Cocaine is a very dangerous drug that causes addiction very quickly, just after several uses. Even short-term cocaine abuse can become a reason for serious physical or mental illness; however, in some cases, it does not reach the disease because cocaine overdose leads to death.

Every person who has encountered substance use disorder, be it cocaine or other drugs, should start treatment as soon as possible. There is no specific cure for drug abuse, so specialists use a complex approach, implementing various programs which help normalize the psychological state and find a new meaning in life.

If one of your family members or friend suffers from cocaine use disorder, we recommend contacting the center of cocaine addiction treatment in. You will be able to get the necessary help and start effective rehabilitation.

Cocaine Rehab Steps 

Treatment of cocaine addiction is a multi-stage and complex process, especially if we are talking about chronic cocaine users because the longer a person uses drugs, the harder for him to give them up.

Cocaine addiction treatment includes four main stages:

  1. Complete medical detoxification of the whole body. In other words, it is the withdrawal of all traces of drugs from the blood since most addicts resort to the practice of intravenous cocaine use. Detoxification takes place in the format of outpatient treatment under the supervision of doctors and nurses who will help alleviate withdrawal symptoms that occur in the first hours.
  2. After that, the medicinal treatment of cocaine-dependent patients begins. Cocaine addiction, as well as alcohol dependence, deals a crushing blow to internal organs, so doctors need to nourish them with useful vitamins and update the work cycle.
  3. After the body gets better from a physical point of view, doctors proceed to the implementation of various behavioral therapies, which help to stabilize the psycho-emotional background. In general, medicinal treatment is half the case in the rehabilitation of cocaine users since psychosocial treatment is much more important.
  4. Treatment of cocaine dependence requires constant monitoring of patients, so after completing the main course of the program, a person can make a choice – whether to stay in the hospital or return home. The latter option implies that the patient will still regularly attend rehabilitation meetings.

On the whole, even though cocaine dependence treatment is an extremely exhausting and long process, a person can always achieve a positive result. The main thing is that if you notice cocaine craving in your loved ones, then seek cocaine addiction treatment as soon as possible.

 

Cocaine Use Consequences

It doesn’t matter what kind of drug a person uses, whether it’s crack cocaine or smoked cocaine; the effect on physical and mental health will be catastrophic. The list of cocaine use disorders is so large that it will take hundreds of pages to mention all the positions.

We will highlight the most common, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse: 

  • The decline of cognitive functions (memory impairment, absent-mindedness, lack of concentration).
  • The development of dangerous mental disorders (depression, suicidal tendencies, psychosis, or paranoia). At the same time, if a person had prior cocaine use diseases, then with the increase in abuse, they will start to progress rapidly.
  • Violation of the functions of the central nervous system.
  • Cocaine use leads to muscle dysfunctions such as tremors, seizures, or various nervous tics.
  • Malfunction of the cardiovascular system, which in the future may cause a heart attack, stroke, or rupture of an aneurysm.
  • Almost all cocaine abusers have weak immunity and, as a result, often suffer from acute respiratory diseases.
  • Necrosis of the mucous tissue of all organs of the gastrointestinal tract.

As you can see, cocaine use can lead to fatal consequences, and if we consider that this is an extremely addictive drug, they will happen not in 10 years but in the shortest possible time. Having such a situation, healing of cocaine dependence should be started immediately. Do not delay this issue and apply for the services of cocaine addiction treatment.

Effective Cocaine Addiction Therapies 

As we noted earlier, at the moment, there is no pill from substance abuse that would pass full-fledged controlled clinical trials. Moreover, pharmaceutical treatment, which lasts about two weeks, cannot definitively reduce cocaine cravings. The starting point of a new life in a drug-free world is the passage of psychological rehabilitation. Many behavioral treatments are extremely effective and in demand among doctors in residential and outpatient settings.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This approach is the best option for those cocaine-dependent subjects who suffer from several concomitant psychological diseases. The program helps to realize the causes of addiction at the stage of initial abstinence; however, it is also effective in cases when there is a repeated craving for use after long abstinence.

Contingency Management Therapy

Many triggers can lead to cocaine relapse. To prevent this, the patient should have a high cocaine self-administration level. During the training, a person learns to build the right behavior model, manage unforeseen circumstances, and recognize risk factors that can lead to repeated drug use.

Group Therapy

This is the practice of standard psychosocial treatment, which has many forms. It can be a cocaine anonymous meeting, group sessions with a doctor in an inpatient treatment setting, or free attendance of meetings several times a week. However, all these practices are united by one thing, treatment retention for the longest possible period, during which the patient will remain sober and learn relapse prevention techniques.

Keeping A Personal Diary

This is a very simple, but in parallel with this, extremely effective practice of treatment for cocaine dependence. Diary entries help patients understand the harmful effects of drugs on their bodies and life. In addition, many treatment providers note that the diaries contribute to the structuring of thoughts, the search for new motivation for communication or work, and overcoming total apathy.

Overall, it is important to understand that the cocaine treatment program will be effective only if a person practices it regularly without skipping. Each of the drug abuse treatment programs described by us will greatly help in rehabilitation, so you need to start therapy as soon as possible. If you have any questions about dependency, you can always get drug counseling at the center of cocaine addiction treatment.

The role of the Family in Rehabilitation

It is almost impossible to complete rehabilitation alone. Of course, the patient will receive maximum support from doctors and all medical staff; however, nothing can replace friends and family. The effectiveness of treatment directly depends on how many family members and the immediate surroundings are involved in the recovery process. Communication with these people can lift a person out of the pit in which he has driven himself.

It is important to note that in addition to supporting, friends and relatives are those people who seek the services of doctors because drug addicts will never recognize themselves as dependent people and will not come to the hospital of their own free will. If you miss this moment, then very quickly, a person who is suffering from cocaine addiction will walk themselves to the grave.

For this reason, if you notice at least one sign of cocaine use, then rather contact the cocaine addiction treatment center. The sooner the treatment begins, the more chances of successful results and starting a new life without drugs.

Frequently Asked Questions — FAQ

How to identify a person with cocaine addiction?

Cocaine, compared with other substances, causes a lot of changes in the appearance and behavior of an addicted person. The most characteristic signs are strong emotional arousal, constriction of the pupils, redness around the nose, rapid incomprehensible speech, as well as gratuitous aggression or, conversely, apathy. If you notice such symptoms in someone close to you, then you need to immediately start treatment for cocaine addiction.

Does a pill for substance use disorders exist?

At the moment, the best world experts are developing a vaccine that promotes blocking cocaine-induced euphoria. In addition, several promising medications are being developed, but they only have to go through many preclinical trials and the final human laboratory trial. In this regard, nowadays, the most effective treatment is a comprehensive approach. It consists of drug detoxification (2 weeks) and prolonged psychological recovery (up to 6 months) with the help of various programs.

What helps most effectively in the treatment of cocaine addiction?

It is best to treat cocaine addiction by passing various behavioral therapies. Like placebo-treated subjects, after completing the program without the use of medications, a person can stop using drugs forever. The most effective programs are group meetings, cognitive therapy, and the cocaine self-administration program. These techniques have passed more than one testing and clinical trial compared with other practices, proving themselves to be the best.