Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that can physically alter brain structure and function. Since it is often used in combination with other drugs, such as alcohol, opioids, and benzodiazepines, cocaine addiction can often be challenging to treat. Seeking the help of a treatment center experienced in cocaine addiction will increase the chances of successful recovery.
Our proven approach to cocaine addiction treatment is personalized based on each client’s background and specific needs. Unlike other treatment programs, we focus on more than just abstinence to focus instead on the spiritual, emotional, and psychological causes of addiction.
What are the signs of cocaine addiction?
Cocaine is most commonly used as a white powdery substance that is snorted, injected, or mixed with other drugs like amphetamines. As one of the most common drugs seen in popular culture, cocaine has a number of myths associated with its use, including that it is a purer or more unadulterated drug than others available on the street. In fact, much cocaine is actually “cut” with other substances, some benign, such as baking powder, and some extremely harmful, such as fentanyl, a powerful synthetic painkiller that can lead to fatal overdoses.
Cocaine can be consumed via multiple different methods, including combining it with heroin or other injectable drugs. Additionally, so-called “crack” cocaine is made of cocaine in crystalline form, which can then be heated to produce a smoke that can be inhaled into the lungs.
Unlike some drugs that have long-lasting effects, the cocaine “high” is typically short-lived and users often take many smaller dosages of the drug to continue their high. A typical cocaine high can last anywhere from a few minutes to a half-hour.
Similar to other drugs, cocaine affects the brain’s pleasure-sensing regions, which secrete the pleasure chemical dopamine when the drug is present in the body.
Because of this, cocaine can become highly addictive, as the brain quickly becomes adapted to the presence of higher levels of dopamine. As is the case with many drugs, tolerance to cocaine gradually builds and the user must take more of the drug to get the same high.
Typical signs of cocaine addiction include both psychological and physical changes in the user, including:
- Upset stomach
- Fever
- High blood pressure
- Involuntary muscle movements
- Anxiety, anger, or paranoia
- Malnourishment and decreased appetite
- Hallucinations
In addition, chronic cocaine users face physical risks that are different from other drug users. Because cocaine is typically consumed through the nose, frequent cocaine users may experience an increase in nosebleeds, difficulty swallowing, or even an inability to smell.
Cocaine can also lead to overdoses, even on the first usage. Overdoses are particularly common among users who also use cocaine with other drugs, including heroin or alcohol, and can lead to heart attacks, seizures, or strokes.
Cocaine Treatments and Rehab Programs
Cocaine Withdrawal and Detox
Cocaine users often experience withdrawal—the process the body undergoes when it no longer has high levels of the drug in its system—when they cut back on their cocaine use. The withdrawal process from cocaine can be uncomfortable and challenging and most chronic cocaine users should seek the advice of their doctor before attempting to cut back on their drug use. Additionally, many frequent users seek out help from a qualified professional detox facility to help them cope with the discomfort of the withdrawal process.
A typical withdrawal from cocaine can include symptoms such as:
- Exhaustion and lack of energy
- An increase in hunger
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly
- Feelings of depression or anxiety
While cocaine withdrawal doesn’t have as many physical side effects as withdrawal from substances such as alcohol, the withdrawal process can still take a heavy toll, especially psychologically, as the brain resets itself and adjusts back to a baseline level.
As a result, users may benefit from hands-on 24-hour supervised care at a licensed detox provider, who can ensure they receive proper support and care during the withdrawal process.
We work with licensed, experienced detox providers here at Recovering Champions who share our commitment to client wellness. For clients who may be beginning their recovery journey, we are happy to recommend qualified detox providers to safely begin the process.
Partial Hospitalization Program
Once clients have undergone the detox process and have physically shed the remnants of cocaine from their system, they are ready to begin a formal recovery process to help create positive habits, skills, and behaviors to avoid future cocaine abuse.
The best way to begin this process is through our partial hospitalization program, or PHP, which provides six hours of daily clinical addiction treatment while clients reside at our nearby Wellness Lodge, which sits only minutes from the Atlantic Ocean on Cape Cod.
PHP treatment involves a series of multidisciplinary clinical treatments that cover the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of recovery and help clients understand the causes of their addiction, as well as techniques they can utilize to manage and cope with ongoing cravings.
Everyone’s cocaine treatment will be different, customized to meet their recovery needs, goals, and addiction history. Some of the treatments for cocaine addiction that may be involved in PHP treatment include:
- Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Equine Therapy
- Aquatics Therapy
- Physical Training
Since recovery is often enhanced when clients stay active and healthy, our PHP treatment includes a complimentary gym membership, as well as access to a personal trainer and ongoing nutritional guidance, including meals cooked from local foods, some grown in our very own garden.
