How Long Does Cocaine Stay in your System? | Mountain Vista Recovery
Cocaine stays in your blood or saliva for up to 2 days after ingestion, a urine test for up to 2 weeks and a hair test for months to years after ingestion. Weight, metabolism, drinking habits, dose or frequency of use can affect how long it takes for cocaine to be eliminated from the body.
Must-Know Facts about Cocaine:
- Cocaine is a stimulant made from the leaves of the Coco plant, native to South America
- “Cutting” cocaine is the process of adding other substances into the pre-sold cocaine to increase the volume, and therefore, the sales
- Cocaine is often “cut” with things like laxitives, talcum powder or flour, but is also cut with Fentynal, Methamphetamine and Heroin or other Opiates
What are common street names for Cocaine?
Common street names include:
- Blow, Coca, Coke, Crack, Flake, Snow, and Soda Cot
How is Cocaine Consumed?
- Inhaled in powder form, through the nostrils (snorted).
- Taken orally (by swallowing or rubbing it on the gums).
- Smoked, in a crystalized “crack” or freebase form, where the drug is inhaled as vapor or smoke into the lungs.
- Dissolved in water and injected into a vein.
Smoking and injecting hit the brain faster and create a more intense “rush,” while snorting or taking it orally it is a bit slower.
How does Cocaine Affect the User?
Cocaine is euphoric, creating a rush in the user, who becomes excited, restless and alert. In our personal experience, Cocaine is great as a social lubricant for those who feel uncomfortable in social situations. A line of coke can mean the difference between standing in the corner and being the life of the party. Many young users are also not concerned about the pitfalls of Cocaine, as it’s a stimulant! You are active, excited and interacting – making it less frightening than downers like Opiates.
The physiological effects of cocaine use can be severe. Look out for high blood pressure and heart rate, insomnia, loss of appetite or dilated pupils. Cocaine has been known to cause heart conditions, heart attack, convulsions, strokes and death.
What are the Long-Term Affects of Cocaine Use?
The more cocaine you use, the more new pleasure or reward pathways are created in your brain, taking away from other pleasure centers. This creates stress, as the body is unhappy that it is not being stimulated, and responds with withdrawal symptoms. After time, using cocaine is secondary to just reaching a sense of relief from withdrawal – this is addiction.
Cocaine use typically comes in binges, with periods of inactivity, but increasingly higher and higher doses. Short term effects of Cocaine use can include problems swallowing, nosebleeds, hallucinations, psychosis, panic attacks, and all the good withdrawal things. Long-term use of Cocaine can damage bodily organz, restrict blood flow, cause weight loss and stress on your heart and cardiovascular system and stroke.
How is Cocaine Addiction Treated? | Mountain Vista Recovery
Some of the treatments you can expect when recovering from a Cocaine addiction are:
- Counseling
- Art therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavioral therapy
- Support groups
- 12-step or alternative programs
- Relapse prevention education
- Aftercare planning
Addiction therapy methods have proven successful in overcoming a cocaine addiction. Reach out for a health care or mental health professional to get started in recovery from Cocaine addiction, or for help getting clean from cocaine, reach out to Mountain Vista Recovery today.
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