Drug addictions can wreak havoc on an individual’s mental and physical health, with a person’s vital organs being no exception.
In this article, we are going to explore if organ health can improve or stabilise once a person’s substance use, specifically cocaine addiction, is controlled. Find out more about cocaine addiction treatment.
What Damage Does Cocaine Do to Organs?
Cocaine is an extremely potent class A illegal stimulant, with reported feelings of euphoria amongst its high, however it can also be detrimental to a person’s organ health in a number of ways.
Heart
Long-term cocaine use can have a greatly negative impact on a person’s cardiovascular system, including raising blood pressure and decreasing blood flow. Cocaine can also lead to structural damage to the heart and an increase in fatty build-up known as plaque encapsulating the cardiac muscle.
Severe cocaine use puts a person at risk of serious and even fatal cardiovascular issues such as heart attacks, coronary artery disease, heart arrhythmias and congestive heart failure.
Brain
Chronic cocaine use leads to a restriction of blood vessels, which, in turn, reduces the amount of oxygen carried to the brain via blood. This can result in very serious issues such as aneurysms, strokes, brain damage, seizures, cerebral vasculitis (brain blood vessel inflammation) and even cerebral atrophy (shrinking of the brain).
Cocaine use is also a great detriment to a person’s mental health, negatively affecting the way somebody thinks and feels.
The brain rewires its own neural circuitry due to the increased dopamine rush from cocaine, which causes a decrease in sensitivity and responsiveness to the neuro-chemical; substance users have to take an increased quantity of the stimulant in order to achieve the same feeling or ‘high’ and battle the onset of cocaine withdrawal symptoms.
Lungs
A less obvious organ that is put at risk from chronic cocaine misuse is the lungs (and wider respiratory system). Severe cocaine misuse can lead to mucosal lesions and destruction of the septal cartilage, both causing airway obstruction.
In terms of the lungs themselves, asthma, organised pneumonia, emphysema, pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in lung blood vessels), and hemoptysis can all be brought on or exacerbated by cocaine use.
Can Organ Damage Improve Once Addiction Is Controlled?
This is a contentious issue, with long-running research into this area being undertaken by medical practitioners around the world. In some cases, it’s possible to improve, or at least stabilise, the damage done to the body through cocaine use.
However, often years of severe cocaine addiction can lead to permanent and irreversible damage to the organs, and while this can be managed in some cases with treatment and medication (and the giving up of the substance), often the organs will never fully recover to 100%.
Rehabilitation – The Earlier, The Better
While attending a professional rehabilitation programme is never too late, no matter the stage of an individual’s cocaine dependence, research and studies suggest this is better done sooner rather than later in order to give the body and organs the best possible chance of recovery or symptom management.
How Acquiesce Can Help
If you think you or someone you know may be suffering from cocaine addiction, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help. At Acquiesce, with different treatments available and an easy admissions process, a specific strategy is deployed with understanding and expert encouragement to give the patient the best chance of a successful recovery.
Here at Acquiesce we fully understand the need for considered aftercare, that’s why after completion of a residential treatment with us, we offer ongoing help and support for no additional cost. We will keep in close contact with you for your first three months post-treatment and also provide a weekly aftercare group session for as long as you like.
We have been granted an ‘Outstanding’ overall rating from the Care Quality Commission, and an ‘Excellent’ 5 star Google Review rating for our eclectic patient services.
Get in touch with our team today to find out how our drug and alcohol rehabilitation programme can help you.
