If you’re struggling with an addiction to cocaine, you know how difficult it is to quit. You’ve probably tried multiple times – and failed. But there’s hope. It starts with a good-quality cocaine detox.

Understanding How Cocaine Traps You in an Addiction

Worried woman talking to a man who thinks she needs cocaine detoxBefore discussing the ins and outs of a cocaine detox, it makes sense to find out how the drug ensnares. The chemicals in cocaine directly affect the brain’s reward center. There, they bind to proteins that regulate dopamine transport. Dopamine, as you may know, is the feel-good neurotransmitter.

Triggering this neurotransmitter naturally is possible with exercise, good food, or enjoyable activities. When you add cocaine to the mix, you affect an artificial triggering. Because the drug also prevents the re-absorption of the chemical, it creates a brief period of euphoria. Almost as soon as you experience the euphoric high, the drug wears off.

Not surprisingly, you want to experience the high again. So, you take more cocaine. As you do so, the drug’s chemicals gradually change the neurotransmitter workings in your brain. Within a short time, dopamine release develops a dependency on the presence of cocaine.

Cocaine Detox Helps You to Quit

How do you quit using when your brain screams for the dopamine release of cocaine addiction? Cocaine detox under medical supervision provides the framework for stopping the drug abuse. Because everyone’s different, the length of time for adequate detoxification varies. For some, it can be as quick as three to five days.

For others, it may take a couple of weeks to overcome acute withdrawal. Years of cocaine use and abuse take longer to counteract than months. That said, your health also factors into the equation. The same is true for the typical dose that you took during your cocaine binges.

Typical Withdrawal Timeline

The first couple of days are the toughest. Even though you’re excited about making positive changes, depression sneaks in. You’re starting to feel irritable and tired. Many people develop a huge appetite and feel the temptation to binge eat.

Cravings for the drug are strong. After the third or fourth day, the cravings gradually decrease. You sleep more, and your appetite returns to normal. Because your body hasn’t reached equilibrium yet, psychological withdrawal symptoms may set in.

You may encounter feelings of depression and anxiety. Some people develop paranoia. You question whether life’s worth living without the buzz that cocaine gave you. This is a dangerous time since the temptation to use again is getting stronger.

At the cocaine detox facility, therapists work with you to guide you through this timeline. They use modalities such as:

  • Dual diagnosis treatment, which allows you to receive medication for depression or anxiety as well as other co-occurring disorders
  • Holistic treatment that might include Yoga or meditation to help with stress and anxiety
  • Around-the-clock medical detox monitoring that keeps you comfortable and makes withdrawal as pain-free as possible
  • Medication management for physiological challenges you may be dealing with outside of drug abuse
  • Discharge planning for rehab following the end of cocaine detox

Moving to Rehab

Many people believe that beating the physiological drug dependency means that they’re now sober. That’s not necessarily the truth. In fact, you will still deal with the psychological component of cocaine addiction. In rehab, you find out why you reached for cocaine in the first place.

Then, you learn how to exchange patterns of dysfunction in your life with healthy ways of doing things. This process also provides you with relapse prevention techniques to overcome cravings you may experience after treatment. Remember that addiction is a chronic illness. There’s no cure, which means that it has a high relapse potential.

Staying sober calls for the ability to anticipate and handle stress differently than you did before. For many, rehab is the part of the treatment that makes these changes possible. Of course, before you can focus on a psychological addiction, you have to end the physical dependency. That’s why detoxification is always the first step to recovery.

If you’ve been struggling with an addiction to cocaine and just can’t quit, there’s professional help at Tides Edge. Don’t suffer any longer in the cycle of abuse, shame, depression, and cravings. Instead, reach out for help to the caring therapists at Beaches Recovery. Dial 866.605.0532 today to reserve your place in our cocaine detox facility.