Cocaine Addiction Treatment
The most effective treatments for cocaine addiction is detox followed by behavioral therapies that can help them to get the drug out of their system and learn coping skills and strategies to remain abstinent as they reconstruct their lives.
While it can be provided in a variety of settings including inpatient, outpatient, or residential facilities, the treatment of cocaine must include comprehensive strategies to address the medical, psychological, social, environmental, and other unique needs of the addict. Many cocaine addicts have physical and mental health issues that can limit their engagements in treatment and without the appropriate treatment for all critical issues, chances of relapse will remain high.
Cocaine Detox
Cocaine detox is different from other substance abuse treatments. It, generally, has short periods of physical withdrawals, but, the psychological withdrawals can last for months. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Presently, there are no FDA-approved medications to treat cocaine addiction.” In some cases, anti-anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines may be used to keep the patient engaged in the detox and formal treatment programs.
Behavioral Therapies
According to SAMHSA’sCenter for Substance Abuse Treatment, “Craving, a central aspect of addiction, is a very strong learned response with powerful motivational properties often associated with specific memories (i.e., conditioned cues and triggers). The euphoric senses produced by cocaine use are enough to cause the addict to become highly excited just by thinking about cocaine use. Relapse “triggers” can be environmental elements that induce stress or negative emotions, along with people, places, and things that may be associated with cocaine use.
- Cognitive behavioral therapies can help the addict to learn to identify and avoid “triggers” that would cause relapse, manage their thought processes, and cope with the cravings without having to use.
- Motivational therapies work well to keep the addict engaged in the treatment programs by providing incentives or rewards for reaching goals or other achievements.
Counseling
Individual counseling helps to identify specific problems for the addict providing guidance and support. It can also be used for families and couples to help rebuild communications in damaged relationships. Group counseling challenges the addicts and their addictive behaviors to help them gain feedback and support of others within the programs under the structured guidance of a professional.
Relapse Prevention
Some of the best ways to prevent relapse after leaving a formal treatment program is to remain engaged in support groups or after care services when offered by the program providers. Cocaine addiction recovery can be long-term process and needs to be maintained with hope and vigor that programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous can offer.