7 Ways Cocaine Negatively Affects Socialization & Relationships

As people drink and use cocaine together, they cross paths with others doing the same. If you use cocaine, you are likely to find yourself in random places, with random people, having random conversations. These people can feel like friends, and they are usually nice people.

The issue is that party friends are not often real friends and, when the party is over they are typically not who you interact with on a regular basis outside of the party. They are not the people you call when life knocks you down or you need a helping hand. The friendships you tend to make under the influence of cocaine are not the same friendships you will call on when things get tough or life happens.

I remember after getting sober I realized that a lot of the “friends” I thought I had were nowhere to be found. This is actually a blessing because one of the key rules of recovery is to avoid the people associated with your drug use, so forming lasting friendships with those you used to use cocaine with is not advisable.

Let’s be honest; we are all seeking connection in our lives. This is a huge factor in why people drink and use cocaine in the first place. People use because they are looking to connect with others and themselves in ways they don’t realize they can without substances.

The problem with socializing with cocaine is that you make inauthentic connections with people that often are disguised as the intimate type of connection we are all truly looking for in life.

I can think back to so many times that I thought I was having engaging conversations with others, but in the end, I realized it was just the drugs talking. While I value everyone I met on my party path and believe we connected on the level of sharing a high together, I know now that the connections I thought I was making weren’t the authentic kind I really desired.

Being sober has helped me to see what true authentic connection with others feels like and has shown me the stark contrast between these kinds of connections and the ones I made while I was using cocaine. I can only think of a handful of people who I used to party with who I still am in contact with to this day, 9 years later. This goes to show you that those connections weren’t the ones I would take with me on my life journey.

Along with the rush from cocaine also comes the complimentary anxiety. It happens while you are in social settings, and it also happens when you start to come down from a cocaine binge. If you have social anxiety, you feel a level of anxiousness that takes you out of the moment in most settings and conversations. It can be extremely distracting and can make you talk over people or lose attention very quickly. It takes away from socializing because anxiety can consume a person’s thoughts.

Not only that, but as you come down and experience withdrawal after a cocaine binge, it makes your interactions harder because you experience anxiety on that side of the drug too, which can make users moody and irritable.

Finding recovery from cocaine addiction has helped me find relief from anxiety. It has shown me that I much prefer to be fully present and calm in social settings. My experience is not uncommon, as research has shown that cocaine use is linked to anxiety disorders.

From conversations to even photographs, cocaine, especially when mixed with alcohol, can cause you to behave and look extremely erratic. Looking back now on the things I used to say and do while under the influence embarrasses me just thinking about it.

Cocaine makes you think no one knows you’re on it, but from the outside looking in, it’s obvious when you are around someone who is using the drug. They talk quickly, move their mouth around, sweat and don’t make eye contact at all.

I also noticed how my face looked in photos while I was under the influence of cocaine, and hardly any photos showed me smiling or looking put-together. In almost all of my pictures, I had a smug face; my pupils were dilated and I looked like a snob. If that’s how I looked in photos, I’m certain that is how I looked to others too. No matter how we frame it, it isn’t a good look.

Cocaine makes you become a self-centered and selfish person subconsciously, whether you realize it or not. You turn into someone who will go to any length to get your next gram or eight ball, even if that means leaving friends or loved ones behind. There were many times when I would completely disappear to the bathroom for an hour, or to find cocaine somewhere without telling anyone else where I was.

Socializing is meant for being social, not being closed off and stuck on a one-way street to find and do cocaine. In this sense, cocaine makes socializing harder. Instead of being focused on others, you become focused on yourself and when you can take your next bump or line.

Over time, people may find that cocaine changes their personalities, which is another way that the drug has a negative effect on socialization. Cocaine abuse can lead to extremely paranoid behavior, so someone who used to be outgoing may isolate themselves from others due to becoming paranoid and distrustful after suffering the effects of cocaine abuse.

Researchers have also discovered that increased cocaine use reduces a person’s ability to empathize with others, so someone who was once kind and considerate of other people may appear rather self-centered or cruel after becoming addicted to the drug. In addition, increased cocaine use is linked to personality disorder symptoms, so it is safe to say that cocaine can have an effect on personality, and can produce unpleasant changes in a person’s disposition.

There is additional evidence that cocaine simply does not benefit socialization. A National Academy of Sciences study found that cocaine users find social interactions to be less rewarding when compared to people who don’t use cocaine. Experts believe this happens because cocaine users come to find drug use rewarding and pleasure associated with natural rewards, like socializing, actually declines.

At the end of the day, cocaine hinders our ability to socialize as our true selves and this blocks us from true friendships, connections, interactions and motives. Cocaine does not showcase who we really are. In fact, it keeps us from understanding who we are and how to be truly social beings.