Is Someone You Know Addicted To Cocaine? Learning How to Identify Cocaine Addiction Is the First Step to a Drug-Free Future.

Cocaine addiction is a serious problem in the United States. While using cocaine is never safe, when cocaine abuse spirals into addiction, it can destroy the lives of the addict as well as his or her family. The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that approximately 896,000 people aged 12 or older suffered from cocaine addiction in 2015. The longer someone is addicted to cocaine, the more chances there are that a fatal overdose can occur. Finding out how to identify cocaine addiction is the first step to getting treatment that could lead to a successful recovery and a drug-free future.

What is Cocaine Addiction?

One issue that is sometimes confusing about cocaine is trying to decide exactly what is cocaine abuse and what is cocaine addiction. When someone first begins abusing cocaine, they take it because they enjoy the feeling of euphoria and burst of energy they get from the drug. Over time, changes occur in the brain of someone using cocaine and they become addicted.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cocaine addiction is a chronic disease characterized by a craving for cocaine that is intense and uncontrollable. Cocaine addiction is not a choice, and it is not caused by lack of willpower. The compulsion to use cocaine is so strong in addicted individuals that they will seek and use the drug, even when it causes harm and leads to devastating consequences. Obtaining and using cocaine becomes the most important thing in an addict's life.

Cocaine Addiction Symptoms

If you are unsure if you or someone you know is addicted to cocaine, there are certain physical, psychological, and neurological symptoms that can reveal that addiction has occurred. When someone displays two or more of these cocaine addiction symptoms, it is time to seek treatment. SAMHSA, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reports that the most common symptoms of cocaine addiction include:

* Physical symptoms - Loss of appetite, significant weight loss, tremors, sexual dysfunction, lack of motor control, altered heart rhythms, chest pains, high or low blood pressure, difficulty breathing

* Psychological symptoms - Inability to make decisions, poor impulse control, paranoia, irritability, panic attacks, auditory hallucinations, formication (the sense that bugs are crawling under the skin, known as "coke bugs")

* Neurological symptoms - Memory problems, headaches, seizures, convulsions, coma

Additional Cocaine Addiction Symptoms

Other cocaine addiction symptoms may differ depending on the manner of drug use. Addicted individuals who snort cocaine may lose their sense of smell, suffer frequent nosebleeds, and exhibit hoarseness and a constantly inflamed, runny nose. Injecting cocaine leaves puncture marks, typically on forearms, and when cocaine is smoked (crack cocaine), addiction can show in burns on fingers or mouth, damaged lungs, and worsening asthma.

The Dangers of Cocaine Addiction

Addiction to cocaine is extremely dangerous and can even be deadly. Cocaine addiction increases the chances that someone will contract HIV or hepatitis from sharing needles or from unprotected sex. Eventually, cocaine addiction can damage heart and lung function, leading to heart attack or stroke, collapsed lung(s), or respiratory failure. Most troubling, death from fatal cocaine overdose can occur at any time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 7,000 deaths were caused by cocaine overdose in 2015, a higher rate than in the previous seven years. The chances of a deadly overdose increase the longer cocaine addiction persists.

If you see the signs of cocaine addiction in yourself or a loved one, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Recovering from cocaine addiction is not easy, but with help from an accredited addiction rehab center, you or your loved one can overcome addiction to enjoy a brighter, drug-free future.