Cocaine Treatment

It's a powerful drug that is highly addictive, but just what is cocaine, how does it affect the user and what's in store for someone who seeks help?

It was a fixture on the late '70s disco scene at venues like Studio 54 before moving from the glittering sparkle of nightlife to the harsh glow of fluorescent office lighting in corporate buildings across the country. Cocaine -- also known by street names like "coke," "snow," "blow" or "C" -- is a powerfully addictive stimulant that appeals to people looking to party all night or be more productive during the workday. It's that broad appeal that has led to so many addictions.

Cocaine Facts

Cocaine is a hydrochloride salt, made from the leaf of the coca plant, and comes in the form of a white powder. It can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Cocaine produces a sense of extreme joy by causing the brain to release higher than normal amounts of certain biochemicals.

"Crack," on the other hand, is cocaine that has not been neutralized by an acid to make the white powder. Crack comes in a rock crystal that can be heated and its vapors smoked. The term "crack" comes from the crackling sound heard when it is heated.

Cocaine's Effects

The duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include hyper-stimulation, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity, depends on how it's administered. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. On the other hand, the faster the absorption, the shorter the effects. Snorting Cocaine may provide a 15- to 30-minute high, while smoking the drug may last only 5 to 10 minutes. And like many drugs, increased use can reduce the period of stimulation, leading users to need more and more of the drug to get the same high they experienced when they started.

Just because users may feel the effects less as their bodies adapt to the drug, cocaine's effects continue to be very serious or even deadly, a fact that doesn't diminish with increased use.

Health Hazards of Cocaine

Regardless of how cocaine is used or how frequently, users can experience a heart attack or stroke, which could result in sudden death. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizure followed by respiratory arrest, while in rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. Scarier still, there is no way to determine who is prone to sudden death.

Short-term Effects of Cocaine

Increased heart rate
Increased blood pressure
Increased metabolism
Feelings of exhilaration, energy
Increased mental alertness
Increased body temperature

Long-term Effects of Cocaine

Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Reduced appetite
Weight loss
Heart failure
Chest pain
Respiratory failure
Nausea
Abdominal pain
Strokes
Seizures
Headache
Malnutrition
High doses/prolonged use can trigger paranoia, especially when smoked in crack form
Prolonged snorting can damage the nasal septum to point of collapse

Treating Cocaine Addiction

Cocaine is extremely addictive. Unlike heroin or alcohol withdrawal, cocaine withdrawal often has no visible physical symptoms like vomiting and shaking. Instead, cocaine addicts often become depressed and deal with thoughts of suicide. This feeling of hopelessness only encourages further cocaine use to help alleviate their depression.

The level of craving, irritability, delayed depression, and other symptoms produced by cocaine withdrawal is difficult to face alone. For many cocaine addicts, success is a direct effect of the amount of assistance received during a rehabilitation program.

The first step in treating cocaine addiction is to rid the body of the drug and its residual toxins. This happens during the cocaine detox period. This is a difficult and taxing process, but with medical supervision and emotional support, treatment centers like La Paloma makes this as easy as possible.

Cocaine Rehab

Rehabilitation is an important part of the recovery process from cocaine addiction. In addition to assisting the user in stopping their drug use, treatment also helps individuals establish a foundation of recovery and begin to function effectively in the family, workplace and community.

The goal of the drug rehabilitation program at La Paloma is to offer integrative treatment and education about chemical dependency to support the changes needed to live a drug free lifestyle.

Key components of La Paloma Cocaine Drug Rehab:

Helping individuals make important lifestyle changes
Teaching skills instrumental in successful abstinence
Developing tools for coping
Helping clients manage feelings
Identifying the warning signs for relapse
Designing effective strategies for prevention of relapse

Statistics show that without a solid plan to avoid or handle addiction triggers, patients often relapse into the behavior that brought them to the drug rehab facility. Conversely, research outcomes show that 70 percent to 80 percent of La Paloma's clients abstained from using drugs and alcohol up to one year following treatment.

If you have questions about cocaine rehab, contact our call center toll-free 24 hours a day for more information. Admissions counselors are on hand to help immediately.