The Consequences of Cocaine Use

Cocaine is one of those drugs that, despite how dangerous it really is, gets a lot of glory and praise in Hollywood movies and popular music.  There’s a cultural image of the hot shot business executive snorting lines of coke before a big score or the rock star pulling lines off a stripper’s cleavage.  This is all funny and in good fun but it creates an irresistible pull toward a drug with severe consequences.

First of all, cocaine is a major stimulant, causing your heart to beat faster and harder and constricts your blood vessels.  This leads to an increase in blood pressure and cardiovascular stress which can cause heart attacks and stroke.  The image of the rock-n-roller shredding his guitar while several grams of cocaine flow through his veins tricks people into thinking it’s relatively safe and harmless.  Not so.

Heart attacks are so common amongst younger patients who try cocaine, even those with no history of heart problems, that when a youth arrives at the ER with a heart attack, physicians are trained to consider cocaine as a first diagnoses.

The scary and deadly part about cocaine’s effects on your heart is that it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve tried the drug.  You can jolt your heart into overdrive and trigger a heart failure on your very first bump.  On the other hand, there are people who have snorted cocaine hundreds of times with no problem but on time #101 they suddenly drop dead on the spot from a burst artery or stressed heart.

Cocaine is one of the most addictive substances in the known world due to its deep-seated physiological, emotional, and mental effects.  Users report some of the most powerful, adrenaline-fueled fun of their life and when they come down all they can think about is getting back up there again where it was so alive and energetic.

Don’t be fooled by the media image of cocaine cowboys or the glamourous allure of rock n roll.  Cocaine is a killer and claims thousands of lives every year.  Don’t risk your heart on a quick rush.