Cocaine: Why the Crash is Worse than the High

Cocaine is known to rapidly generate euphoric feelings and a state of bliss. It “hijacks” the brain’s pleasure centre and can make a person more confident, energetic and socially skilled.

Yet once the peak of a high is reached, the only way is down. This is the inescapable “crash” back to reality, where it feels like your mind, body, and soul are in freefall.

What is cocaine?

Cocaine is a powerful and addictive stimulant drug. It is derived from the leaves of a coca plant (Erythroxylum coca), predominantly found in South America. The extract can be processed into two forms of cocaine:

• Cocaine hydrochloride: The more commonly used form of cocaine, this appears as a fine, white, odourless powder. It is usually snorted or rubbed into gums and is less intense than its “crack” form. It is sometimes also dissolved in a liquid and injected.
• Crack cocaine: This is made by combining powder cocaine with baking soda or ammonia to produce small “rocks” with an off-white or yellowish colour. It is usually taken by heating and inhaling the vapours. The rush of the high is seen as more intense but short-lived.

Both forms of cocaine are extremely addictive and rapidly create a high once taken.

The rise: what happens during a cocaine high?

To help contextualise the piercing depths of a cocaine crash, we should understand the “peaks” of a cocaine high felt beforehand. The adage “what goes up, must come down” was not coined to describe the experience of a cocaine crash, but the principle broadly fits. The higher we rise, the greater we might fall.

A major part of the euphoric sensation is caused by cocaine quickly affecting your dopamine levels. Cocaine causes a buildup of dopamine in the body, giving rise to the euphoria and desire to take the drug again. In addition, cocaine creates a spike of serotonin in your body, which generally acts as a “brake” against dopamine-driven compulsion.

In this state of overwhelming positivity, a person can become extremely chatty with strangers, or eager to tell a friend how much they love them. The high can last for around 15 minutes to 1 hour before the drug starts to leave your system and the comedown begins.

The fall: what happens during a cocaine crash?

After taking cocaine on a night out, the following few days can feel overwhelmingly negative and unstable. This is called a “cocaine crash” or a comedown. The length and severity of a cocaine crash vary depending on the person, the amount of the drug taken and a person’s tolerance toward cocaine.

We’ll split the symptoms between physical and psychological:

The physical symptoms of a crash

A cocaine crash feels physically disorienting and sometimes painful. Some physical cocaine symptoms include:

• Aches and pains
• Tremors and shakes
• Runny nose
• Increased appetite
• Exhaustion and insomnia

The psychological depths of a comedown

Beyond what you’re physically feeling, your mental state can dangerously plummet in the days following heavy cocaine use.

• Severe depression: Using cocaine floods your brain with dopamine, the largest contributor to the temporary feeling of “euphoria” in cocaine use. Your brain is reeling and striving to return to its normal state as cocaine leaves the body, creating feelings of depression.
• Irritability, hostility and aggression: As a person struggles to manage the disorienting feelings of a cocaine crash, they can feel helpless and lash out. A comedown or crash often makes a person feel the opposite way to how they felt while under the drug’s influence. Using cocaine the night before felt euphoric, now your outlook is reversed, and hostility and aggression become the default state during a crash.
• Intense paranoia and psychiatric symptoms: Cocaine is known to produce psychiatric symptoms, syndromes and disorders in long-term users. Research suggests as many as 84% of cocaine users report paranoia as a side effect. During a cocaine crash, doing normal activities the following day, like going for coffee or a walk around the block, can be filled with paranoid thoughts, assuming that people who see you feel or think a certain way.
• Suicidal ideation: As overwhelming negative thoughts culminate during a crash, many people have thoughts of suicide as a way to escape suffering. Cocaine has long been linked with suicidality. In research of over 2,000 cocaine users who sought health services, the estimated prevalence of suicidal ideation was 43%, while over 25% were found to have attempted suicide.

The psychological turmoil in a cocaine crash may indeed be a greater contributor to the likelihood of using cocaine again. As your mental state nosedives and overwhelmingly painful thoughts become too intrusive, reusing cocaine becomes an attempt to escape, only to make the next crash even stronger. This lays the groundwork for cocaine addiction to form.

Your body’s struggle toward “homeostasis”

One of the best ways to contextualise what happens during a cocaine crash is to consider the state of “homeostasis”; the body’s natural drive to maintain balance. Biologists and psychologists often think of the body as a system that is in balance, capable of self-regulating and maintaining stability, despite whatever adverse events the world throws at it.

A crash only occurs when something is thrown out of balance. A car crash can’t happen when all vehicles are stationary, just as a plane crash only occurs when an aircraft is pulled from the sky.

Taking cocaine then can be seen as an artificial push or shift into a positive state. Your brain adjusts to pleasurable cocaine effects as it courses through the body. These intense but short-lived effects must be balanced out as they wear off. The further cocaine has taken you from equilibrium, the harder and more painful the struggle will be to restore it.

How to help a cocaine crash

Although you might not be able to alleviate the painful crash in the few days after taking cocaine, there are some steps you can take to help:

• Hydrate and balance your nutrition: Drink as much natural water or drinks with electrolytes as you can to ease dehydration. Your appetite may be disrupted, but fruits and vegetables or carb-rich foods like pasta can help you recover.
• Avoid triggers: You might have thoughts of using again as a way to escape a crash. Stay away from any events, people, or situations that might make you do so, as the next crash will be worse.
• Use mindfulness and relaxation techniques: Be kind to yourself and try mindfulness techniques. Breathing practices like the 4-7-8 method can help reduce anxieties. Gentle exercise, stretching, yoga or a walk in nature may help you relax.
• Consider cocaine addiction treatment: If you regularly experience cocaine crashes, it might be a sign of a cocaine use disorder or addiction. Cocaine crashes can overwhelm you and make you self-isolate, but it’s important to address the problem if you want to regain control and avoid future crashes.

Where can I find support for my cocaine addiction?

Cocaine crashes can trap you in a cycle of repeated use, worsening mental health and deteriorating quality of life. When addiction takes hold, the world can feel like a place where nothing can help you. Yet we want to let you know that there is help available.

At UKAT we can help you and your loved ones get the help you deserve. Reach out to us today to take the first step on your journey.