The human body experiences a tremendous short term high when cocaine enters into the user’s bloodstream. Euphoria, manic levels of energy and hypersensitivity surges through the user, but only for a very short amount of time, somewhere between 15 to 30 minutes. Yet while the euphoric effects of cocaine are rather short-lived, the drug stays within the user’s system for about two to four days, depending on how heavy the usage has been. Most employers today will require their employees to pass drug tests in order to find gainful employment. Understanding how long cocaine stays in your system is key to knowing your chances of passing a drug test.

How Is Cocaine Used?

Cocaine is primarily consumed through snorting the fine white powder into the nasal cavity. Alternately, it can also be rubbed against the gums, absorbing the drug into the bloodstream. A more concentrated version of cocaine is known as crack, which is cocaine in crystallized, smokable form. Crack is primarily smoked with a pipe and provides a high nearly 75 times stronger than cocaine.

Cocaine’s Effects on the User

Cocaine provides a very powerful short-term high that gives the user a strong sense of euphoria, happiness and higher levels of energy. Motor agitation increases as well as heart palpitations begin. The negative side effects of cocaine can be aggression, paranoia, delusion, and even hallucinations.

How Long Does The High Last?

In general, the cocaine high lasts for a rather short amount of time. It can range between 15 to 30 minutes. However, most cocaine users will consistently take more “bumps” of cocaine in order to maintain the higher for an elongated period of time. This is what leads many cocaine user to become addicted, the constant ‘need’ for the euphoric feeling cocaine gives them. So, how long is cocaine in your system?

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When Does Cocaine Leave the Bloodstream?

While the euphoric effects of cocaine are significantly short term, the body tends to take a bit longer to metabolize the drug. So, how long does cocaine stay in your blood? Cocaine will last in the bloodstream for several weeks and can be upwards to three months. This means that a blood test will show trace amounts of cocaine present in the user’s bloodstream. Of course, this depends on factors such as metabolism, dosage levels and frequency of usage.

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Urine?

Urine tests are a decidedly more common type of drug test that most people in the workplace would have to face. While an employer asking for a blood test would be seen as rather invasive, the urine test is easy to do and there are plenty of labs that offer quick results, making it a primary method of drug testing. Once again, the length of time that cocaine is present in a user’s urine depends on usage frequency and dosage amount. A single use of the drug will show up in urine for somewhere between two to seven days. The more days of subsequent cocaine usage, the longer the drugs will stay present in the urine sample.

Does Cocaine Show Up In Saliva?

Recently, saliva tests have become more readily available thanks to testing kits that are easy to use and provide quick results. As with most other drugs, cocaine does show up in saliva tests, however, it won’t remain in a user’s oral fluids for very long and will entirely dissipate after a day. This means that saliva swab tests won’t detect cocaine unless administered within the same day of using the drug.

Can Cocaine Use Be Detected In A Hair Test?

Hair follicle testing is extremely effective in detecting cocaine, primarily because while the body will eventually filter cocaine out of the body, the hair does not. The bloodstream will excrete trace amounts of drug elements onto the hair which will then remain active for upwards to 90 days. This means that a hair follicle test will show results of drug usage. The sample is taken from as close to the scalp as possible in order to prevent older hairs from throwing off the test.

Is Cocaine Physically or Psychologically Addictive?

While many users would like to believe that they can moderately consume cocaine, the truth is that repeated cocaine use creates powerful psychological dependence. This dependence is formed by the constant flood of dopamine that a user experiences while high. Dopamine is essentially the brain’s “reward” chemical, it releases whenever a pleasurable activity occurs, giving the individual a sense of happiness and satisfaction. When under the influence of cocaine, the brain experiences a surge of dopamine that doesn’t reabsorb into the brain. The experience of being ‘high’ on cocaine seems far better to a user than being off of cocaine. After all, the pleasure, the excitement and the happiness don’t compare with the mundane world, at least, they begin to believe.

Can You Overdose on Cocaine?

Yes, cocaine can be a dangerous drug to the human body, especially when large quantities are consumed in a short amount of time. Overdoses can be potentially lethal, causing serious damage to the heart or to the brain, inducing strokes. Worse yet, when cocaine is combined with alcohol or other hard drugs like heroine, the overdose could become quite serious and kill the user.

Struggling With Cocaine?

While most cocaine use starts out as a seemingly harmless activity, it can be very easy to fall into the throes of addiction. Since the drug provides users with a strong sense of euphoria, followed by a crash, a cycle of addiction can rapidly happen and the user’s life can quickly come apart. If you or someone you care about is struggling with cocaine addiction or cocaine abuse, then you need to know that you have options. The cost of addiction is great, it takes a physical, emotional and financial toll on those who struggle with it. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can’t recover. With help from a qualified rehab center like Chapters Capistrano, not only will you be able to kick the addiction, you will also be able to sustain a clean and healthy lifestyle, free from the roller coaster ride of continuously dealing with a cocaine addiction.

Want more information about how Chapters Capistrano can help? Feel free to call 949-276-2886 and one of our addiction specialists will help get the information and help you need.