Cocaine Case Study Response In assessing the 31-year-old male law student for chronic cocaine use, he does meet the DSM criteria for a substance use disorder (SUD). He has been using cocaine for two years. He has increased the amount of cocaine used as well as the frequency of use. This is evidence of tolerance. He felt this stimulated his performance and ability to study at night. He changed his method of abuse from insufflation (snorting) to intravenous (IV) administration for a more intense “high”. This has resulted in a very expensive habit. This expense led him to selling (dealing) cocaine to friends to help support his habit. It seems the extra work involved to support his cocaine habit would take time away from his studies. Additionally, …show more content…
Since he did not smoke the cocaine, his lungs should be functioning normally. He should be assessed for coronary artery disease (CAD) (clogged arteries), hypertension (elevated blood pressure), sudden dissection of the coronary arteries (tearing of the vessel wall), cardiac ischemia (reduced blood flow to the heart), tachycardia (rapid heart rate), myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart), cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythm), and heart failure (heart unable to pump blood as well as it should). Cocaine abuse may contribute to liver disease, decreased gastric motility (slowing digestion), bowel perforation (hole in stomach or intestine), gangrene of bowel, and ischemia (decreased blood flow to the bowel resulting in death of part of the bowel). Central nervous system (CNS) damage may occur with cocaine abuse. Cerebral atrophy (a loss of neuron cells) leads to a decrease in cognitive functioning with deficits in verbal learning, memory, and attention. Cocaine abuse leads to strokes, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs- mini strokes), seizures, malignant hyperthermia (elevated body temperature with severe muscle contractions), and damage to the blood-brain barrier exposing the brain to bacterial, fungal, or viral contaminants which could lead to …show more content…
Everyone must have a treatment plan to address his or her needs with available services to meet these needs. Examples are family therapy, mental health services, educational training, and housing services. He will respond to treatment appropriately if his concerns have been dealt with. Regardless of how the individual became addicted to cocaine, he is a victim of the drug. It’s critical for the person to receive encouragement and
According, to Claus and Kindleberger (2002). A with substance abuse problem needs to be assessed and apply appropriate strategies. Ricky cocaine addiction has put a strained on his relationship with his family because, they do not know his is using drugs, and his addiction has also put him in a lot of trouble with the law. He also says when he is around his friend they influence him to use drugs. Ricky also stated that his learning social skill has never been what it should have been growing up. He had a hard time learning the information in school, which is while it took him so long to graduate. Social Skill is the "lack of knowledge, as opposed to intentional deviance "(Walsh, 2009). This deficit is found in children between the age 7 and 10. After, reviewed the case files from his prior records and notes from our sessions. I have come up with this assessment cocaine is the major issue that he is facing. Therefore, if he gets this under control then he can deal with the other issues that he is dealing with. I also assess that this drug problem is taking a major total on his body. Because, it is harming his body, which could cause major concern in the long run. People who use cocaine is 5 times more likely to suffer a drug related stroke. In my finding it was also relieved that after, using crack he goes into a stage of withdrawing. In which he doesn 't communicate with anyone and he sleeps all the time. I have determined since this is the major force
Casual cocaine users often deny that they have a problem and do not seek out treatment - until the addiction has progressed.
Please be advised that he tested positive for Cocaine on 6/18/15. In view of that, the client’s treatment schedule has been revised accordingly and it will include relapse prevention and anger management group counseling, as well as intense individual treatment sessions. The client will also participate in community based Narcotics Anonymous meetings on a regular basis. In addition, the client has been given homework assignments pertaining to relapse triggers and anger management
However, everything comes at a price, the short-term health effects are: constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, nausea, raised temperature and blood pressure, faster heartbeat, tremors and muscle twitches, and restlessness. The long-term effects of cocaine depend on how it is taken. If it is snorted effects include: loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, frequent runny nose, and problems with swallowing. Ingesting orally leads to severe bowel decay from reduced blood flow. If it is injected, the effects include higher risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne diseases. However, those who use non-needle forms of cocaine are still at risk for STDs because cocaine affects one’s judgement so one may lead to unsafe sexual behavior. Long term effects shared by all forms of cocaine include: being malnourished due to cocaine’s appetite suppressing properties, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, irritability, restlessness, and severe paranoia which can lead to the loss of touch with reality and cause auditory hallucinations. Along with all the previously mentioned effects, if someone becomes dependent on cocaine, withdrawal symptoms include: depression, fatigue, increased appetite, nightmares, insomnia, and slowed cognitive function. I personally know someone who has tried cocaine and here’s what they said on the matter:
They must use cocaine in a binge pattern by taking the drug repeatedly in a short period of time at incrementally higher doses. This leads to chronic changes in the neurotransmitters synapses in the brain that results in abuse and addiction (Cocaine). Cocaine will cause long-term changes to the brain’s reward system that will eventually change the amount of dopamine needed to reach that initial euphoria. Tolerance will develop and will result in an increasing dose to reach that same initial high, but could result in psychological or physiological effects
Scientists have found one use of cocaine can modify nerves in the brain. 2. This explains how easily occasional drug use can progress. 3. First-time users of cocaine can experience seizures and/or fatal heart attacks.
