Cocaine Addiction Price: How Much Does Cocaine Cost?

Medically reviewed by

Brenda Munnerlyn, RN, BSN

January 23, 2019

Cocaine addiction is a serious issue in the United States. An estimated 1.5 million people 12 years and older were found to be currently using cocaine, a 2014 study reports. It is possible to become addicted to both powder cocaine as well as crack cocaine, a derivative of the drug that gained popularity in the 1970s. Though the price of cocaine hasn’t noticeably increased in the U.S. over the last couple of decades, it remains one of the most addictive stimulants on the market.

Cocaine addiction is dangerous because cocaine’s effects can be felt almost immediately after it is taken. Stimulant overdose has been shown to result in a toxic state, leaving a person looking and feeling much like they are in a coma.

How Much Does Cocaine Cost on the Street?

The price of cocaine is dependent on two different factors:

• Location; price can vary from state-to-state and town-to-town
• Purity; whether the product was cut with an additive like vitamin A or talcum powder

The smallest amount of cocaine you can typically buy on the streets is half a gram. This can run anywhere from $20-50 USD. A single gram of cocaine costs between $50-150 USD. Again, prices vary by purity, location, and mood of the dealer.

Overall, cocaine is not too expensive a drug to become addicted to when compared to other substances. However, it is a fast-acting drug and many people find that though the desired effects are immediately felt, they also disappear quickly. Which makes it easy to want more and more of the drug at once.

Buying more of the drug in shorter time spurts, can get expensive and being high on a stimulant can cause major issues in one’s social life. Despite its rather reasonable price tag, cocaine addiction can cost a lot more than just money. This addiction can cost families their loved ones, and ruin nearly every aspect of someone’s life.

Cocaine Addiction: Where It Starts

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug, made from the cocoa plant native to South America. It comes in two forms; a fine white crystal powder and small white to brown rocks. It is most commonly snorted, but can also be dissolved and injected or smoked with a glass pipe.

How do people become so addicted to cocaine so quickly?

Habitual cocaine abuse leads people to develop a tolerance to the drug’s effects. Then they start to take larger doses over shorter periods of time. This can increase the risk of overdosing.

Cocaine increases the amount of “happy” chemicals in the parts of the brain responsible for pleasure and movement. Overtime, this changes the structures in those parts of the brain, convincing the brain that it needs more of that substance to remain in that state of “happy” chemical overflow.

And before you know it, you’re hooked. Seeking out the drug “just one more time,” until a flow-blown addiction is realized. Some desired short-term effects of cocaine include; extreme happiness and energy, increased mental alertness, and hypersensitivity to sight, sound, and touch. Undesired effects can also be experienced while using cocaine. These include: constriction of the blood vessels or racing heart resulting in stroke, and uncontrollable muscle spasms.

Long-term, cocaine can damage the main point of entry to the body. For instance, if someone who was addicted to cocaine only ever snorted it all their life they could suffer from loss of senses of smell, regular nosebleeds, or problems with swallowing in the future.

The results of cocaine addiction are the most costly thing about it. The worst long-term effect caused by cocaine, is paranoia. There have been many cases reported that someone experienced auditory hallucinations (hearing things that aren’t real) while taking cocaine. You can also become irritable and restless after going on a cocaine binge, making it difficult to fall asleep.

Cocaine addiction can also cost you the pain of going through withdrawal symptoms. Once you begin to have a tolerance to the drug, a physical dependence is also acquired by the body. Some of these withdrawal symptoms include:

• Depression
• Fatigue
• Increased appetite
• Nightmares and insomnia
• Slowed thinking

While cocaine may not do too much damage to your bank account, the cost to your wellbeing is very high. So high, that when compared, the cost of treatment will seem low for the chance to regain control of your life from your addiction.

How To Treat A Cocaine Addiction

How is it possible to treat cocaine addiction? The best treatment is one that incorporates multiple approaches.

Cocaine addiction mainly affects your mental health (chemical rushes, and changes in brain structure) and can influence your physical health (malnutrition and insomnia) as well. This means that you must address both the mind and body with treatment.

The treatment of the mind begins with cognitive-behavioral therapy. This is where the person going through treatment is taught the signs of addiction, and how to recognize them in themselves. Counseling also gives them a chance to talk to a health professional and find the root cause of their addiction, work through underlying emotions, and take back their confidence.

Sometimes, it is possible for someone to be suffering from a pre-existing mental disorder. In these causes the use of DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) is implemented to work through these issues collaboratively.

Treatment of the body usually begins with detoxification within an inpatient facility. This is the best, and safest way to begin treatment because it allows the person to get through the worst part of the detox with a support system.

Find Right Treatment For Cocaine Addiction

Addiction is nearly impossible to overcome by yourself. We can help you connect with the resources you need to find a cocaine addiction treatment. No matter what size problem you think you may have, we can help you work through it.

If you’re struggling, you are not alone. Don’t let the true cost of addiction take over your life. Contact us today at RehabCenter.net, we can help you take it back.