• Euphoria
• Mental alertness
• Increased energy
• Decreased appetite

Continued use leads to an excessively rapid heartbeat, severe chest pain, and ultimately, any of the following:

• Heart disease
• Heart attack
• Respiratory failure
• Stroke
• Death

Withdrawal symptoms include paranoia and the feeling of bugs crawling beneath the skin. Due to the severity of these symptoms, cocaine is extremely difficult to resist.

Because cocaine is a highly addictive drug, within weeks a user may feel as if nothing matters but more cocaine at any cost. Even if the user is miserable, he or she cannot resist the urge to use cocaine as often as possible, even as his or her health deteriorates and he or she quickly approaches death. Addicts also face the possibility of estrangement from loved ones, loss of career, and possible imprisonment. Users may even feel terrified by their own addiction.

And that is why recovery cannot be completed alone, but involves a network of people. Support from fellow recovering addicts is often essential, as this type of fellowship creates a mutual understanding that is otherwise unobtainable. Other networks of help include formal counseling and support groups. Informal support from friends and family who are safe and have no negative affiliation with the drug also proves helpful.

Though recovery is a lifelong process that must be approached one day at a time, recovery is considered officially complete when a person is able to live responsibly and comfortably without cocaine. This final step involves not only the physical absence of the drug from one’s life, but also psychological, emotional, social, and even financial restitution. Just as cocaine addiction adversely affects all areas life, recovery positively restores all areas of life.

Counseling and Support Group Meetings

Though many addicts desire to stop using, they lack the necessary tools. In a drug rehabilitation facility, a person will be provided with both individual and group therapy. In one-on-one therapy, a drug rehab counselor helps the client examine and change his or her behavior in order to eliminate drug use. These sessions are complemented by group therapy, which provides accountability and encouragement from both the counselor and fellow recovering addicts. This type of therapy generally follows a 12-Step model, beginning with the user’s admission of powerlessness and his or her release of control to a higher power. The last step is an awakening, when the former user realizes and his or her personal drive and ability to help others who struggle with addiction.

Support After Cocaine Rehab

After rehab and the 12-Step program have been completed, a client may have the option of spending time in a sober home or halfway house, a safe environment that will allow the former user to transition smoothly into daily life outside rehab. If the client is comfortable and ready to go directly into ordinary life without a transitional phase, he or she may choose to continue either one-on-one therapy, group therapy, or both, simply for continued encouragement and the opportunity to encourage and help others.

Cocaine Recovery Help

If you are addicted to cocaine or recovering from cocaine addiction, please call our toll free number, available 24 hours a day, to reach a trusted and knowledgeable counselor. Take control of your life and liberate yourself from substance abuse. Begin today.

Besides being highly addictive, cocaine can increase the risk of serious diseases like HIV/AIDS and lead to severe heart and respiratory problems, even death. In fact, there are a number of frightening side effects to cocaine use:

• Constricted blood vessels, decrease in blood flow to body
• Loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, wounds inside the nose and throat
• Increase of heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure
• Malnourishment
• Heart attack or stroke, even at a young age
• Sudden death, usually related to seizure, respiratory arrest or cardiac arrest

If you have a loved one who suffers from cocaine addiction, you have probably experienced a slew of emotions about your loved one’s situation. Denial, anger, sadness and a sense of helplessness are common among concerned family members and friends.

There are many treatment options available to those who are abusing or addicted to cocaine. However, if the cocaine addict is not ready to admit that he or she has a problem, the addiction may seem impossible to cure. Many times, individuals who are in denial about a substance abuse problem can become angry, hostile, belligerent or even dangerous to themselves or others when confronted about their issues.

How to Have an Intervention

One way that families and individuals help their loved ones receive treatment is through intervention. An intervention is a carefully planned gathering of friends and family members brought together for the purpose of confronting an individual about drug use. The purpose of an intervention is to show the addicted person that he or she is loved and cared for, but that the consequences of cocaine use have taken their toll and that it is time to accept treatment.

Because interventions can be highly emotional, many people choose to hire a professional interventionist to assist in the planning and moderation of an intervention. A good interventionist can also help you find the best treatment for your loved one.

