Cocaine is a highly-addictive drug; many casual users find themselves quickly sucked into a vortex of cocaine use, withdrawal, and repeated binges. Cocaine produces a high that lasts a relatively short period of time when compared to other drugs – from just five to 30 minutes, and so cocaine users tend to snort, smoke, or inject cocaine with increasing frequency as they chase the elusive feeling of euphoria they felt at the beginning of their use. Once you’re spinning in that downward spiral, it’s almost impossible to stop yourself before you hit the ground. The only option is to quit cocaine for good, but it’s much easier said than done. If you want to quit cocaine, here’s some information that can help you understand what you’re up against and help you come up with a plan to quit cocaine once and for all.
Cocaine is a stimulant that increases the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine in your brain. Usually, your brain will essentially recycle these chemicals, but cocaine stops that from happening, resulting in a buildup of neurotransmitters that causes the euphoric feelings that cocaine users experience. Cocaine causes feelings of alertness, increased energy, pleasure, confidence, increased endurance, and increased focus. Cocaine can also increase your heart rate, raise your body temperature, and elevate your blood pressure. It causes difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, itching, and dilated pupils. It can lead to a runny nose or nasal problems if snorted, and excessive use can cause paranoia and tremors.
When you try to quit cocaine, you can experience withdrawal symptoms – the severity of which will depend on your history of cocaine use. One of the strongest symptoms of withdrawal is cravings for cocaine. People who try to quit cocaine can experience anxiety, depression, paranoia, hallucinations, fatigue, restlessness, appetite problems, and delusions.
In order for you to quit cocaine safely, the best way to do it is in a detox center with the supervision of medical professionals. In detox, doctors and nurses can monitor your health. They may prescribe medication to ease your withdrawal symptoms. There are no drugs, however, that are FDA-approved to help people quit cocaine or ease cravings for cocaine. Complete detox from cocaine can take several days, and the recommended course of action after detox is a stay in a rehab center. In-patient rehab can help you be successful in your pursuit to quit cocaine by providing you with a safe, controlled atmosphere in which to cope with cravings and learn to live without the drug.
It is possible to quit cocaine without the help of a detox or rehab, but the do-it-yourself method isn’t recommended, because it can be dangerous, and it is less likely to lead to long-term sobriety. You should always consult a doctor before you try to quit cocaine. No matter how you quit cocaine, it’s a good idea to receive some type of counseling. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you learn ways of modifying your thoughts and actions so that it’s possible for you to stay clean. Support groups, like Cocaine Anonymous and others, can also be a big help; a support system is essential to a sustained recovery.
April 05 2013 at 22:15
I struggled with quitting cocaine binges for 10 years. (20 years of total use, 10 years spent in relapses).
My struggle came from having even one drink of alcohol… I would have an itch for cocaine…
I did not want that itch, I hated it… It never went away…
I ended up being diagnosed with add. I was so bad that I could not even clean my house. It was too much for me to grasp… I was overwhelmed.
After taking 20mg of adderall each day for a month, a magical thing happened…. I had a drink … And realized the craving that had been haunting me for 10 years was no longer there…
After 6 months on adderall, I decided to try to wean myself off of it. I felt comfortable with things that would have overwhelmed me in the past… I also had no craving for cocaine..even after having a drink or two. (The first 6mos. Of straight abstonsnce from cocaine in 20 years…
I am now off adderal and cocaine. 1 year strong. Cleaning, working, living and enjoying life without that Demon craving that haunted me….
I honestly think it was the adderall that flooded my system to the point of a dependency “restart”. The craving that could have killed me is gone, and I love my drug free life.
January 29 2013 at 18:03
Who wrote this, for one cocaine has no physical withdraws but I will give crack cocaine this. After being a heroin addict and alcoholic for over 30 years and the last included crack cocaine the obsession for the crack as that hit wears off is one bad dude and even stronger than most obsessions for the other but it doesn’t last but an hour or so unlike heroin which can be a living hell for a month as you get older and worst for the 3 days to a week of alcohol withdraws which you can die. So the good news is you don’t have the physical withdraws the other drugs have so don’t feel like that could be the most terrible thing to go through because it isn’t it, actually is the easiest so right there you got a chance. It’s just staying away altogether without thinking about using. I had my days of tooting it and smoking it and after you come down from it your left with yourself and searching for a way to escape no matter what the drug is just saying there’s either something going on in your life or there’s not. Not hanging around people that you used with is major in success from going back and the main thing is getting a support group like C.A. or N.A. which for me I use A.A. for all of my addictions and it’s the spiritual path that I think makes the 12 Step way more of a success. I know going through the first few hours after the last snort or pull is like going bat crazy but once you get through that it’s all down hill, really. I have not shot dope smoked dope or drank for over six years and when I did those I did it to the extremes like most of us do and one of the things I cut myself short with was saying no one was as bad as me therefore why try, right? Well I hate to say this, but no matter how much you snorted smoked or shot in your arm there’s someone out there who has you beat and made their way into the doors of recovery so give it a try. Please!