Types of Treatments to Consider for Your Cocaine Addiction
Cocaine is by far one of the hardest drugs to quit because of the harsh and potentially deadly withdrawal symptoms that addicts face, especially when they attempt it on their own; most will relapse and continue their addiction to avoid the withdrawal symptoms.
With treatment, the addict will have medical care and options for easing the withdrawal symptoms. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, symptoms of cocaine withdrawal can occur even when the addict is not entirely off the drug and still has some of it in his or her blood system.
There are several types of treatments to consider for a cocaine addict. If you or someone you love is suffering from a cocaine addiction and need help, please call 800-934-3781(Who Answers?) to speak with a caring professional.
Long-Term Residential Treatment
Long-term residential treatment offers 24-hour medical care without placing the addict in a hospital environment and generally lasts between 6 and 12 months. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the therapeutic society in long-term residential treatment places a focus on re-socialization of the addict with the active use of the program’s entire staff, its residents, and a series of assorted social backgrounds.
Based on the addict’s psychological and social deficits, this option will focus on what began the addiction and help the addict to take responsibility for their actions. They will also learn how to live a productive social lives without the use of cocaine.
This highly structured treatment can be confrontational at times due to the activities that are used to help patients examine their damaged beliefs, self-impressions, and destructive behavior patterns. This is done so they can learn how to adopt new and constructive ways to socialize with the world around them.
Short-Term Residential Treatment
Self-help groups are effective in keeping patients sober during and after treatment.
Short-term residential treatment is similar to long-term residential treatment; its programs provide an intensive but brief treatment that is founded on a modification of the 12-step program. While originally created to help treat alcoholism, the 12-step program has been adapted to help other addictions as well, especially since the epidemic of cocaine use in the 1980s.
This type of treatment lasts 3-6 weeks in a hospital-centered inpatient program followed by an extended outpatient program and self-help groups that are similar to AA meetings. With this type of treatment, it is especially important for cocaine users to remain engaged in outpatient or aftercare programs to support their recovery, as cocaine use can be hard to learn to live without in a world full of triggers and influences.
Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatments vary in type and intensity and work around the addict’s schedule, which is ideal for those who are working or going to school. This type of treatment is not as effective as inpatient care; addicts are not recommended to participate in a low-intensity program because it will not involve the concentrated treatment that the addiction requires.
Depending on the patient’s needs and characteristics, intensive day treatment can be similar to inpatient care services and success rates. In several outpatient programs, group therapy can be a vital tool in becoming sober. Some outpatient programs are created to help patients with any mental or medical health issues they may have along with their addiction.
Cocaine is considered one of the hardest drugs to quit, but with the right treatment option, any addict can become and remain sober. Inpatient treatment is the most successful treatment option for a full process of recovery, but for those who can only be in residential drug rehab for a limited time, short-term treatment provides a condensed but thorough program.
For those with other obligations in their lives such as jobs or schooling, outpatient rehab can help while working around schedules.
For more information on treatment options for a cocaine addiction, please call 800-934-3781(Who Answers?) and someone will help you or someone you love find the program that is right for them.