Treatment of cocaine addiction
If you or a loved one is struggling with cocaine misuse, addiction treatment is available. Addiction is viewed as a chronic medical condition and is treated through a combination of behavioral therapy—to address any physical and/or mental health concerns or disorders you may have—and treatment services, which address other ways that cocaine addiction has impacted your life.2,9 Whenever possible, you should consult with a doctor or other treatment professional to help you make any treatment decisions in order to ensure that they will be the best choices for you. You can locate a nearby rehab center here. Treatment should ideally be tailored to meet your needs and may include multiple settings, including: Detox: While cocaine withdrawal is typically not life-threatening, the severity of your symptoms may influence the level of care that is the best fit for you.3,7 There are no medications specifically designed to treat cocaine withdrawal, but medications may be provided to treat individual symptoms that are problematic, such as depression and insomnia.1,7 Since detox alone is not comprehensive addiction treatment, it should be followed up by additional types of care for the best results.9 Inpatient treatment: This is a type of care where you stay at a facility throughout treatment and receive support and monitoring around-the-clock.3,9 Stays typically last around 4 weeks and involve rigorous levels of group and individual therapy.9 Outpatient treatment: This type of care involves living at home while you attend scheduled group and individual counseling sessions at the facility, making this a good option for people with supportive social groups or work responsibilities.9,10 The intensity of services can vary depending on your needs.9,10 Therapy: This allows you to learn new patterns of thought and behavior to increase motivation toward staying sober, prevent relapse, improve your ability to communicate with others, effectively manage stressors, cope with triggers, and develop a social group that is supportive of sobriety.5,9 Common behavioral therapy techniques used to treat cocaine addiction include: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Contingency management (CM), Community reinforcement approaches (CRA), and Motivational interviewing (MI).3,11 Aftercare: This is additional support offered after treatment ends and can include alumni groups, mentoring, recovery housing, self-help meetings, and counseling