Health Risks of Long Term Cocaine Abuse
Many people take cocaine for the first time due to peer pressure, and they see others around them taking it; therefore, they want to try it as well. However, many other people develop a cocaine addiction as a result of struggling with abuse and addiction to another substance. Cocaine addiction is simply an escalation of addiction that they developed to another substance.
Regardless of why your cocaine addiction grew and developed, it’s essential to understand that there are short and long-term effects that this type of addiction can have on you both physically and psychologically. To ensure your cocaine use does not trigger sudden death or another serious consequence on your life and body, you must understand these long-term effects of cocaine and the substance abuse treatment programs available to you.
The Effects of Cocaine on Different Parts of the Body
One of the scary effects of cocaine substance abuse is that it can directly impact different parts of your body. This type of substance abuse can harm just one part of your body or a multitude of them. For instance, because this white powder can be snorted through your nose, there is a strong possibility that this white powder can impact your sinuses. Cocaine abuse can damage the membranes in your nose. Since this substance can dry out your nose and decrease blood flow, the soft tissue in your nose will slowly become damaged and die. The long-term effect of this is that the very structure of your nose will change. Also, you may probably experience breathing issues due to this breakdown.
While getting sober will certainly help improve your health, find out the percentage of people who relapse back to drug use here:
https://musetreatment.com/blog/what-percentage-of-addicts-stay-clean-after-rehab/
Effects of Cocaine On the Heart
One of the primary organs to feel the impact of cocaine use will be your heart. Cocaine will naturally cause your heart rate to rise to unhealthy levels. If you have an undiagnosed pre-existing heart condition, cocaine use can simply exacerbate this condition and cause other severe heart conditions. Other examples of heart-related issues that you may experience due to your cocaine addiction could be permanent high blood pressure, blood clots, and continuous chest pain. You should never ignore these symptoms, and if you are experiencing them, you should reach out for help immediately. There is a strong likelihood you could experience a heart attack when you’re under the influence of cocaine. There is also the possibility that you could be at higher risk of experiencing a heart attack in the future. Therefore, both during your addiction treatment and long after, you must monitor your heart health.
Effects of Cocaine Use on the Brain
There are several long-term cocaine effects you can experience that directly impact your brain. One of the more severe consequences of prolonged cocaine use is that it can result in sudden death if you overdose on it or use it for a long time. Victims of cocaine abuse are more susceptible to suffering from mini-strokes, seizures, and cerebral atrophy, which is the progressive shrinking of the brain. When you’re in drug rehab, your treatment team will take the time to learn more about the extent of your drug abuse so that your team can account for any of these possibilities. For instance, cocaine users may have experienced a mini-stroke and not completely realized it. We will assess your physical and psychological well-being to determine whether or not long-term use of cocaine has impacted your brain.
Effects of Cocaine Use on the Respiratory System
It’s important to understand that long-term use of cocaine can impact your sinuses and impact your overall respiratory system. One of the leading effects of cocaine abuse is that this long-term use of cocaine can cause heart issues which can cause a chronic cough, pulmonary edema, or the development of a serious condition known as crack lung. However, if you address this severe drug abuse sooner rather than later, you may be able to avoid some of the long-term effects of cocaine, such as the more severe ones that can impact your respiratory system.
Effects of Cocaine Use on the Immune System
Extended cocaine use can have a severe impact on your immune system. Due to your immune system’s decreased functionality and continued cocaine use, you put yourself at a greater risk of contracting infectious diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. Many cocaine addicts often share needles, increasing the risk of contracting these contagious diseases. Since you have put so much wear and tear on your body, there is a more substantial possibility that your body will not be able to fight off this disease, resulting in your death.
Overcoming Long Term Cocaine Use at Muse
Once you’re ready to tackle your drug addiction, there are several steps you can take. One of the first things you should do is reach out to Muse Treatment Center to begin to put together an addiction treatment program that will help bring your body and mind to a better place after suffering from drug abuse. However, before you can begin your drug abuse treatment plan, it’s important to understand that you may need to commit to a drug detox program. Drug detox allows you to go through the withdrawal process and experience withdrawal symptoms with the peace of mind of knowing you are surrounded by addiction experts who can closely monitor your symptoms and provide you with any additional help you need to manage them. Although it may seem more appealing to work through the detox process at home, taking this step could result in serious and potentially fatal consequences, which is one of the main reasons why it’s never something that is recommended.
When you complete detox, you will be able to focus on the work you need to do while you’re in addiction treatment care. If you decide to work with the Muse Treatment Center team, you will have the opportunity to participate in either an inpatient or an outpatient program. If you need to complete a detox program, it may benefit you to commit to an inpatient or a residential treatment program. This type of structure allows you to live on our campus and enjoy them around the clock from our treatment team that you initially experienced during your time in detox. We will always do everything we can to provide you with a home away from home type of experience so you can truly begin to address the issues in your life that you may have led to your addiction.
However, inpatient or residential treatment isn’t an option for some people. Whether you have full-time or part-time work or school responsibilities, or other personal responsibilities that you need to see to, you may not be able to commit to the structure that accompanies inpatient care. However, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to commit to an addiction treatment program. Outpatient programs such as an intensive outpatient program or a general outpatient program can provide you with the flexibility you need to tackle your addiction while still seeing the other essential responsibilities you have in your life. When you come to Muse Treatment, we will take the opportunity to get to know you on a personal level. This will help us develop a treatment program that does not make you feel as though you need to choose between these responsibilities and your addiction treatment program.
Are you interested in learning more about treatments for cocaine addiction? Do you have a loved one who may be struggling with cocaine or opioid abuse and would like to learn more about the long-term effects that cocaine abuse could have on a person? The Muse Treatment Center team is here to help you. We have a comprehensive understanding of the effect that cocaine can have on your body and mind. This is why we always go the extra mile to ensure you have the resources you need to understand the negative impact of long-term cocaine abuse and what you can do to overcome that addiction. For more information about your options to address abuse and addiction of cocaine or simply for more information about the short and long-term effect that cocaine can have on a person, please get in touch with us today at (800) 426-1818.
