Cocaine Addiction Treatment
Cocaine is a drug that is very addictive and it is a stimulant that creates a powerful high for the user. For the most part the first high is always the most powerful, so users have to take more and more of it to get that high. There are many physical and psychological side effects of cocaine as well as many different types of treatment for cocaine addiction. Cocaine is a drug that affects people differently and some people are more prone to being addicted to the drug than others.
Physical Effects of Cocaine Addiction
There are many physical effects of cocaine use. When people take too much cocaine the effects can be fatal, as they can suffer from heart attacks and strokes. This is even more so when a person has a heart problem or they have high blood pressure. However, even people that are totally healthy can be at risk for these types of problems.
When a person takes cocaine it is not long to feel the effects. The initial effects are a sense of euphoria, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and hyperactivity. The high does not last long, which is why cocaine is so dangerous, as the user will quickly want more of the drug.
Cocaine addiction can also have long-term effects if a user takes the drug for a significant amount of time. Treatment for cocaine addiction can help with these physical effects, but the longer the person uses the drugs the more likely they will have withdrawal symptoms. Some of the longer-term physical effects of using cocaine are possible seizures and convulsions, cold sweats, bloody noses, damage to the nasal passage, and damage to the lungs. Cocaine treatment can help stop these effects. Many times users that have used cocaine for a prolonged period of time with go through withdrawals when they quit using the drug and they will need to go through a detoxification process in order to get the cocaine out of their system. Cocaine withdrawal treatment under professional supervision with the use of medication can ease the pain of the user when they are looking to wean themselves off cocaine.
Psychological Effects of Cocaine Addiction
Cocaine addiction is a psychological dependence on the drug after regular use, but there are also quite a few psychological effects of cocaine addiction. The more that a person uses cocaine the more likely it will be that they will suffer from psychological, as well as physical, symptoms. Some of the main psychological effects are depression, paranoia, anxiety, irritability, and lethargy. Some users of cocaine will suffer from panic attack and heavy users of the dangerous drug may experience psychosis. This can be one of the more dangerous psychological effects of cocaine use, as a user may hallucinate and have dangerous behavior. Extreme users that have psychosis have even been seen to have suicidal behavior. Cocaine use can also give people the feeling like they are invincible and they may act out dangerously thinking they can do things, which they cannot.
Treatment for Cocaine Addiction
While cocaine addiction can be very harmful to the user, as well as the people they love, there is treatment available. There is both inpatient and outpatient treatment and the type of treatment a person chooses will depend on their addiction to the drug. In cases where people are very addicted than an inpatient program can be more successful. Inpatient treatment can last from anywhere from a month to several months. This type of treatment can help a user clean themselves up and the main reason is that they are not allowed to go out and get cocaine. Inpatient treatments, often, use medication as well as counseling in order to help the user get sober.
Outpatient cocaine treatment mostly deals with group or one-on-one sessions for users, but they go home after the treatment is over. This type of cocaine treatment can be good for those that do not have a major addiction, but if a person has extreme addiction it may not be the way to go. This is especially the case if a person has relapsed in the past after trying to kick their cocaine habit. If a user takes place in outpatient treatment for cocaine addiction they should have both a strong will to beat their drug habit as well as a support system of friends and family that can give support and not enable them to keep using cocaine.
Behavioral treatment has been seen to be a rather successful type of treatment for cocaine addiction. This type of treatment is used in both outpatient and inpatient cases. Another treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, which is a more focused approach and the user can learn about their personal cocaine addiction and how to avoid situations where they will feel like they have to use the drug. They will also learn how to cope with their cocaine problems and how to deal with their addictive behavior. These types of treatments can also be coupled with medicinal treatments, especially at inpatient cocaine treatment centers. There are also holistic treatment approaches, which deals with the whole body not just the mind, many times, using yoga, meditation, and acupuncture in order to help the user get rid of their addiction.
Cocaine Withdrawal Treatment
A telltale sign that someone is addicted to cocaine is when they have symptoms of withdrawal when they are not taking the drug. A couple of the early signs of withdrawals are being sick physically as well as being depressed or having mood swings. Cocaine withdrawal treatment can take place at hospitals or inpatient cocaine treatment centers. Many times the user will be given drugs in order to ease their pain from the withdrawals from the drug. When a person attempts to rid their body of cocaine they will go through withdrawals and the process is called detoxification.
Cocaine Detox
The first step of cocaine treatment, especially in inpatient treatment centers, is the detoxification process. This is when the users’ body is cleansed of the drug, which can help end the physical and psychological effects of cocaine. This is the hardest part of getting clean, as the person with go through withdrawals during the detox process. Various drugs and vitamins are used during the process. After the detox process is complete the user is not out of the woods, as they may still face addiction issues. This is when a user should begin to see a counselor, whether it is at an inpatient out outpatient center. Users need to understand their cocaine addiction after the detox process is compete in order to break their cycle of addiction.
Cocaine addiction is not a pretty thing and it can hurt the user as well as their loved ones. However, while it is not easy to get off drugs there are many types of treatments that can be very successful. When a person is serious of kicking their cocaine habit they should speak to a counselor to find out the right treatment for them. This is also the case about a user’s loved ones, as they can also talk to a counselor and get more information on cocaine addiction.