How cocaine affects the brain
Cocaine affects the brain by creating a build up in dopamine levels. Dopamine is a brain chemical. Normally the brain releases dopamine in response to something pleasurable. The brain will then recycle the dopamine back into the cell and shut off the signal. When you use cocaine it results in huge build up of dopamine because the cocaine stops the dopamine from being recycled and so the signal to create dopamine is not shut off. It is this huge amount of dopamine that causes a cocaine high.
The high from cocaine usually lasts up to only 30 mins when the cocaine is snorted and only 5 to 10 mins if smoked.
Repeated use of cocaine will lead to addiction. This is because it makes changes to the brain so that it gets used to the excess dopamine. Users then have to take stronger and more frequent doses of the drug to get the same high and to stop the symptoms of withdrawal.
The high from cocaine usually lasts up to only 30 mins when the cocaine is snorted and only 5 to 10 mins if smoked.
Repeated use of cocaine will lead to addiction. This is because it makes changes to the brain so that it gets used to the excess dopamine. Users then have to take stronger and more frequent doses of the drug to get the same high and to stop the symptoms of withdrawal.
Short term effects of cocaine
Some of the short term effects of cocaine are:
- extreme happiness
- increased energy levels
- mental alertness
- hyper stimulated senses of sight, sound and touch
- irritability
- paranoia
- constriction of the body's blood vessels
- dilated pupils
- nausea
- increased body temperature
- increased blood pressure
- increased heartbeat
- muscle tremors
- restlessness
- extreme happiness
- increased energy levels
- mental alertness
- hyper stimulated senses of sight, sound and touch
- irritability
- paranoia
- constriction of the body's blood vessels
- dilated pupils
- nausea
- increased body temperature
- increased blood pressure
- increased heartbeat
- muscle tremors
- restlessness
Long term effects of cocaine
Sustained long term use of cocaine can result in these horrible side effects:
- loss of sense of smell because of snorting
- nose bleeds because of snorting
- problems swallowing
- inability to sleep
- severe bowel decay because of restricted blood flow
- higher risk of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases
- malnourishment because cocaine reduces hunger
- severe paranoia
- hallucinations
- movement disorders including Parkinson's disease
- extreme agitation
- loss of concentration
- unpredictable violent behaviour
- heart pain
- heart attack
- loss of sex drive
- overdose and death caused by seizures, hearts attacks, brain haemorrhage, kidney failure or stroke.
- loss of sense of smell because of snorting
- nose bleeds because of snorting
- problems swallowing
- inability to sleep
- severe bowel decay because of restricted blood flow
- higher risk of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases
- malnourishment because cocaine reduces hunger
- severe paranoia
- hallucinations
- movement disorders including Parkinson's disease
- extreme agitation
- loss of concentration
- unpredictable violent behaviour
- heart pain
- heart attack
- loss of sex drive
- overdose and death caused by seizures, hearts attacks, brain haemorrhage, kidney failure or stroke.
Cocaine and the five dimensions of health
Using cocaine drastically alter a user's brain chemistry and the cocaine affects all 5 of the user's dimensions of health. You can see from all of the side effects listed above that cocaine has a huge affect on the physical wellness of the user by causing so many negative effects on different body systems. The emotional effects of using cocaine are that you become high and then after constant use become paranoid and agitated. The symptoms of withdrawal all affect the user's emotional health. A user's intellectual health is affected because of their inability to sleep, their loss of concentration and agitation. A cocaine user suffers socially because of the agitation and their unpredictable and sometimes violent nature which makes it hard to maintain friendships. A cocaine user also suffers spiritually because their mental state has been altered and because they are struggling with so many physical complications that this does not allow them to focus outside of themselves and on the spiritual realm. In fact because cocaine affects one's physical health so drastically all other dimensions of health also suffer. So as you can see cocaine use massively affects the 5 dimensions of health in very negative ways.