Cocaine Addiction Treatment

Cocaine use can affect a person in many different ways. It depends on the person’s age, health, history of drug use, dosage and purity of the substance.

Short-term effects:

• there is an improvement in mood,
• there’s a sense of euphoria,
• dilated pupils,
• increased heart rate,
• increased blood pressure, body temperature, sweating,
• decreased appetite.

Half an hour later, the effects of the drug subside. This may be accompanied by tremors, anxiety, paranoia, aggression and irritability.

Long-term effects:

• tolerance and dependence develop,
• cardiovascular disease,
• cognitive decline,
• psychiatric changes,
• liver and kidney damage,
• social bonds break down.

Depending on how the drug enters the body, the lungs, nasal septum, and blood vessels may be affected. If injected intravenously, the risk of contracting hepatitis and HIV increases significantly.

Human thinking and behavior are interrelated. Therefore, negative thoughts can lead to breakdowns and drug use. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) uses various techniques to consistently change a patient’s thoughts and teach self-control. All of this has a positive effect on behavior and helps with rehab. After successful completion of the therapy, patients are able to cope with the triggers that make them want to use drugs on their own.

As of 2024, there is no specific medication to treat cocaine addiction. Therefore, doctors use many different medications to restore internal organs and psyche.

Movies, literature, and songs often create a misconception of cocaine as a drug that can be used only occasionally to lift your spirits.In fact, it causes a powerful psychological dependence, which is very difficult to overcome.Therefore, therapy is often accompanied by relapses: even after successfully completing the course in rehabilitation centers, many addicts return to use.

Treatment requires a long time and the use of individualized recovery programs. It should include not only medical and psychological help from specialists, but also the support of ordinary people: friends, relatives, colleagues and AA communities. It is not always possible to provide the level of support needed.

Cocaine overdose often leads to irreversible health consequences and, if not treated in time, death. Overdose manifests itself differently in all people.

Outwardly, an addict who has consumed too large a dose of cocaine looks like a person with dilated pupils, he or she has a frequent heartbeat, temperature and blood pressure can rise dramatically. Often an overdose causes a heart attack, which can be identified by severe chest pain. This condition is accompanied by difficulty breathing, convulsions, dizziness, and in the worst cases – loss of consciousness.

Common mental signs of overdose include severe paranoia, anxiety, panic attacks. In severe cases, delusions and hallucinations are possible, which are often accompanied by aggressive behavior, confusion and disorientation.