Cocaine Health Risks Report: Blood-borne Diseases

When abusing drugs, no one ever plans to become an addict. And no one ever plans to fall victim to a blood-borne disease associated with their cocaine abuse. Cocaine users can acquire blood-borne illnesses even if they never inject the drug. Of course, if they do inject the drug, they increase their risk.

In 2013, a new report on the likelihood of cocaine users being infected by HIV, stating that cocaine abuse boosted the spread of the virus through the cells. One reference noted that blood-borne diseases like Hepatitis C can be transmitted by sharing a straw or dollar bill for snorting powdered cocaine.

Crack Cocaine Has Its Own Risks

While personal deterioration occurs with any drug abuse, it is quite pronounced when a person abuses crack cocaine. The cravings for this drug are so intense that one’s personal moral code is abandoned in favor of whatever it takes to get more of the drug. For too many women and men alike, this can mean that they resort to prostitution which carries a serious and continuous risk of sexually transmitted diseases. In a Brazilian study, these diseases included Hepatitis B and C, HIV and syphilis.

It can look so harmless to use a little cocaine along with one’s friends. But aside from the risk of addiction, acquiring a permanent and even deadly illness can make using cocaine the worst decision you ever made.

References:

• http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cocaine-may-make-people-more-susceptible-to-hiv/
• http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/23/qa-what-you-need-to-know-about-hepatitis-c/