made from the coca plant, which is native to South America. Coke is either produced in the form of white powder, or solid rock crystal. Ways of in taking cocaine vary from individual to individual and is subjective in nature. While some prefer snorting it, others prefer injecting it directly into the blood stream. Some ever rub it on their gums and heat up the solid crystal to smoke it.

Why do people do cocaine?

It is assumed that, initially, people do it for the thrill of it but soon with continuous consumption, they get a hold of the addiction. Cocaine induces a sudden rush of dopamine and adrenaline inside the body which makes the person feel happy and energized.

How does cocaine function?

The drug sends high levels of dopamine, a natural chemical messenger in your body, into the parts of your brain that control pleasure. This build up causes intense feelings of energy and alertness called a high. Because the body may seek to fulfill the newfound craving for this dopamine reward, the brain’s neurochemistry can be changed, leading to a substance use disorder.

Short-term effects of cocaine:

  1. Intense happiness: the person feels a sudden rush of happiness, joy and energy. There is a sense of extensive euphoria.
  2. Loss of appetite: the person loses the sense of hunger and stops or decreases food intake.
  3. Increases heart rate: the body temperature, blood pressure rise and the heart starts beating faster.
  4. Dilated pupils: the pupils of the person expand in a peculiar way.
  5. Hallucinations: the person starts hallucinating and sometimes get transferred to a different dimension. S/he also starts hyper stimulating.   
  6. Disrupted sleeping patterns: the person either sleeps too much or does not sleep at all.
  7. Anxiety: the person becomes paranoid and hyper anxious. The effect is also characterised by panic, psychosis, convulsions and seizures.

Long-term effects:

  1. Permanent damage to blood vessels, heart and brain: the heart rate starts fluctuating in irregular ways, blood vessels get ruptured, and the brain starts working in a peculiar manner.
  2. Destruction of tissues in the nose: due to constant snorting, the tissues in the nose get permanently damaged.
  3. Infectious diseases and abscesses due to injecting: sharing needles can cause infectious diseases.
  4. Sexual problems: it is characterised by reproductive damage and infertility in both males and females.
  5. Disorientation and mental exhaustion: this is characterised by delirium, psychosis, intense depression, apathy, confusion and bipolar disorder. Why do we overthink? This has always been a question in our minds, do check out the reason for it!
  6. Death: cocaine can cause instant death due to overdose, heart attack, organ failure and seizures.

Drugs kill thousands of people every year and destroy millions of families. If you think that you have gotten addicted, immediately rush to rehabilitation centres and seek support of your loved ones. If you find someone else doing it, help them get out of the addiction. Say no to drugs, save lives.

That is pretty much it for this blog. Do let us know if you found it helpful in the comments section below!

Explified