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.

What Is the Cocaine Overdose Amount?

Cocaine is a stimulant that comes from the coca plant. Repeated use can change your brain structure and lead to addiction. This dangerous drug results in hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits each year, and the cocaine overdose amount varies depending on the person who is using it and the other chemicals that may be present. Is Cocaine Pure? Although cocaine comes from a natural plant, the product that many people snort, inject, or smoke has been processed extensively. During the manufacturing process, people use other chemicals such as gasoline and acetone to make the final product. Adulterants may also be mixed with the drug to cut costs and enhance its effects. It’s difficult to identify other chemicals that users could find in cocaine. Even experienced users may not notice when the drug contains other substances until it’s too late. Can You Die From Using Cocaine? Pure cocaine can lead to a fatal overdose. When dealers blend cocaine with other compounds, it can be even more dangerous. One of the reasons that cocaine can be lethal is that it causes users to develop a physical dependency. When you consume the drug, it slows down the absorption of dopamine in your brain. This makes you feel good, but it also prevents your body from producing more dopamine. Plus, your body adjusts to the abundance of feel-good neurotransmitters. Over time, the dopamine doesn’t produce the same pleasurable effects, and you need to take more cocaine to feel an obvious high. Although your brain gets used to the excess dopamine, other organs don’t adapt to cocaine use. The stimulant restricts blood flow to the brain, increases heart rate, and raises blood pressure. This puts you at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Mixing alcohol and cocaine can also be hazardous. The combination produces a compound called cocaethylene, which strengthens the effects of the cocaine but enhances the risk of death. In these cases, addiction therapy services are necessary. Get Help for You or a Loved One What Is The Cocaine Overdose Amount? In mice, the lethal dosage of cocaine is about 95 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. When applied to humans, that translates to about 6.5 grams for a 150-pound person. The cocaine overdose amount depends on the individual’s history with cocaine and the method of administration. For example, injecting the drug is more likely to produce an overdose than snorting or smoking it. People who have experienced recovery and relapsed might be in even more danger than other users. They typically develop dependency and get used to consuming a certain amount. When they stop using the drug, their tolerance decreases along with their individual cocaine overdose amount. If they relapse, they might return to the same doses that they were taking before, shocking the body and causing tragic results. If you’re worried that you or a loved one is struggling with a substance abuse disorder, the first step is to enroll in a cocaine detox program. Additional therapy and a supportive community are necessary to sustain recovery and prevent relapse. At Grace Recovery, we offer a variety of approaches to holistic healing, such as: On-site detox Meditation Acupuncture 12-step community Aftercare Contact us at 866-296-5407 to learn how our well-rounded approach to rehab can help you on the journey to wellness.

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