Here’s what taking the odd line of coke REALLY does to your body
The Class A drug has some worrying side-effects after just one use
DRUG addiction can be devastating to a person’s health, but just how much harm can a small quantity of cocaine do to you?
It can be easy to assume that Class A drugs in small doses won’t do much harm to your body, but there are many hidden risks that could never cross your mind.
If occasional users struggle with other illnesses, including high blood pressure or mental health problems, taking cocaine can make their existing symptoms more severe.
Cocaine users may initially feel a rush of energy and cheeriness, but it can lead to a comedown that lasts for days.
The NHS explains: “Cocaine gives the user energy, a feeling of happiness and being wide awake, and an overconfidence that can lead to taking risks.
“The effects are short-lived, so more drug is taken, which is often followed by a nasty 'comedown' that makes you feel depressed and unwell, sometimes for several days.”
It’s the need for this temporary rush of happiness that makes taking cocaine highly addictive.
In an interview with , founder of Addiction Therapy London, Nicky Walton-Flynn, said: “Cocaine is one of the most psychologically addictive drugs because of how it stimulates and increases levels of the feel good neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain.”
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The NHS agree: “Cocaine is highly addictive and can cause a very strong psychological dependence.”
Worryingly, unlike treatment for heroin, there are no alternative medicines that can substitute for cocaine.
This makes it even more difficult for users to kick the habit when they become addicted.
Even if cocaine takers haven’t got a dependency on the drug, they put themselves at risk from just one use. especially if they inject.
The NHS warns: “If you inject it, you are at higher risk of dying as the result of an overdose, and your veins and body tissues can be seriously damaged.
“You put yourself at risk of catching HIV or hepatitis if you share needles.”
Last year, a report published by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs suggested that almost one in ten people aged between 16 and 59 had tried cocaine at least once in their lives.
Latest research from the Office for National Statistics revealed that there were 247 deaths in 2014 as a result of cocaine abuse.