The short term effects are high blood pressure, increase in body temperature and heart rate, and dilated pupils. Some cocaine users report feelings of restlessness, anxiety, panic, and paranoia. Long term effects are memory loss, Damage to portions of the brain that regulate critical functions such as learning, sleep and emotion, liver and lung diseases, and infections from sharing a needle. You can also experience depression or even a heart attack. Also if a pregnant female is addicted to to a drug it can pass it down to its baby so your baby will be fighting for its life in the hospital just because the mom decided to try that type of drug. When cops put a stop to this there will be no kids that have health problems when it's not their fault it's their parents for trying the
There are different types of effects this drug can cause which is short term and long term damage. Short term effects cocaine can cause a short lived. Other effects is intense high which is followed by intense depression, edginess and you start to get addicted to the drug. Cocaine increases the chance of heart attack, stroke, seizure or respiratory breathing failure. Long term phrase is
A person’s cocaine addiction creates disorder and chaos for the entire family. When a person succumbs to the addiction of cocaine family responsibilities are pushed to the back burner. The addiction then becomes priority over everything that was once important. Children are neglected, abandoned, and in some cases mentally and physically abused (Nazario, 1997). Cocaine addition causes a person who once enjoyed spending time with family to become isolated and withdrawn because they would rather be doing drugs with other addicts. Drug use is very harmful because it will eventually take over a person’s life.
For starters, cocaine physically changes the structure of the nerve cells. After prolonged exposure to cocaine, the cells begin to grow and extend on their respective dendrites (Nestler, 2005). This may sound like a positive reaction to cocaine but it is far from that. The increase in number of dendrites “theoretically will collect a greater volume of nerve cells” which will give the amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex more control over the nucleus accumbens, also known as the reward center in the brain (Kreek, Levran, Reed, Schlussman, Zhou & Butellman, 2012). This physical change can cause the user to recall drug-associate memories, as mentioned before. These alterations unfortunately leave the user with an altered limbic system – causing potential behavioral problems in the future. Cocaine also aids in more than unfavorable physical risks, which include spiked blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature, increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, seizures or respiratory failure. Cocaine has very unpleasant effects when it comes to the user’s heart. After cocaine inhalation, “cocaine is rapidly absorbed through the respiratory tract within seconds to minutes” (Keller, 2003). Not only does cocaine consumption affect the neurotransmitter dopamine, but it also affects the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. The natural presynaptic uptake of norepinephrine is blocked after cocaine is used which increases catecholamine
The short-term effects of cocaine use are constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased body temperature, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure. Large amounts of cocaine may increase the users high but can result in erratic and violent behavior. There are some cocaine users report feelings of irritability, restlessness, anxiety, paranoia, and panic. Users may also experience tremors and muscle twitches. The most common symptoms are cardiovascular effects, including disturbances the rhythm of your heart and heart attacks; neurological effects, including seizures, strokes, coma, and headaches; and gastrointestinal complications, including nausea and abdominal pain. On rare occasions, death can occur on the first use of
Respiratory problems are common which can lead to shortness of breath. Long term use can even lead to respiratory failure. Cocaine also causes a weakened immune system, which leads to and increased chance of getting sick. In some cases cocaine can cause intestinal problems. “Cocaine can cause blood clots in the arteries feeding blood to the intestines... this blockage can also result in the development of
As aforementioned just some of the physical effects of cocaine include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, increase in one’s temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure (Cocaine, 2015). Some may also experience tremors, vertigo, and muscle twitches (Cocaine, 2015). Some of the long term effects of this irritability, mood disturbances, and restlessness, and ultimately cardiac arrest meaning death (Cocaine, 2015).
Prolonged use of cocaine can cause itching, paranoid delusions, and hallucinations even when the person is not “high”. Using cocaine also increases your chances to contract rare diseases such as lupus. Overdosing raises the user’s blood pressure, and can be life-threatening. People who use cocaine regularly develop a tolerance, this increases the amount of cocaine needed to get “high”. People with a high tolerance often overdose because of the need for such a large dose. Drug addicts often die from an overdose because other people with them don’t know what to do. (Gahlinger 103)
Cocaine is an illegal substance and is a powerful addictive stimulant that is derived from the Coca plant which is native to South America, most of the time it comes in a powder form to snort up the nose or inhaled as smoke, and the effects usually range from happiness, burst of energy, mental alertness, hypersensitivity of Sight, sound and touch and being irritable and extremely paranoid. Cocaine is a very appealing drug as its effects are quick and almost gives a person a sense of invincibility and enhances a person’s energy, and a person develops an attachment to the drug because it makes him/her feel good, and stops the withdrawals [1], also over time the person can become tolerant to it, hence why he would need more to lift himself up again as the come down would also get worse. Therefore driving a person to take more [1] .