Whether you choose to have an interventionist or not, here are some tips for conducting an intervention:

• Stay calm
• Avoid labeling the person an “addict”
• Cite specific instances that occurred due to the substance abuse
• Stick to what you know firsthand, avoid hearsay
• Explain how the person’s behavior has affected you
• Be supportive and hopeful about change
• Be prepared for denial and resistance

An intervention may be the best thing you can do for the person you care about. Quality treatment can restore that person to a healthy, drug-free life, and it may be good to go into the intervention prepared to tell that person what treatment options might look like for him or her and how you believe that he or she is capable of a full recovery. An intervention is not a time to accuse and argue; it is a time when friends and family members come together to seek healing for an individual trapped in the destructive cycle of drug use.

Cocaine Intervention Help

If you would like to learn more about the intervention process, including tips on how to find a reputable interventionist, please call our toll free number. We have trained, experienced counselors available 24 hours a day to answer any questions you may have about cocaine addiction and treatment. Recovery is within reach. Call today.

Why Teen Specific Treatment Programs

Teen treatment programs identify the following as success factors in their treatment services:

• Teens respond better in an environment with people their own age.
• Adult participation is essential, but carefully guided to promote recovery.
• Treatment programs incorporate teen developmental issues as part of the overall recovery program.
• As with all treatment programs, one aspect is to empower the individual to succeed. Teen treatment programs understand the variables that assist in empowering teens and promote these life-enhancing skills.

How Teen Specific Treatment Programs Work

Qualified and competent professionals, who specialize in providing support to teens, have designed effective programs to assist teens in recovery and rebuilding a productive life.

• Parental involvement – these programs assist parents by encouraging productive involvement, understanding the need for family therapy, and in giving parents tools to support the recovering addict.
• Individual attention – effective teen programs offers academic school opportunities with a lower teacher-student ratio and the individual attention that recovering addicts need to meet their educational requirements.
• Consistent behavior management – While their life is in chaos because of their addiction, teens often act out inappropriately. Teen counselors can help teens learn how to deal with authority in a constructive and healthy way.
• Learning from teens – When teens share their experiences, it allows other teens to feel connected, less alone and “heard.” When teens also explore strategies that have led to success, other teens are not only more willing to try these success strategies but also gain the hope and motivation to be successful as well.

Even though a treatment center may specialize in teen care, not all teen centers are alike. Be sure to contact the facilities you selected to ask questions to get the specifics of what the facility provides to assure yourself that they can assist a teen through the physical, mental, emotional and social aspect of your abuse.

Learn More About Teen Treatment Centers

If you need assistance in getting started in finding the right treatment program for a teen, call our toll free number today at (866) 872-6495. We are available 24 hours a day to answer any questions you might have about cocaine addiction treatment. We are here to help.

Benefits of Inpatient Services

While inpatient service is considerably more expensive than outpatient, these facilities typically demonstrate higher success rates, and attribute this success to the following factors:

• Temptation is significantly reduced as the patient does not have access
• Support during critical times of need is available
• Focus on recovery; maybe facilities reinforce restrictions so that patients can focus on themselves and their recovery

Treatment Payment Options

While the costs of cocaine rehabilitation may be considered significant, no one can argue that the cost, not only in money, but in health and personal productivity, is enormous. There are options that you can explore:

• Many insurance companies are covering drug treatment, and more insurance companies are viewing this benefit as they do other forms of psychiatric care.

• Private lending is another option. Drug treatment centers are working with private lenders to assist families by setting up a payment plan for treatment costs.
• An increasing number of employers are also acknowledging that their investment in assisting a key employee by paying for their addiction treatment may, in fact, be less than bringing a new employee up to speed.

Get Help for Cocaine Addiction

Living a healthy life, free from cocaine addiction has a greater value than the costs associated with cocaine rehabilitation. If you or someone you know is a cocaine user, call our toll free number today at (866) 872-6495. We are available 24 hours a day to answer any questions you might have about cocaine addiction treatment. We are here to help.

Withdrawal is always one of the first steps to breaking addiction. One must rid their system of the drug in order to make healthy decisions. However, because cocaine is one the most powerful drugs on the market, the right program should be in place to help the addict through the withdrawal. Treatment and/or rehab programs are developed to help with withdrawal symptoms. Drug addiction specialists and medical professionals are better equipped to treat symptoms of withdrawal. The complexity of the drug requires the many biological and physical problems that the body goes through to be addressed.

What is a Cocaine Rehab Program?

