Cocaine Dependence

Definition

Cocaine is extracted from the coca plant, which grows in Central and South America. The substance is processed into many forms for use as an illegal drug of abuse. Cocaine is dangerously addictive, and users of the drug experience a "high"—a feeling of euphoria or intense happiness, along with hypervigilance, increased sensitivity, irritablity or anger, impaired judgment, and anxiety.

Symptoms

The following list is a summary of the acute (short-term) physical and psychological effects of cocaine on the body:

• blood vessels constrict
• elevated heart rate
• elevated blood pressure
• a feeling of intense happiness
• elevated energy level
• a state of increased alertness and sensory sensitivity
• elevated anxiety
• panic attacks
• elevated self-esteem
• diminished appetite
• spontaneous ejaculation and heightened sexual arousal
• psychosis (loss of contact with reality)

The following list is a summary of the chronic (long-term) physical and psychological effects of cocaine on the body:

• depressed mood
• irritability
• physical agitation
• decreased motivation
• difficulty sleeping
• hypervigilance
• elevated anxiety
• panic attacks
• hallucinations
• psychosis