What Happens if You Eat Cocaine?

The Effects of Eating Cocaine and the Risks of Cocaine Overdose

I struggled with cocaine addiction off and on until I was in my mid-thirties. Before I finally got help at Icarus Behavioral Health, my cocaine use was out of control. I’ve ingested cocaine in just about every way you can imagine.

The scariest situation that my addiction put me in was when I ingested cocaine orally. So, what happens if you eat cocaine?

We all know cocaine powder is commonly snorted, but there are many ways of ingesting cocaine. Crack cocaine is commonly smoked, while others often inject cocaine directly into the bloodstream. Ingesting or eating coke is not the typical route, but whether due to curiosity or the desire to avoid arrest, it can (and does) happen.

Is it safe? What should you know about eating cocaine and the risks it poses?

Let’s start off by saying the effects of eating cocaine are unpredictable but it has the potential to do permanent and lasting harm. Keep reading to learn more specifics, as well as my story of when I ate cocaine and what happened.

The Pitfalls Of Cocaine Use

When I was actively addicted to cocaine, nothing else mattered. I avoided my family and my responsibilities so that I could go get high.

I didn’t worry about any consequences whatsoever. When my drug abuse finally put me in a life-or-death situation, that is when I decided to seek help.

Going to treatment at Icarus Behavioral Health was the best decision I ever made. I had avoided getting help my entire life, and when I finally gave it a shot, I gave it everything I had. If you or someone you know suffers from cocaine addiction, here are some things you might want to know…

How My Cocaine Addiction Nearly Killed Me

At the height of my addiction, I found myself in a situation where I got pulled over by the police with a decent-sized bag of just under seven grams of cocaine in my pocket.

I panicked and tried to swallow it bag and all. I had just come from a known cocaine dealer’s house, and the police knew right away that I was up to something.

Cocaine users will do a lot of irrational things to try and get out of trouble. Most drug addicts are the same way no matter what the drug is. However, cocaine has a tremendous amount of power over the user. As I mentioned above, I didn’t care about anything but cocaine, and I wasn’t about to give it up to the police.

The Risks Of Eating Cocaine

The police found a crack pipe on me and ended up holding me for a while while they searched my vehicle. It wasn’t long before I started to feel sick. My heart rate increased, and I started feeling an overwhelming sense of panic.

They could tell something was wrong, and being seasoned veterans, they deduced that I must have orally ingested cocaine.

I was rushed to the hospital and ended up overdosing on the cocaine and falling into unconsciousness. The bag I had swallowed had ripped open in my stomach, causing a life-threatening situation. I awoke after surgery not even knowing what had happened. It hit me like a ton of bricks.

How could I be this dumb? The fact of the matter is, addiction will make you do irrational things without a second thought.

What Does Eating Cocaine Do To The Body?

The effects of eating cocaine are similar to snorting or smoking it, but the effects on the body depend on a number of factors. Eating the drug is not a common form of ingesting cocaine.

Some people may do it just to try something different, but a lot of people do it when they are in the situation I was in… to try and hide the evidence.

Eating cocaine results in a number of physical issues including an increased risk of heart attack, digestive system problems, high blood pressure, and sudden death.

Consuming a large amount of cocaine orally greatly increases the risk of overdose.

Cocaine Production and Importation

Cocaine hydrochloride is a stimulant drug that is produced from the leaves of the coca plant. Most of the cocaine that enters the United States comes from Central and South America.

There are billions of dollars at stake when it comes to cocaine production and distribution, which is the reason why so many drug cartels have the amount of power that they have.

Due to cocaine’s high potential for abuse and addiction, it creates a lot of problems in communities of all different types. People of all classes and backgrounds abuse cocaine.

How Many People Use Cocaine?

Data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse has shown that more than 27 million people in the United States have tried cocaine at least once. Cocaine is often regarded as a popular party drug due to being an intense stimulant.

I’ve stayed up all night having rambling conversations that go nowhere while high on cocaine, which is an experience I am sure many cocaine users are familiar with.

The Withdrawal Symptoms Of Cocaine

I’ve been through just about every symptom of cocaine withdrawal, and all of them are equally horrible. Common cocaine withdrawal symptoms include agitation, intense cravings, depression, and overall fatigue.

Cocaine changes the way that your brain works, and completely messes up the brain’s reward system. Once you take it away, your body craves it to the point that you feel intense physical discomfort.

My experience eating cocaine and nearly dying was as close as I got to death. It put the fear of god into me and was the wake-up call I needed.

My substance abuse with cocaine and other drugs had lasted long enough and gotten me into some really bad situations. I was sick and tired. I needed a change, and I was determined to make that change.

What Does It Take To Kick Your Cocaine Habit?

I didn’t get clean right away. I continued my cocaine abuse, although I was much more cautious of it. I had lingering health complications as a result of my medical scare, and I was terrified of ending up back in the hospital with serious health risks. I used cocaine for another several weeks before I sought treatment.

Cocaine addiction is a mental and physical addiction. It’s really tough to rewire your brain not to need the drug. When it comes to cocaine, I did it all.

I’ve stayed up for days on end and started dreaming while I was still awake. I had intense paranoia. It got to the point where I wasn’t having fun anymore, yet I still needed the drugs to function.

The Significant Health Risks Of Cocaine Abuse

Even after you quit doing cocaine, you can still suffer from severe health risks. Cocaine abuse does a lot of damage to your nervous system and your heart. The older you get, the easier it is to overdose.

I’ve heard countless stories during my time in recovery of older people struggling with cocaine addiction. Many of these people suffered strokes or heart attacks.

Cardiovascular issues, neurological impairment, and psychiatric disorders are other common long-term risks associated with cocaine use. Even though I have been clean for several years, the cravings still occasionally hit me. I’ve had dreams about it.

I’ve had it come into my mind out of nowhere, and I begin to break out in a sweat. The power of cocaine is undeniable.

Seeking Treatment For Cocaine Addiction

When I finally gave addiction treatment a chance, I was at my wit’s end. I checked myself into Icarus Behavioral Health a broken man, but I had hope on my side. I wanted my days of snorting cocaine, smoking cocaine, and ignorantly ingesting cocaine to avoid arrest to be behind me. I was sick of feeling so low during the binges and inevitable crash when I came down from coke, hard. I knew it was going to take a lot of work, but I was willing to do it.

If you want to put substance abuse behind you, it requires a complete life change as well as a total overhaul of attitude. It took a lot of therapy for me to figure out how to function as a regular, law-abiding citizen.

Gone are the days of worrying about dying from cocaine, whether by eating it or by smoking and snorting till my heart gave out. These days, I am dead set on living a healthy life.

Get Past Cocaine And Live The Life You Want to Live

Once I began to focus on my mental health and deal with some of the issues I had never dealt with, recovery slowly became easier. I do want to stress that addiction treatment is not easy.

Recovery from addiction is a constant battle and one that requires a lot of attention. Once I made my recovery the most important thing in my life, everything began to fall into place.

I am now clean and sober and have never felt better in my life. Because I took that first step and went to Icarus Behavioral Health, I have my life and my health back. The reason I am able to maintain my sobriety is because I attend meetings on a regular basis.

By doing this, I am able to work through my feelings and try to lend a helping hand to others who are struggling. Everything I went through to get to this point was worth it.