Cocaine Crack Effects and Abuse

Cocaine and crack abuse have effects on the human body that can lead to serious damage, addiction and death. Cocaine is a drug taken from the leaves of the coca plant which can be snorted, injected or as crack can be smoked. Common street names for the drug include Blow, Big C, Snow, Coke, Flake, Nose Candy and Rock to name but a few.

Short term effects from taking cocaine include dilated pupils, increased temperature and heart rate, constricted blood vessels, loss of appetite, insomnia and feeling restless, irritable and anxious. The kind of feelings and high experienced when taking cocaine can vary according to how it is taken and may include high levels of energy, mental clarity and hyper stimulation. These highs are normally short-lived however and the symptoms that follow often include fatigue, irritability and depression.

Long term cocaine crack effects and abuse can be life threatening and include heart disease, heart attacks, seizures, strokes, abdominal and chest pains and strokes.

Addicts become different people and behaviour often affects people around them as lying, stealing, cheating and spending frequent periods absent from college or work become the norm. As cocaine addicts develop a higher tolerance for the drug they need to take more and higher doses to get the same high that was first experienced, this is what makes crack so addictive. They will experience other symptoms such as paranoia, restlessness and terrible mood swings from taking coke which will also affect people around them and often leads to broken relationships, families and marriages.

This type of drug is dangerous and deadly. If you are addicted to cocaine or you know of someone who is then the sooner you or them get help, the better. Drug treatment centres and rehabilitation centres are the places to contact where they have trained counselors that can advise and give important information to help an addict. The dangerous effects of cocaine crack and abuse of this deadly drug are not something to be taken lightly.