Throughout PHP treatment, our goal is to include our clients in the recovery planning process as much as possible. Unlike other treatment programs with a top-down approach enforced by the treatment provider, we ensure clients themselves are involved in every aspect of their treatment, determining the course of their recovery process in tandem with our clinical team. This way, clients are better able to find the treatment strategies and approaches that work best for them and their long-term recovery goals.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
The completion of the PHP process leads into the most critical step in recovery: transitioning from PHP to our intensive outpatient program, or IOP.
The reason this transition is so critical is that the client is graduating from a fully-enclosed recovery community where they reside and seek treatment within the Recovering Champions network back into their regular life, as well as all the added responsibilities, stressors, and triggers that come with it.
To assist with this transitional period, we offer a full suite of “wraparound” services that help clients recovering from cocaine addiction have a sense of continuity in their recovery. We have found that a major predictor of long-term recovery and success is the level of stability and predictability a client can experience when transitioning from higher-level treatment to more hands-off treatment.
Because of this, we ensure the client has the same medical, case management, and clinical teams throughout both the PHP and IOP treatments, as well as the same peers in recovery moving through the process alongside them. We’ve found that this important sense of continuity helps clients realize they have ongoing support and a recovery community that is truly dedicated to their well-being and success.
Additionally, throughout their PHP and IOP experiences, clients recovering from cocaine addiction experience a client-to-clinician ratio of 10:1, which is well above industry standards.
Outpatient Program (OP)
While the PHP and IOP components of addiction treatment are critical, clients who continue into our supportive, ongoing outpatient program are able to enhance the progress they’ve made while decreasing the likelihood of a relapse.
This is particularly important for a drug like cocaine which is often associated with social interactions. Triggers are thus more likely to occur when a client begins to return to their regular lifestyle and social schedule, or spends time in places with common triggers for their drug use.
Our Outpatient program provides weekly individual and group therapy to help clients return to their jobs, find full-time housing, and continue to strengthen their relationships with family and friends.
This continuous support can be a major driver of long-term client success during the transitional period as clients move from IOP to OP treatment.
Cocaine Addiction Group and Individual Therapy
At Recovering Champions, we make sure our licensed and trained therapists work with each of our clients to help them understand the underlying motivations for their cocaine abuse on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level.
To do this, we provide both individual and group therapy sessions weekly to help clients explore these topics in a safe and nonjudgmental space. Clients work with therapists individually to discuss their ongoing treatment, their goals, and any barriers they feel are standing in the way of their recovery.
Then, in larger group therapy, clients join their peers in recovery to discuss strategies, breakthroughs, and challenges in an open and welcoming atmosphere, as well as reducing the shame and stigma sometimes associated with addiction.
We find this careful balance of individual and group therapy helps clients find a healthy and supported approach to recovery that works for them.
Cocaine Addiction Family Counseling
Recovery with peers and staff is both effective and important, but clients recover faster and stay sober longer with the support and guidance of their family and friends.
To this end, we encourage our clients to maintain close relationships with family and friends throughout treatment, including weekly visits to Recovering Champions for family therapy sessions. These visits to campus allow friends and family to learn more about the science behind addiction and its effects on the brain, as well as learn ways to support and guide clients throughout their recovery.
Another key topic we explore in family therapy sessions is the stigma and judgement often surrounding drug abuse and addiction, as well as the shame and guilt clients often feel in openly discussing these topics with their friends and family members. Our goal throughout this process is a constructive and open dialogue that helps both the client and their family and friends to reconcile and begin the healing process together.
Alternative or Holistic Treatment for Cocaine Addiction
Addiction recovery is not a one-size-fits-all process with a single treatment model that works for every client. Because of this, we pride ourselves on offering our clients a diverse array of treatment modalities to help them find peace and sobriety.
One popular treatment approach is holistic therapy, many of which involve therapeutic practices that can be carried out beyond treatment itself. Examples of holistic therapy include yoga, meditation, mindfulness, Reiki, and a Spirituality 101 course that we provide for our clients.
At Recovering Champions, clients can experience a variety of alternative therapies, including:
- Nature-based healing
- Healing with crystals
- Identifying the spiritual throughout life
Clients are assigned a holistic healing guide for two hours each day to help them find a technique, belief, or approach that works for them and their individual recovery goals. Then, together, they gradually learn to incorporate these holistic healing techniques into their daily lives.
Aftercare and Cocaine Relapse Prevention
When a Recovering Champions client graduates from our program and becomes an alumnus, they are automatically entered into our alumni network, where our full-time outreach coordinator can keep them in touch with their peers, invite them to Recovering Champions alumni events, and provide them with aftercare resources to stay on track with their recovery.
Whether it’s through our private Facebook group, check-in calls with our aftercare staff, or help finding a Narcotics Anonymous program nearby, Recovering Champions alumni have access to the people, tools, and support they need to continue their recovery for years to come.
