Illicit substances often produce significantly negative impacts on a user’s body and brain. Over time, ingestion of such drugs increases one’s risk of engaging in troubling and potentially criminal behavior resulting in jail or prison sentences. One chemical notorious for producing such outcomes is cocaine.
Cocaine Overview
Cocaine is a stimulant drug made from the extracts of leaves from trees native to South America. These extracts take the form of granulated white powder users typically snort, smoke, or dissolve into liquid and inject into their blood vessels using a needle.
Systemic Impacts
Cocaine influences brain and central nervous system function. The drug increases the brain’s production of a chemical known as dopamine, which controls one’s movements and feelings of reward and satisfaction.
Over time, excessive levels of dopamine collect inside an addict’s brain. Such events interfere with their brain cells’ ability to operate correctly. This dysfunction results in temporary feelings of euphoria, strength, and happiness. However, as the user’s dependency intensifies, larger and larger quantities of the drug are needed to produce the intended results. Ultimately, addiction sets in.
Cocaine addiction heightens one’s risk of developing serious and permanent brain damage. Additionally, their chances of contracting significant illnesses impacting the respiratory, cardiovascular, and digestive tracts rise.
Cocaine And Violent Tendencies
Aside from potentially long-lasting and life-threatening health issues, cocaine dependency increases a user’s chances of engaging in violent or criminal behavior capable of leading to incarceration.
Psychiatric Impacts
Medical researchers have found that cocaine tends to induce psychiatric symptoms such as agitation, aggressiveness, hallucinations, and possibly even psychoses. Any of these physical and mental manifestations heighten one’s risk of behaving erratically or even criminally.
Domestic Violence
Cocaine use often leads to domestic violence. It is not uncommon for individuals under the substance’s influence to turn their rage on those they reside with or are closest to. Common manifestations include:
- Physical abuse of spouses or children
- Threatening or menacing behavior
- Using weapons
- Destroying property
Domestic violence does not always take the form of physical actions. Cocaine-induced aggressiveness might also manifest in verbal, mental, or emotional abuse.
Sexual Violence
Researchers maintain that cocaine addiction often results in sexual violence like sexual harassment and rape. This behavior is attributed to the strength and power individuals under the influence of said chemical feel and often display.
Child Neglect
Persons dependent on cocaine often grow so addicted that their only concern is satisfying their next craving. Therefore, they often neglect personal, legal, and financial responsibilities. In such instances, the addict’s children are often not properly cared for and suffer grave physical and health consequences.
Cocaine And Legal Ramifications
Any of the preceding issues carry the potential to result in serious legal problems. Cocaine possession, violent crimes related to its use, or resulting child neglect could lead to lengthy jail or prison terms.
Curing A Cocaine Addiction
Fortunately, an addict might conquer dependency before their addiction lands them behind bars. That said, defeating this demon requires serious commitment and an in-depth strategy devised by the addict, their family and close associations, and a team of trained medical professionals.
Drug Treatment
Cocaine addictions must be treated aggressively and usually require the completion of several critical steps including:
Detox
During this initial phase, cocaine is gradually eliminated from the dependent’s body. This process is often performed inside a specialized facility designed to handle such undertakings and overseen by licensed and experienced healthcare providers particularly versed in drug detox.
The most common type of detox is medication-assisted treatment. Medical professionals administer the treatment often simply abbreviated as MAT by slowly weaning the addict off cocaine and delivering medications geared toward easing or preventing associated withdrawal symptoms.
Treatment Program Attendance
Once detox is completed, the recovering soul must then overcome the emotional and mental aspects of recovery. This phase of treatment is overseen by mental health professionals trained to help healing subjects identify the root causes of their substance abuse and other underlying mental or emotional issues.
Finding The Right Support System
This last and final step is often the most crucial. Many recovering addicts relapsed because they lacked the emotional support needed to maintain sobriety following treatment. The right support system is comprised of people who genuinely wish to see the individual in question heal, in addition to those amid their own recovery journeys possessing the ability to shepherd comrades through inevitable challenges and struggles.
Contact Us
Those seeking to overcome a cocaine dependency are urged to contact us. The team of addiction specialists employed at our southwestern Florida facility has helped people from various backgrounds and ethnicities overcome this addiction. Call us at 844-639-8371.