Cocaine use - effects on nose

[NC Daniel]

I am a 22 year old female student and have been using coke on and off since i was 18 (but more on than off!) Some weeks me and my friends would go on binges and all nighters and could get through about 2 a night grams each. I would then lay off for a few weeks and then do the same. Although during the last 6 months i have moved away from my normal scene on work placement and so only do it when i go back (about 2 grams every 3 weeks)I havent had any for over a month now, but since the last time i did it the inside of my nose has been hurting on the left side on the front wall and around my septum. There does not seem to be any holes but i can feel the cartlige and im almost sure the skin between my 2 nostrils has got thinner. I have heard that even though i may not see the damage now, and i stop using coke, the damage could become visible in the future. Is this true? I have cut down on the amounts i use and how often i use it but to be honest, and i know this sounds bad, but i would still like to have the odd dabble here and there for a year or so whilst im still a student. But i am aware i have snorted it for quite a few years already, so am now beginning to worry about the health effects, and whether i should stop straight away. Could anybody give me advice on this please?

[cattalina]

FYI - You're the idiot... this post is over a year old.

[seanr]

my friend and i just got about an hour of amusement..did ya read that before you posted that.. your an idiot.

[matine]

You already know the answer to your question, no? I would stop while ahead, but I realize that stopping for a while is easy, quitting not so much. If you must party, and we all want to do that sometimes...then place the coc. under your tongue and let it dissolve. Taste bad but hey surgery sucks.

[CRIMINAL]

i did cocaine and crack for about 3 or 4 years wile also doing oxy and heroin with it. i ended up with massive nose bleeds that landed me in the hospital so doctors could courterize my the inside of my nose!..coke also enlarges your heart and puts alot of strain on it. even if you only "dabble" you are slowly adding to the damage you already have..i hope you stop cuz eventualy it catches up with all of us and from what you said it looks like its startn to catch up with you.

[LadySundown]

Hi,

I never did much coke, but I know people who have used and some still do. A deviated septum is what you're probably going to end up with, possible even if you never used again. The cartilage that seperates your nostrils has been eaten away by coke.

Please get help and don't think for a moment that you can "dabble" in cocaine. It's addictive and you can't just put it away until you decide to use next time. Small amounts of time when you're not using doesn't mean you're not an addict.

Please get help. We're here if you need us. This site is very supportive. You will probably find someone on this board that has the same addiction as you. Do you think you're an addict?? Just curious.

Please take care and keep posting....LS

[rsd_al]

Well it has been over 20 years since I did cocaine, but I was a party hardier. I stopped in 1986, but alot of my friends did not. Some of them are not with us anymore because of cocaine. They died of massive heart attacks!

Some that did not stop are dead, and the rest that continued stopped after the deaths of our close friends. So stopping will save your life, cause you will not know the day your times up, if your like me, you dont want to know.

Please think about what you are doing, and what it is doing to your body. You have to live with yourself the rest of your life, and please think about how healthy you want to be on this earth.

I hope and pray you decide to come clean, you can do it!