Cocaine Addiction Treatment

When cocaine is snorted, injected, or smoked, it raises the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. This increased dopamine signaling in the brain is responsible for many of cocaine’s sought-after effects, including:

• Feelings of euphoria.
• Increased energy.
• Heightened self-confidence.

Cocaine’s powerful and short-lived stimulant effects are primarily responsible for this drug’s high potential for abuse. Abusers rapidly develop tolerance to cocaine’s effects, and over time people must ingest larger doses of the drug more frequently in order to attain a high of similar intensity, leading to addiction and dependence.

Why consider treatment for cocaine addiction at Koinonia Residential Treatment Center in Wisconsin

Cocaine can inflict significant damage on the minds and bodies of those who abuse or become addicted to it. Every use of cocaine is accompanied by constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, raised body temperature, and increased heart rate. Every time a person abuses cocaine, he or she is at risk for experiencing cardiac arrest and respiratory distress, both of which can be fatal. Also, each use also increases a person’s tolerance for the drug, which means that he or she will need to use increasingly larger or more potent doses in order to achieve the euphoric rush that previously resulted from smaller amounts of cocaine.

Of course, the damage associated with cocaine use is hardly limited to the physical dangers associated with each individual use. Long-term cocaine abuse is linked to several distressing outcomes, including paranoid psychosis, auditory and visual hallucinations, and an increased risk for contracting HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and other blood-borne diseases. Long-term cocaine abuse and addiction can wreak havoc on a person’s interpersonal relationships, academic/career progress, financial wellbeing, and legal status.