Why Depression Can Lead to Cocaine Use

For most people, feeling down or sad at times is a natural part of life. Some days are better than others, and when the time comes where personal expectations or circumstances are negatively affecting happiness, steps are taken to decrease those feelings of depression and despair.

This is when turning to methods such as physical activities, healthy social interactions and enlightened mindfulness practices can prove to be invaluable in overcoming a stressed-out emotional state.

However, those moments of depression can also instigate and exacerbate your substance use disorders, driving you to your addiction in order to drown out the temporary feelings of disparity.

For most people struggling with cocaine use, or a diagnosed cocaine use disorder, figuring out which problem came first is similar to the “chicken or the egg” quandary.

Was it your feelings of depression that initiated your cocaine use or your cocaine use that increased your feelings of depression? Was it your excessive emotionality that exacerbated your substance use disorder or your substance use disorder that exacerbated your preexisting mental illness?

When all is said and done, the reality of the situation is that both disorders – excessive depression and cocaine addiction – are debilitating diseases of the mind and require trained and qualified clinical expertise to diagnose and properly treat your symptoms.

More often than not, depression can lead to cocaine use because of the way it stimulates your body, but the euphoric effects are only temporary while the long-term consequences can prove permanent in nature.

Your Mind and Body When Depressed

Depression can be difficult to diagnose at times. Are you having a bad day, or is it something more serious? Are you feeling down, or is there a clinical issue impacting your ability to overcome your morose?

There are a few key indicators that can help in identifying the severity of your depression and whether or not clinical therapy is necessary.

• Time Frame
  You are likely dealing with clinical depression if you have felt down or miserable for two weeks or more. Losing interest or pleasure in the daily activities that typically bring you purpose and joy can also be a sign
• Physical Signs
  The time frame identified above specifies the length of time where feelings of depression tend to indicate a more severe issue. The corresponding physical symptoms that can arise during this period include:
  • Feeling tired all of the time
  • Feeling sick or run down
  • Experiencing headaches or digestive issues
  • Suffering from identifiable sleep issues
  • Noticeable changes in your appetite
  • Significant weight fluctuations
• Personal Feelings
  As with the physical signs, the state of your emotions and feelings during your bouts of depressions are indicative of deeper issues as well. These personal feelings can include:
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Experiencing excessive irritability
  • Feeling frustrated
  • Experiencing a noticeable lack of confidence

While these physical and mental experiences are not the only signs of depression, they are common indicators of a deeper emotional issue. Being aware of your personal state of being, and the substance compulsions associated with your feelings, can aid in addressing your symptomatology sooner rather than later.This can help you pursue therapeutic services in a timelier manner and increase your chances of overcoming your depression and cocaine use disorder.

Cocaine and Depression: What You Need to Know

Depression has been tied to substance abuse and substance use disorders for some time. The reason it is commonly co-occurring with cocaine addiction is due to the manner in which cocaine stimulates the brain and provides a euphoric rush when ingested.

Cocaine itself increases the level of dopamine in the brain, synthetically creating the high that you feel and providing a state of elation when consumed.

While this brief feeling of ecstasy may seem like a reprieve from a depressive mind state, it is only a mirage of relief that inevitably leads to deeper depression and more severe mental illness.

Does Cocaine Help Depression?

No. Not even remotely. Cocaine is a dangerous narcotic that falsely stimulates your brain and exponentially increases the severity and duration of your depressive symptoms.

Prolonged use of the drug dramatically reduces the naturally occurring levels of dopamine within your brain, making it harder and harder to achieve a healthy state of being without the use of cocaine.

While the short-term effects may appear to help you feel more energetic and less depressed, the damage being inflicted on your mental and physical wellbeing through habitual cocaine use increases every time you decide to abuse the substance.

This not only exacerbates your substance use disorder, it prohibits you from ever experiencing substantial relief from your depressive state of mind.

While depression and cocaine use frequently co-occur, and can often times feel overwhelming, addressing both disorders in a safe and healthy therapeutic environment is far from impossible.

Identifying a treatment program that can simultaneously diagnose the severity of your cocaine use disorder and adequately address your feelings of depression is imperative to achieving long standing personal success.

Taking the time to research treatment facilities that specialize in co-occurring therapeutic interventions is essential to appropriately initiating your recovery journey.

There is no time like the present to begin the process of rehabilitation, so embrace your faults
and start your journey toward sobriety today.

Holistic Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment at Ranch Creek Recovery

The self-perpetuating cycle you’re caught up in doesn’t have to rule your life forever. You can face your co-occurring hurdles head-on with professional help and individualized support at Ranch Creek Recovery.

Learn more about our dual diagnosis cocaine treatment program or contact us today to get your questions answered and learn more about our all-encompassing approach to co-occurring disorder treatment.

CALL NOW: (877) 293-8607