When assessing the right program for an individual, a strong cocaine rehab program will offer:

• A wide variety of treatment services
• Well-educated, energetic, experienced staff members
• Integrated program that pulls from a variety of treatment models
• Personalized treatment plans
• A program that addresses the mental, physical and spiritual aspects of recovery

Rehab, regardless of the kind of program it is, will help the patient overcome their physical and psychological addiction to cocaine. The means in which to do so are done through detoxification, individual counseling and group counseling. The right rehab center will also help with post-rehab, helping the patient to transition back into the normal routines of life.

Outpatient programs in particular allow the individual to return home each night whereas inpatient programs allow the patient to live in the rehab facility during the duration of their detox. Each depends on the needs of the patient. While they each exhibit the same rates of success and offer the same services, each are designed with the patient’s best outlook for success.

Cocaine Rehab Treatment

If you or someone you know suffers from an addiction to cocaine, please call our number at (866) 872-6495. Someone is available 24 hours a day to take your call and assist you with the right treatment for the addiction.

What is Outpatient Treatment?

Outpatient drug rehab is a program designed for the long-term goal of abstinence from drugs and/or alcohol. Within the various rehab programs available are different treatment options that help a user overcome their addiction like specialized therapies, counseling (one on one and/or group) and 12-step programs.

The difference with outpatient programs is that patient does not live in the rehab facility. The duration of either program depends on the needs of the individual. Outpatient programs can be comparable to residential inpatient programs in regards to their services and effectiveness but each are applicable to the needs of the individual. Accountability is essential in the success of an outpatient user in complying and adhering to the guidelines of their individualistic treatment program.

Depression is a huge factor that effects cocaine addicts in withdrawal and sends most into relapse. The right team of people and support needs to be in place in order to see breakthrough in the life of the addict.

Cocaine Addiction Help

Overall, the intent and purpose of any type of cocaine treatment is to help the individual break the cycle of addiction in their lives that is ruining their present and future state so that they can be released back into society as responsible, successful, drug and alcohol free lives.

If you or someone you know suffers from an addiction to cocaine, please call our number at (866) 872-6495. Someone is available 24 hours a day to take your call and assist you with the right treatment for the addiction.

Individuals going through detox experience intense, all-consuming cravings. When coupled with depression and an inability to experience any form of pleasure, few people can resist further use of the drug. Unlike other drugs like heroin or other opiate-related conditions, cocaine is mostly a psychological addiction. Detoxification is generally used to help individuals overcome the physical addiction of a drug; however, this is an important part in the process for a recovering cocaine addict and must be completed. Because of these withdrawal behaviors, as well as exhibited aggressive behavior and suicidal ideations, it is necessary and highly recommended that individuals go through an advanced pharmacological treatment in a medically-monitored inpatient detoxification (rehab). This is an organized service delivered by medical and nursing professionals, which provides for 24-hour medically supervised evaluation and recovery management in a permanent facility with inpatient beds. Services are delivered under a defined set of physician-approved policies and physician-monitored procedures or clinical protocols.

Initially, rehabilitation/treatment patients who are experiencing or under the influence of withdrawal from substance-related disorders require medical professionals to have an understanding of the complete medical, psychiatric and social issues surrounding the individual. Proper and thorough examinations are necessary to establish the characteristics of the addiction and its intensity, the existence of associated psychological illnesses, and the repercussions on the patient’s family, work, and friendships. The medical assessment is also important in determining the appropriate protocol in treating the patient and to identify coexisting medical and psychiatric conditions and/or cocaine-related medical conditions.

Advantages of Medical Cocaine Detox

Advantages of inpatient detoxification or rehab are:

• The patient is in a protected setting where access to substances of abuse is restricted
• The management and monitoring of neural recovery eliminates craving, and allows a detoxification without withdrawal
• Detoxification can be accomplished more rapidly than it can in an outpatient setting
• Besides, detoxification with hospitalization prepares the patient for ongoing treatment of his or her dependence on drugs. During detoxification, patients may form therapeutic relationships with treatment staff or other patients, and may become aware of alternatives to a drug-using lifestyle. Detoxification is an opportunity to offer patients information and to motivate them for longer-term treatment.

Goals of Cocaine Detox

Under these conditions, cocaine detoxification/rehabilitation has four immediate goals:

• To provide a safe withdrawal from cocaine dependence and enable the patient to become free of non-prescribed medications
• To provide a withdrawal that is humane and that protects the patient’s dignity
• To provide a recovery of higher cognitive and affective processes
• To prepare the patient for ongoing treatment of his or her new life

Counseling is the most effective way to treat a cocaine addict but these programs cannot begin until detox or rehab is complete. After a detoxification period has ended, extended care programs are optional but provide individual counseling, peer groups, process groups, relapse prevention groups, lectures, narcotics danger workshops and 12-step meetings. Because at least 50 percent of all cocaine addicts have a co-occurring disorder (bi-polar, depression, ADD, etc.), these conditions must be treated aggressively when treating cocaine addiction to reduce rates of relapse from occurring.

