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Cocaine Overview

Cocaine is a highly addictive street drug that goes by a number of different nicknames and street names. Its pure chemical form is cocaine hydrochloride, and the coca leaves from which it is made have been used and abused for its stimulant properties for hundreds, even thousands, of years. Today, it is most often found in the form of a fine white powder and referred to by nicknames including "coke," "blow" or "snow." Rarely sold in its purest form, dealers often cut their stock with other white powdery substances like cornstarch, talcum powder or other less expensive stimulants like methamphetamine.

If you or someone you love is addicted to cocaine in any form, The Canyon provides a broad and efficient drug addiction treatment program for men and women on a luxurious estate tucked away in the Santa Monica Mountains just outside of Malibu, California.

How Cocaine is Used

Cocaine in its white powder form is most often divided up into lines and snorted through the nose. "A bump" of cocaine refers to the same snorting process but to a smaller amount of cocaine. This powder can also be sprinkled on top of the weed in a joint and smoked or freebased by placing it on tin foil over a heat source and inhaling the smoke through a glass pipe. Alternatively, some choose to dissolve the powder in water and inject the solution directly into a vein. When cocaine is purchased in a small lump, it is called "crack" and this is smoked directly through a glass pipe. Each form of cocaine ingestion carries with it a different set of effects and dangers, but they have one thing in common: all are addictive and deadly.

The Effects of Cocaine Addiction

Cocaine can wreak havoc on your body and mind with just a single use. Every time you use the drug, you are putting yourself at risk for a number short-term and long-term effects as well as overdose and death.

Short-term effects occur while you are under the influence of the drug and for a brief time afterward. An immediate mental alertness and increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and energy are immediately noticeable even in small amounts. If too much is taken or mixed with the wrong drugs, this can quickly turn into cardiac arrest or seizure and respiratory arrest. If cocaine is taken on a regular basis, a physical addiction to the drug settles in and erratic, emotional mood swings can erupt violently.

The long-term effects of cocaine are seen after continued use and abuse of the drug. Regular use quickly turns into tolerance, requiring more and more of the drug to achieve the same initial effects. When tolerance rises, addiction sets in and a slew of opportunities for medical complications open as well. From respiratory failure to heart failure, heart disease to strokes and seizures, and a number of gastrointestinal issues, cocaine has the potential to crush almost every major system in the body. The usual social effects of addiction will also become apparent including lying and stealing to maintain one's habit secretly and failing to keep up with responsibilities at work and maintain personal relationships with those who don't use cocaine. Irritability, paranoia, hallucinations and a pursuit of cocaine to the exclusion of all else characterize a full-blown addiction to the drug and a need for cocaine addiction treatment at an inpatient rehabilitation facility like The Canyon.

Cocaine Treatment at The Canyon

The Canyon is a multi-faceted drug addiction treatment facility in Malibu, California, open to those who are suffering from addiction to alcohol and/or drugs and specializing in the treatment of those who also suffer from co-occurring mental and psychological disorders. Cocaine addiction especially can cause mental issues or exacerbate a pre-existing condition, and it is for this reason that a dual diagnosis treatment facility like The Canyon is necessary for an efficient treatment. If you have questions about cocaine addiction or would like to schedule an appointment at The Canyon, contact us today at .