Cocaine Use Stats?

Question by Hunter: Cocaine Use Stats?
Is there any SCIENTIFIC information out there on the percentage of cocaine users who turn into cocaine abusers?

By “abusers” I mean using the drug in excess to where it interferes with daily functioning (job, family, etc.), because I know that there are some people who are able to do drugs on a daily basis and still maintain “normal” lives.

Thank you!

Best answer:

Answer by Indiana Frenchman
depends but most of them do “abuse”

When a patient comes in with unexplained personality changes including irritability, lack of concentration, compulsive behaviors, insomnia and weight loss, then cocaine abuse should be considered (Sadock, 2003). Like alcoholics who will only participate in situations where drinking is acceptable or where they can “sneak a drink” in, cocaine abusers frequently run to a private area once or twice an hour to get high.

In some ways, cocaine abuse may be easier to recognize than alcohol abuse because of physical symptoms apparent even when an individual is sober and not experiencing withdrawal symptoms. The most common form of cocaine ingestion, “snorting”, often causes extreme damage to nasal cavity, in which users will often try to self-medicate with nasal decongestants (Sadock, 2003).

As in alcohol abuse, cocaine abuse can also cause psychotic, mood, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Symptoms of withdrawal include fatigue, unpleasant dreams, insomnia, increased appetite, or psychomotor irregularities (Sadock, 2003). Withdrawal symptoms are apt to be much less severe than those seen in heavy alcohol abusers, and with mild or moderate abuse, regularly reside within 18 hours (2003).

Sadock, Benjamin & Sadock, Virginia. (2003). Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences, Clinical Psychiatry (9th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

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