How to Quit Using Cocaine

Although cocaine use has decreased in recent years, many people still abuse this substance. Addiction to this drug can cause many difficulties and even trigger overdose and deaths. As a result, you may need to get addiction treatment to help quit coke and stay away from this drug for good.

Why People Struggle to Quit Cocaine

Cocaine addiction is a severe problem that affects around six percent of the addiction community. Many people struggle to quit using this drug for several reasons. First of all, many get used to the effects of this substance and need them to achieve success in life. For example, some may think that they need the excess energy provided by coke to stay focused at work or in their day-to-day tasks. As a result, they keep on abusing this substance.

Even worse, many people simply don’t believe that they have a problem. Perhaps they make good money and don’t notice how much they lose every time they abuse cocaine. Or maybe they just can’t accept that they have an addiction. This situation often results in a person angrily defending their use. Some might even increase their use as a way of coping with the stress related to this drug abuse. Unfortunately, this may lead to severe complications.

Even those who understand that they have a problem may struggle to quit because they are embarrassed or think that they can’t afford their treatment. Others may want to avoid the painful symptoms of withdrawal that may make addiction treatment difficult. These symptoms include:

• Decreased pleasure in life
• Irritability and anxiety
• Difficulty falling asleep
• Malaise and depression
• Suspicious and paranoid feelings
• Lower energy and physical capabilities
• Intense cravings for cocaine

Thankfully, people who abuse this drug rarely suffer the kind of withdrawal familiar with drugs like heroin or alcohol. This substance simply metabolizes too quickly from the body to cause these symptoms. However, withdrawal can include a crash that may last several days and extreme cravings that can last for up to 12 weeks. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome can cause many complications that may last for years. Thankfully, addiction treatment can help.

How Addiction Treatment Can Help

While quitting coke is possible without any help, it can be a challenge. Trying to stop abusing coke or other drugs without specialized help is known as “going cold turkey.” It basically means that you quit abusing cocaine without withdrawal treatment. Unfortunately, this can trigger many concerns that challenge your recovery. For example, you’ll have to:

• Stop taking coke in a way that minimizes your withdrawal
• Go through withdrawal symptoms that may occur anyway
• Manage post-acute withdrawal syndrome as it develops
• Disengage from people who trigger abuse in your life

These steps can be very painful and difficult to manage. For example, you may struggle to focus on your recovery without a plan. Though getting through physical withdrawal may only take a week or two, you may still crave coke. Even worse, you may fall back into addiction patterns of abuse because you focus only on the physical aspects of your recovery.

So while it is possible to quit coke without addiction treatment – many people do it every year – you should probably still get help. These programs include inpatient and residential rehab programs that help you better understand the behaviors that influence your substance abuse.

You can also get outpatient rehab if you have to go to work or take care of children. Either of these options are compatible with group counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dual-diagnosis care. In this way, you can beat addiction for good and live a happy and healthy life.

How Aftercare Can Help

Addiction treatment for coke doesn’t stop the moment you quit your rehab care. Many people walk out of rehab ready to stay focused on their new sobriety. However, others need to stay focused using methods like aftercare. This care option utilizes a multitude of unique treatments to ensure that you stay sober. For example, you can learn how to manage your abuse triggers properly.

As a result, you may want to seriously consider aftercare if you are trying to quit cocaine. Addiction to this substance may haunt you for life if you don’t take the time to manage the after-effects of your treatment. You also need to pay special attention to your aftercare options. These include counseling options and even sober living environments. Sign up for this care to ensure you don’t abuse coke again.

Let Us Help You Recover

At Grace Recovery, we can provide many care options for those in the Hollywood and Los Angeles, CA area. We utilize the most up-to-date addiction treatment program to give you access to the kind of care that you need to quit cocaine for good. Our care specialists use detoxification and a residential inpatient program to ensure that you re in no pain while you recover.