The Health Hazards Of Cocaine Abuse

Cocaine is a substance that may act as a stimulant and an appetite suppressant. Medical practitioners use it as a prescription drug in topical anesthetic forms. Local anesthetics that are used in eye, nose, and throat surgeries contain cocaine. This substance is also addictive and may produce a pleasurable feeling because it affects neural pathway of the brain. Because of this reason, cocaine is used by many as a street drug. Its popularity as an illegal drug peaked in the mid 1980s with an estimated six million American users. Today, the number has declined and seems to have reached a plateau. There are a lot of medical studies that show that this substance poses an even bigger danger than what is advertised. Cocaine may alter the body’s blood flow, causes brain damage, and leads to the occurrence of a life-threatening stroke.
Cocaine can cause stroke by directly putting extra pressure and tension on the blood vessel walls and increase blood pressure. This circumstance may also cause rupture and leak blood into the brain. Cocaine can also narrow the blood vessels and hamper the blood flow to the many parts of the brain and kill the brain tissues. It may also squeeze or constrict the coronary arteries that feed blood to the heart. When this happens blood flow to the heart and brain is hampered and therefore causes stroke. Some studies even suggest that during the first hour of cocaine intake, the user’s risk of heart attack may increase by nearly 24 times.
Cocaine users are at higher risk of stroke if they have any typical risk factors for it, such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. These individuals also increase the risk of stroke if they have experienced a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA). TIAs are often called mini-strokes because they produce stroke symptoms like temporary weakness or paralysis in one side of the body. Individuals with family histories of heart disease or other risk factors may also have higher risks. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol also up the odds. No matter what the condition or family history is, if a person uses cocaine, it greatly increases the odds of a stroke.
Cocaine addiction has become a major health problem. Long-time cocaine users show a strong tendency towards relapse -- the intense craving and vivid memories of the high seem to last even years. However, many health specialists believe that a combination of drug and behavior therapy will prove the most effective means of treatment in the future.
One thing that seems apparent is that immediate and enduring abstinence is essential to success of a certain treatment. The drug's effects are too powerful, and the binge and crash cycle too risky, to attempt the kind of maintenance therapy used with other drug addicts.
Many users seeking treatment are suffering from other problems as well, including addiction to other drugs and psychological disorders, which further complicate matters. With therapy, drug counseling, and support, cocaine users can deal with these problems.

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Emmanuel Chavez is a sports writer and holds a graduate degree in Sports Nutrition. He is active in promoting weight loss programs and healthy lifestyle among inner city youth.If you find this article very informative, you can read more articles at Articles of Drugstoretm

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