Signs of a Coke Addict
Cocaine addiction is something which can not only prove fatal, but if it doesn't it will very likely result in many long-term and sometimes permanent physical and mental health effects as well as countless devastating social consequences. Very often, the only hope that a coke addict has is someone in their lives who cares about them and is vigilant enough to spot the signs of their addiction and insist that they get help. This won't always be easy for the friend or loved one who is trying to help the coke addict, because a coke addict will do everything possible to keep their addiction a secret. If their secret does come out and someone confronts them about their addiction and tries to help them, they are typically met with resistance and denial. In any case, the signs of a coke addict are typically hard to deny and anyone trying to help the addict should never fall prey to these attempts and instead press on so that their loved one can get the help they need. If needed, an interventionist can be called upon help get the person into rehab.
Some of the very evident signs of a coke addict will be symptoms associated with how they administer the drug. For example, someone who snorts cocaine over an extended period of time will develop a chronic runny or stuffy nose, and may even use so much cocaine that it damages the delicate membranes in the nose so that the use develops chronic nose bleeds. If someone smokes cocaine, such as crack cocaine which is commonly smoked through a pipe, they may develop extreme tooth decay and a condition known as crack mouth. If someone injects cocaine, which is a common occurrence if someone is using the drug in combination with heroin for example, they will develop track marks at injection sights such as their arms, feet and/or hands.
Once someone takes cocaine there are physical and social signs that individuals will exhibit that are tell-tale signs of a coke addict. For example, someone who is high on cocaine will have extremely dilated pupils, meaning you will see more black than the actual color you would normally see in the middle of their eyes. Because cocaine is a stimulant, a coke addict will appear extremely elated, talkative, energetic, etc. and then very often become irritable, anxious, hostile, angry, depressed and lethargic as their cocaine high wears off, which is typically not long after they use the drug. A cocaine high only lasts anywhere from 15 minutes to a hour depending on how the drug is administered so these changes can happen very quickly and seem manic to onlookers who aren't high. Another tell-tale physical symptom is extreme weight loss, due to the fact that cocaine is a very effective appetite suppressant. Individuals who become addicted to cocaine will often begin to lose weight very rapidly, so this weight loss is a very obvious sign of a coke addict.
Because cocaine is a short-acting drug, the effects of which don't last very long at all when compared to other drugs, a coke addict will typically go on two or three day binges where they will stock up on the drug and seclude themselves so that they can continuously get high. So if your loved one is missing for a few days and other signs are also evident, take note of their mood and in what state they return. Very often, individuals who have just been on a cocaine binge will of course sleep for days, and exhibit symptoms of depression, low energy, agitation, anxiety and other symptoms of a come-down which will be extremely pronounced since they just abused the drug for days on end.
A cocaine habit isn't cheap, and one of the signs of a coke addict is a depleting bank account, getting rid of their possessions (most often at a significant financial loss to them), asking to borrow money, etc. A cocaine addiction is something that has to be continuously maintained, so individuals who have a prolonged habit wind up with nothing in the end and burning many bridges along the way. These signs of a coke addict only become worse and worse, as their habit becomes more and more expensive. Someone who starts using coke may get high on just a little, but as their addiction progresses they will need more and more of the drug to get high. So coke addiction is very costly on many ways.
Another sign of a coke addict that can be very evident is a loss of interest in things which they were once very interested in, such as their friends, family, work, and hobbies and other activities which were proactive and healthy. The shift will be more towards new drug using acquaintances and only activities which help them get high. Unfortunately, this in turn hurts those closest to them and many coke addicts lose everything they have including their marriage, children, job, etc. in the course of their addiction. Cocaine drives them in the direction of anything which makes it easier for them to obtain cocaine and get high, and very little else matters. This situation is often compounded by friends and loved ones trying to confront the coke addict about their addiction or trying to help them, to which the coke addict generally responds with further alienation and other tactics to push those who are trying to help them as far away as possible.
It's not as easy as one would think for a coke addict to put an end to their habit, even if they want to do so wholeheartedly. The wrong thing to do is go on the attack and make them feel bad about it, which typically results in an extreme drug binge and doesn't accomplish anything in the end. The more effective approach is to offer treatment without any sort of a guilt trip, and offer the best treatment possible so that they can truly make a full recovery.