Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that increases signals to the brain's pleasure centers. Long-term cocaine use can alter the brain's physiology and lead to addiction. As cocaine use continues, a tolerance to the drug develops, and the user must consume more cocaine to get the same effect. Even after cocaine use has stopped, mood disorders and drug cravings can continue for months. Treatment for this addiction must address both the long-term effects of cocaine abuse, and the initial challenges of cocaine withdrawal.
Inpatient Programs
Some patients benefit best from an inpatient treatment program in a hospital or rehabilitation center. These programs consist of one-on-one counseling as well as group participation in discussion meetings. Inpatient treatment can go on for a month or longer.
A severely addicted cocaine user might need medication to overcome the initial withdrawal symptoms. Use of these medications can be closely supervised by health care professionals in an inpatient environment. Disulfram, a drug used to treat alcoholism, has shown the most promise for reducing cocaine abuse.
About half of all cocaine abusers suffer from mental disorders in addition to their addiction. Illicit drug use is often a result of a person's attempt to self-medicate against conditions such as depression or attention deficit disorder. Treatment of these other conditions must be addressed simultaneously with the addiction, in order to reduce the chance for drug relapse. Inpatient treatment centers located on the addiction units of psychiatric hospitals offer the opportunity for the patient to undergo treatment for both mental disorders and addiction at the same time.
Outpatient Treatment Programs
Psychologists and counselors can offer help for the cocaine user in an outpatient setting. Group discussion meetings are an option, as is intensive individual treatment in the private offices of an addictions treatment specialist.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is one technique that outpatient counselors employ to help the individual to abandon the habits associated with her addiction, and to learn healthier behaviors. People in CBT are taught to recognize and avoid the environments and events that encourage their drug use, and to cope more effectively with stressful situations and temptations that might cause them to relapse.
The use of a reward system has been shown to be effective in reducing cocaine abuse in some outpatient environments. The NIDA explains that motivational incentives such as free gym memberships and restaurant and movie vouchers offer the cocaine user healthy incentives for continued abstinence and active involvement in treatment programs. These incentives are delivered when the individual successfully passes a urine test to detect the presence of drugs.
Therapeutic Communities
Residing for six months to a year in a therapeutic community can help the cocaine abuser to readjust to a drug-free lifestyle, while living in the presence of others who are facing the same challenges. Residents offer friendship and emotional support in a drug-free environment, while on-site health professionals contribute with counseling and vocational rehabilitation, as well as by monitoring the community for signs of discord or drug use.
Support Groups
The 12-step fellowships of Narcotics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous are effective in helping cocaine users to quit. These programs are based on a series of steps initially established by Alcoholics Anonymous, which help the drug user address the causes and effects of their addiction. The meetings offer a safe environment where drug users can gain encouragement and support from others who have successfully overcome their addiction.