Long-term Cocaine Treatment

An entrenched cocaine addiction threatens any achieved sobriety for months and even years after abstinence is achieved. The psychological addiction to the pleasures of a cocaine high induce potent cravings which do not end even with the completion of a successful detox.

For the best chance at lasting sobriety, recovering cocaine addicts must learn effective cravings management strategies, and learn also what causes them to seek out intoxication in the first place. Therapies that have proven effective in the battle against cocaine relapse include group support therapy, individual counseling, cognitive educational seminars and a continuing participation in aftercare programs such as NA.

Recovering cocaine addicts need to stay vigilant against triggers to use, be ready to deal with temptations that do arise, and learn the strategies to relapse avoidance that have helped so many thousands before overcome difficult addictions to cocaine.

If you or someone you know is suffering from the effects of cocaine, treatment is available. To learn more about cocaine rehab, please call our toll free number. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer any questions you might have about cocaine treatment.

Models of Intervention

There are two concurrent and sometimes overlapping models of intervention. One (The Johnson Model) demands the breaking of an ingrained and seemingly impenetrable system of denial and the other (Motivational Interviewing) states that denial is inessential to the central issues.

The Johnson Model of Intervention
Vernon Johnson, founder of the Johnson Model of Intervention, based his work on the idea that forceful confrontation is necessary to penetrate the barriers and defenses of the denial system inherent in individuals with AOD problems. The interventionist may attempt to break through this denial system by dramatic, emotionally charged and dynamic means. The interventionist typically uses the family and peers that are close to the individual in a confrontational meeting to show the individual the damage they have caused and hopefully in the process illicit the realization that the person must take action before it is too late. It is this “raising of the bottom” concurrent with a belief that all people with alcohol and drug problems have a strong system of denial that marks the Johnson techniques and what is meant to be accomplished by its processes.

Often once a cocaine abuser is to the point of intervention they don’t have the insight to seek their own treatment. Victims of this addiction disease do not typically submit to treatment out of spontaneous insight. Typically, addicts come to their recognition scenes through a buildup of crises that crash through their almost impenetrable defense systems. They are forced to seek help or asked to seek help by an interventionist.

Motivational Interviewing
Later, after the Johnson Institute had long been the established authority on interventions, a more research-oriented approach came to be. William Miller and co-author Stephen Rollnick released their book, Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People to Change Addictive Behavior in 1991 and set out to acknowledge that clients may not be readily open to such direct techniques favored by the Johnson school of intervention.

Miller and Rollnick had challenged the viewpoint that all alcohol and drug addiction clients had an inherent “system of denial” that was a major barrier to treatment. They proposed that confrontational techniques elicited a normal reaction of denial and labeled such as abnormal and symptomatic of a chemical dependency issue. Therefore, they set out the idea that it is the behavior of the counselor that is the preceding object to resistance and denial in the client.

What Miller and Rollnick instead proposed was a methodological approach that looked at stages of change in the client and in determining the specific desire or willingness of a client to change, thereby prescribing the counselors appropriate course of action. Where clients in the action stages would respond well to confrontation, those that are merely contemplating the idea that they have a problem, or are wholly unaware will react with resistance to any attempts to treat the addictive problem. The main point of motivational interviewing is that “client resistance is a therapist problem”; not a client problem. The point of view then is that professionals must change their behavior according to that of the client.

When is the Right Time for an Intervention?

This is perhaps the most often asked and the most often unanswered question that families and peers have when confronted by a loved one with an addiction problem. The best answer is as soon as a drug problem has been identified. Through consultation with a treatment professional or intervention specialist and within a relatively short period of time, you and the person interviewing you will know whether or not intervention is necessary. The truth is that most cases do not require a full intervention. Intervention can be a great asset to getting someone the help they desperately need, however done without the advisement of a treatment professional or intervention specialist can lead to resistance in the client.

If you or someone you know needs help with a cocaine addiction, we are here to help. Please call our toll free number. We are here to answer your questions on cocaine treatment and recovery, as well as intervention.