Steps to Overcoming your Cocaine Habit
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant grown and processed in South America. It considered by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to be an extremely powerful addiction. Many people try cocaine in high school and college then develop a habit of doing it to cope with stress, improve performance, and generally feel good. When the habit becomes an addiction, many seek help in overcoming the addiction. There are steps that you can take to overcome a cocaine habit. The first step is identifying the problem.
Identify the problem
Unfortunately, just knowing that there is a problem is not enough, in order to overcome a habit you have to identify the problem. This means identifying why you have a cocaine habit. While you are doing this there are some questions, you should ask yourself.
- Why did I start using cocaine? Identifying why it started helps to show you how to overcome it by changing the circumstance.
- What happened to make me reconsider my actions? Why you are considering trying to stop is as important as what made you start in the first place. If it was legal, financial, or relationship issues caused by cocaine, then these are important to remember while you are getting off the drug.
- Why did I continue to use cocaine? If you knew that it was destroying an aspect of your life, you should try to change the reason why you continued to use.
These three questions not only help you to identify the problem, they can also give you motivation to help you through the process of quitting. Once you have identified what the problem is it is time to take a step back.
Take a step back and talk with family and friends
Find support from your loved ones.
Sometimes in order to overcome a cocaine habit, you have to take a step back and sometimes out of your life. Look at yourself how other people see you. Talk to your family and friends. They may have valuable insight into how to overcome your addiction. While you are doing this, identify who is willing to help and who may hinder you in your progress. There are three types of people in the life of an addict.
- The ones that will help you – these are friends and family who are happy you’ve decided to make a change and will do their best to support you.
- The ones that will abandon you – these friends and family cannot cope with an addict in the family. Unfortunately, during the process of overcoming your addiction they will not be any help although they will be around when you are clean.
- The ones that will actively hinder you – these are the friends and family members that do not want you to quit. They are usually addicts or dealers themselves and have no desire to see you get rid of the addiction. These are the ones you need to stay away from.
By taking a step back and identifying those in your life that represent a positive influence or a negative influence you can stay away from the ones that will hinder you and embrace those that will help you. This is a very important step in overcoming addiction because it helps you to identify one of the main obstacles and deal with it.
See a doctor
Once you know there is a problem and you have spoken to the people closest to you, it is time to seek help. There are many places you can look for help with your addiction. One of the best ways is to speak with your doctor. Doctor’s are nonjudgmental and have the resources to start the process of treating your cocaine addiction. Another place that you can go is your local hospital. Hospitals have access to community programs, counselors, rehabilitation clinics, and a variety of other resources.
Most states also have state programs that can help you with treatment. You can find these state programs by speaking to a social services representative. All of the information about social services is ordinarily on your government’s website.
Look at options
Your doctor or agency will usually recommend several options. Use these options to plan your treatment.
- Inpatient treatment – this involves going into a treatment facility or rehab. Inpatient services are usually available 24-hours a day. In an inpatient environment, you can avoid your triggers while getting the help that you need. Most inpatient centers combine therapy with medication and other treatment options.
- Outpatient treatment – this involves visiting a clinic or counselor daily, weekly, or monthly. A doctor normally supervises outpatient treatment and his or her office coordinates the care that you receive.
- Counseling – counseling is considered by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to be the primary treatment for cocaine addiction. Since there is not a cocaine agonist available, it works better than drug therapy for this type of addiction.
When designing a treatment program it is important to take the advice of your doctors and counselors into consideration as well as your own desires.
These are the first steps to overcoming a cocaine habit. Finding your way through the array of services offered is sometimes complex. Most people find it easier when they take it slow and follow these steps. Knowing where you are going and what steps to take for treatment is one of the most important things that you can do to make sure that you stay off cocaine in the future.