Cocaine Use and Addiction: Signs, Risks, and Getting Help
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug that can have various consequences on a person’s life. If you’re struggling with cocaine use or know someone who is, help is available. This page will help you learn more about cocaine use and addiction, including the signs of cocaine addiction, the risks of cocaine use, and treatment options.
Cocaine is a stimulant drug with addictive potential that people purchase illegally and use recreationally for its energy-enhancing and euphoric effects.1 Cocaine use can have several negative health effects, and repeated use may lead to physiological dependence and addiction.2 According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 4.7 million people aged 12 or older used cocaine in the past year, and 1.3 million people aged 12 or older had a cocaine use disorder in the past year.3
Learn About Heroin Use & Treatment
Effects of Cocaine Use
- Effects of Cocaine Use
- Snorting Heroin
- Snorting Heroin
- Snorting Heroin
Rehab for Cocaine Use
- Treatment for Cocaine Use
- Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment
- Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment
- Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment
What Is Cocaine?
Stimulants are a broad class of drugs that also include caffeine, prescription amphetamines like Adderall, and illegal drugs like crystal methamphetamine.4 Stimulants increase the activity of norepinephrine and other neurotransmitters in the brain, with more potent stimulants like cocaine and amphetamine also increasing the activity of dopamine.4
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Signs of Cocaine Addiction
There are many potential causes of alcohol addiction. Addiction is influenced by a variety of risk factors, which can increase the chances of developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD).1 Some of these factors include:
- Biological factors, such as genetics, which account for around 60% of a person’s risk of developing an addiction or having a parent who engages in unhealthy drinking patterns.1
- Environmental factors, such as exposure to alcohol at an early age, easy access to alcohol, or community poverty.1, 4
- A history of trauma or having a mental health condition, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).1
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Getting Help for Cocaine Use
The opioid class of drugs includes prescription pain medications such as hydrocodone and oxycodone, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and illegal opioids such as heroin.6 Opioid misuse poses a significant risk of drug addiction and numerous health consequences, including respiratory depression and overdose.3, 6
Fentanyl is up to 100 times stronger than morphine. It can be deadly even in small amounts and is a major contributor to overdoses in the U.S.7 Illegally made fentanyl is synthesized in labs and often mixed with other drugs like cocaine, heroin, meth, and MDMA, frequently unbeknownst to the user.8
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Are You Covered For Treatment?
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- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2024, March). Cocaine research report.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021, April 8). Cocaine drugfacts.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP21-07-01-003, NSDUH Series H-56). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
- Farzam K, Faizy RM, Saadabadi A. Stimulants. (2022, June 16). Stimulants. StatPearls Publishing.
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
- Richards, J. & Le, J. (2022, October 19). Cocaine toxicity. StatPearls Publishing.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, August 20). Commonly used drug charts.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, February 23). Polysubstance use facts.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). Treatment of stimulant use disorders. SAMHSA Publication No. PEP20-06-01-001. Rockville, MD: National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2019, January 17). Treatment approaches for drug addiction drugfacts.
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (2020, April). Drug fact sheet: cocaine.
