Cocaine Addiction Treatment

Cocaine is produced as a white chunky powder. It is sold most often in aluminum foil, plastic or paper packets, or small vials. Cocaine is usually chopped into a fine powder with a razor blade on a small mirror or some other hard surface, arranged into small rows called "lines," then quickly inhaled (or "snorted") through the nose with a short straw or rolled up paper money. It can also be injected into the blood stream.

Paraphernalia associated with inhaling cocaine include mirrors, razor blades, straws, and rolled paper money, while paraphernalia associated with injecting the drug include syringes, needles, spoons, and belts, bandanas or surgical tubing used to constrict the veins. Scales are used by dealers to weigh the drug. Sometimes substances such as baking soda or mannitol are used to "cut" cocaine in order to dilute the drug and increase the quantity of the drug for sale.

Cocaine addiction can occur very quickly and be very difficult to break. Animal studies have shown that animals will work very hard (press a bar over 10,000 times) for a single injection of cocaine, choose cocaine over food and water, and take cocaine even when this behavior is punished. Animals must have their access to cocaine limited in order not to take toxic or even lethal doses. People addicted to cocaine behave similarly. They will go to great lengths to get cocaine and continue to take it even when it hurts their school or job performance and their relationships with loved ones.

Those who abruptly stop their cocaine use can experience cocaine withdrawal symptoms as they readjust to functioning without the drug. The length of cocaine withdrawal varies from person to person and on the amount and frequency of use. Cocaine withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to: agitation, depression, intense craving for the drug, extreme fatigue, anxiety, angry outbursts, lack of motivation, nausea/vomiting, shaking, irritability, muscle pain, and disturbed sleep.

Cocaine detox not only helps in easing the withdrawal symptoms experienced by the individual, it also helps in the path of cocaine addiction treatment. Cocaine detoxification is invaluable to recovery because it helps in diminishing cravings for cocaine as well as ridding the body of harmful toxins deposited during cocaine use.

Our cocaine addiction treatment methods are designed to cover all the parts of an individual's cocaine detox. The removal of cocaine residues is a key point in cocaine addiction treatment. Without this process cocaine residues can remain in ones body and cause cravings for years after cocaine abuse has ceased. A vital step in a successful cocaine addiction treatment & rehabilitation is, flushing out these accumulated toxic residues so that the individual no longer experiences unwanted adverse effects from the cocaine they have used in the past. Narconon's success rate of 76% is higher than other cocaine addiction treatment program because we developed a complete drug detox program that works for the entire individual: mind, body, and soul.

Detoxification is only the first stage of treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use. Detoxification safely manages the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal associated with stopping drug use. While detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicts achieve long-term abstinence, for some individuals it is a strongly indicated precursor to effective treatment.

The appropriate duration for an individual to recieve treatment depends on his or her problems and needs. Research indicates that for most patients, the threshold of significant improvement is reached at about 3 months in treatment. After this threshold is reached, additional treatment can produce further progress toward recovery. Because people often leave treatment prematurely, programs should include strategies to engage and keep patients in treatment.

There are no quick fixes for drug addiction. The skills one learns during treatment must be integrated into everyday life and this takes time.