Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant made from the leaves of the coca (Erythroxylon coca) plant, which grows in South America. As a Schedule II drug, cocaine has a high potential for misuse. Still, cocaine is used for some medical purposes, such as local anesthesia for specific eye, ear, and throat surgeries. Cocaine users can either inject or snort it, rub it onto their gums, or smoke it. Some users combine cocaine with other drugs, such as heroin, alcohol, or marijuana.
There are two main types of cocaine:
Cocaine use produces a short, intense feeling of euphoria that lasts between 15 and 20 minutes. It makes users feel energetic, more alert, and talkative while decreasing their appetite. A person may experience a craving to use more cocaine as soon as their “high” wears off.
Some people limit their cocaine use and only dabble with it occasionally. Others use the drug regularly and compulsively, setting the stage for a full-blown cocaine addiction. Not everyone who uses cocaine becomes addicted. People with a cocaine addiction lose control of their need to keep using the drug.
A person with a cocaine addiction feels a strong need to keep using the drug, even though they know that continued use leads to medical, psychological, and social issues. Once an addiction takes hold, obtaining and using cocaine becomes the main focus of the person’s life. Anything else they previously held dear takes a back seat: work, relationships, hobbies, etc.
Physical signs of a cocaine addiction are:
Multiple factors influence whether any person could become addicted to cocaine. The more risk factors someone has, the greater the chance that taking drugs could lead to addiction. Some of these factors are:
Biology: A person’s genetic makeup accounts for about half their risk for developing an addiction during their lifetime.
Environment: This factor includes multiple influences, ranging from their family and friends to their economic status and quality of life. Other environmental factors that have a definite impact on a person’s risk for developing an addiction include:
Development: A person’s genetic and environmental factors work alongside their developmental stages to affect addiction risk. The earlier a person starts using drugs, the higher their risk of becoming addicted.
Teens are especially at risk. The parts of their brains that control judgment, decision-making, and self-control are still developing, which means that young people may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors, including experimenting with drugs.
When someone uses cocaine, the drug affects the brain’s reward system by flooding it with dopamine, the chemical messenger that fires when people engage in pleasurable activities (eating chocolate, drinking, stroking a pet, exercising, etc.). The dopamine surges in the brain’s reward center reinforce that using cocaine is a pleasurable activity, leading the person to want to repeat the behavior.
Over time, the cocaine user’s brain becomes used to the excess dopamine levels. As a result, the high they experience when using cocaine isn’t as intense as before. The user has developed a tolerance to the drug and must use more to try to get the same dopamine high. This point marks the beginning of the slippery slope toward a full-on cocaine addiction.
Someone living with a cocaine addiction may show the following signs and symptoms:
Willingway meets clients where they are when they come to us for cocaine addiction and treatment. All clients undergo a pre-admission assessment to determine the best way to offer help. The medical staff recommends treatment options based on the information collected during this process.
Once a client is admitted to Willingway, the medical team conducts a comprehensive medical and nursing assessment to determine the client’s level of cocaine use and clinical needs. If the client is currently using cocaine, their next step is to go to detox (detoxification). Before the work of addiction treatment can start, a client must be free from the influence of all addictive substances.
At Willingway, we understand that a cookie-cutter approach to treatment will not work. Each person who comes to us is an individual with their own personal and medical history. It’s not uncommon for someone with a cocaine addiction to have a history of trauma.
Since our clients only stay at our residential treatment program for a short time, we do not offer extensive trauma treatment. However, we do assist our clients in helping them understand how trauma has contributed to their using addictive drugs.
Our cocaine addiction treatment program includes the following:
Services provided by Willingway to clients living with a cocaine addiction don’t stop when our clients complete their inpatient treatment program. We know that sending them out without giving aftercare recommendations is not helpful. To increase the likelihood of long-term recovery, clients should participate in continuing care.
Former Willingway clients can participate in one of 13 continuing care community groups. People who don’t live close to an existing community group can participate virtually via Zoom.
