It is not easy to stop cocaine. It will be uncomfortable. Taking that first step will be the most difficult. Only you can do it. But if you want to quit cocaine, then you can do it if you take the right approach and understand everything that is involved right from the outset.
Withdrawal symptoms from cocaine start within two to 12 hours. After 36 hours the withdrawal peaks.
The symptoms include exhaustion, fatigue, lack of concentration, cravings for the drug, slow thinking, depression, sadness, a big appetite, and nightmare, a drop in sex drive, low motivation and potentially even suicidal thoughts.
It can take up to two weeks for total withdrawal from the drug and this is the time when most people are at their most vulnerable for relapse. That is why people who want to know how to quit cocaine need a plan and they need help to do it.
Cocaine is so addictive because of how it works on the brain. It encourages the brain to produce dopamine. It then stops the brain from removing the dopamine from the system as it would naturally until the drug has worn off. It can take about 15 to 30 minutes for the drug to be absorbed, but by this time the brain can’t produce dopamine naturally as it is exhausted by what it has had to deal with, and this leads to person craving another hit. Some people can become addicted to cocaine after using it for the very first time due to the powerful impact it has on the brain.
But where do you start if you do want to quit. Firstly, you might want to speak to your doctor to set the treatment plan rolling. You could reach out to friends or family for help. Or you can contact your local drug service and ask for advice on how to take your next steps. Or reaching out to a support group like Narcotic Anonymous will be a great start and experts in those groups will be able to help point you in the right direction for more intensive support if you need it. One thing you must not do is stop using drugs suddenly and without professional help. Withdrawal from highly addictive drugs like cocaine is complicated, dangerous and can be life threatening. It must be managed safely and by qualified health care professionals.
Here are some steps to take if you want to learn how to quit cocaine…
- Medical detox – if you have been addicted to cocaine for a long time or you have started taking high amount very quickly, then the chances are you are going to need some support to get the drug out of your system before you can even start any other sort of treatment. The detox process is managed by medical professionals as it can be highly dangerous for people doing it on their own. Doctors and nurses will help people to manage their symptoms in a controlled and safe environment and may even use a specially formulated non-addictive drug support program to get people through this first step.
- Decide whether you want to be part of a residential program. This is where psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors and nurses, and nutritionists and exercise professionals, provide 24-hour care and support in a controlled environment far away from any temptation or bad influence. These can be 30, 60 or 90-day programs. But you have to do some research and find the right facility for you – the location, the services involved, the qualifications and experience of the staff and the cost are all key factors to consider when making the choice.
- There is daycare therapy. This is when people to commit to so many days a week, so they can carry on with other commitments and still get high levels of care and support.
- Others who need less hands-on support from health professionals, but need help re-establishing a healthy lifestyle, might opt for an outpatient service
Once you have decided on an approach then you have to decide which is the best type of treatment to help you learn how to quit cocaine. Everyone is different, so this decision will be made with our healthcare support team and friends and family to ensure the very best result for your recovery. It might be one particular approach or it might be all of them.
- There is one on one therapy with a counsellor. This would ideally take place several times a week and will start to uncover the reasons why you turn to cocaine and what the triggers are. These sessions will help people to develop coping strategies and learn tools to help them deal with their addiction and prevent a relapse. This is where therapies like contingency management, cognitive behavioral therapy and the Matrix Model might be used. Contingency management focuses on giving people rewards for taking positive steps. Cognitive behavioural therapy helps to improve coping methods and teaches people how to change how they react to particular circumstances. The Matrix Method combines several different types of therapy in a strategic model.
- Family group therapy is really helpful as it is often the family unit that suffers the most in addiction, but also the group who are most likely to help you through recovery. Family group sessions help to encourage communication and improve understanding about addiction and recovery and how they can help for the best.
- Group therapy is carried out in the form of workshops or lectures. It helps people to get support from people who are going through similar circumstances and a chance to learn some of the approaches that have worked for them.
The journey doesn’t stop there. Once these focused and intensive treatments have been completed, that is when people are at risk of relapse. This is where support groups like Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are really helpful to keep people on track with their cocaine addiction recovery programs.