Wolf Creek Warns of Signs of Cocaine Addiction

Prescott, AZ – “In 2022, an estimated 991 people in Phoenix lost their lives to drug overdose,” local Arizona rehab center, Wolf Creek Recovery, began their recent blog about the signs of cocaine addiction. While opioids contribute to the majority of overdoses, people can’t forget about the dangers of cocaine, the article warns – especially when it’s combined with other substances, like alcohol or heroin. It acknowledges the difficulty of ending cocaine use, and navigating the feelings surrounding it, but assures the audience they can quit.

“Its effects are short-lived, usually lasting around 15-30 minutes depending on how the drug was ingested. Smoking or injecting cocaine causes almost instantaneous effects, while snorting cocaine or rubbing it on the gums usually kicks in around 5-10 minutes,” Wolf Creek says about the timeline of cocaine symptoms.

It then continues on to cover the short-term and long-term impact of cocaine addiction. “Since cocaine has short-term effects, some people can use the drug and return home or work seemingly normal. Pure cocaine doesn’t always have a noticeable odor, either, and people can snort the powder with just a fingernail or key,” the article shares, an indication of how difficult it is to detect cocaine use in the early stages. Hyperactivity, lying, stealing, and changing friend groups or losing interest in activities are behavioral signs of cocaine use, while lack of appetite, weight loss, bloody noses, sweating, and dilated pupils are physical signs. Cocaine use comes with emotional effects, too: mood swings, depression, anxiety, and paranoia. Some people even experience hallucinations and psychosis with cocaine use, according to the blog.

The blog also covers the long-term effects of cocaine use, which consists of damage to a lot of organs, high blood pressure, poor lung function, and respiratory, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal damage.

Wolf Creek goes into deeper detail about the symptoms of cocaine use next. Unlike other substances, cocaine causes a boost of energy instead of a feeling of relaxation. “Cocaine makes people feel wide awake, confident, positive, and euphoric. This can be especially appealing to someone who is normally very shy around others,” it explains. Since cocaine’s effects are short, the person taking it often takes more quickly, which can eventually lead to addiction.

Physical signs of cocaine use include nosebleeds, runny nose, dilated pupils, and weight loss, the blog reemphasizes, but it adds more: burn marks, needle marks, poor hygiene, higher body temperature, tremors, headache, and trouble swallowing can also be physical symptoms. People using cocaine will also probably disappear frequently, experience emotional instability, be on edge, experience cognitive difficulties, be more impulsive, and might even be aggressive, the blog says.

“Cocaine doesn’t just affect the mind and body of the individual who is using the drug. It also affects those around them. This is why you may notice social changes as well,” the blog tells the audience. It then shares those changes: unstable relationships, new friend groups, lack of interest in relationships, only attending events involving substances, conflict, and abuse and neglect.

Wolf Creek closes their blog with encouragement to seek treatment. “People generally respond well to these treatments and can remove cocaine from their lives with hard work,” the article encourages the reader.

Wolf Creek Recovery is an addiction treatment center focusing on comprehensive care. They provide supportive housing for everyone in their program and offer an extended care program for anyone in need of additional time in treatment. They pride themselves on their honesty, integrity, respect, compassion, and commitment, built on the backs of staff in recovery who understand the experiences of everyone in their care. For more information on Wolf Creek, visit their website or call them at 1-833-732-8202.