Cocaine can make you feel powerful, social and attractive when you first start using it. But the truth of this drug is clearer as it forges a path of destruction through your life. After experiencing the pitfalls of drug abuse, many people wonder how to detox from cocaine. Detox is the first step into a better life, one free of addiction.
How Cocaine Is Ruining Your Life
As the old saying goes, the first step to getting better is in admitting you have a problem. To solidify your awareness of how cocaine is your biggest problem right now, think about what the drug is doing to your life. Consider how it has affected you and what the damages are that you will have to clean up as you become sober.
Cocaine may have caused financial problems, relationship struggles and trouble at work. You may have legal problems. You likely have experienced side effects of using cocaine, the ugly side no one thinks about the first times they use the drug. These effects can include:
- Mood swings
- Psychosis
- Paranoia
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Pain
- Dysphoria
- Depression
- Elevated heart rate
- Elevated blood pressure
- Risk of heart attack
With all of those problems in your life because of cocaine, how can detox be worse? It isn’t worse. In fact, getting through detox and into healthy recovery will make you feel more powerful than any hit of cocaine.
Why You Need to Consider How to Detox from Cocaine
You may be nervous about the idea of going into detox to end your cocaine abuse. You may wonder how to detox from cocaine. Having these feelings and questions is a normal part of preparing for detox and recovery.
Because cocaine is known to make users feel energetic and empowered, it can be hard to let go of the drug. You may be afraid you’ll never feel this energized again. But you will feel strong and powerful in the future if you go through detox and learn more about your addiction.
Detox is not a quick fix. If you remember that as you get started in kicking your cocaine habit, you will be better able to stick to the program. It took time for your addiction to cocaine to take hold. So you need to remember that it will also take time for recovery to take hold.
By getting through detox, you will feel free. Positive life changes will help you understand you don’t need drugs in your life. You will learn how to overcome cravings and triggers along the way to recovery. You simply need to get started on that better path for your brighter future to take hold.
The Nuts and Bolts of How to Detox from Cocaine
During detox, you will feel a range of symptoms like anxiety and depression. By going through a supervised medical detox program, medical professionals can track your symptoms. Licensed and experience medical detox staff members understand how to detox from cocaine safely and with some relief. Some of that relief may be through safe medications, well-balanced nutrition, and ongoing hydration.
When you first enter detox, you will go through an initial assessment. This assessment will help your addiction specialists understand your condition. They will also use the results of your assessment to develop an individualized treatment plan. During the assessment, you will be asked questions about:
- Your medical history
- How long you’ve used cocaine
- Whether you used other substances
- What your home environment is like
- Whether there is a family history of substance abuse
- How much cocaine you used per dose
- How often you used the drug
- Other issues related to your drug history
Once your initial assessment is completed, you may be diagnosed as having a co-occurring condition. A co-occurring condition is simply the presence of another condition along with your substance abuse, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD or other mental illness. By identifying this second problem, both can be addressed at once with dual diagnosis treatment.
What Does Actual Withdrawal Look Like
You will likely start to feel the effects of withdrawal from about two to 24 hours after your last hit. Most people are settled into the detox facility by this time. You will be medically monitored as detox begins and throughout your stay.
As previously mentioned, there are both physical and psychological effects of withdrawal. These side effects include:
- Drug cravings
- Paranoia
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Itching
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Crawling skin, feelings known as “coke bugs”
The symptoms of withdrawal will last from four days to a week. You will quickly get through physical withdrawal, with those symptoms only lasting four or five days. If the drug has a psychological hold on you, those symptoms will likely feel better after a week.
The toughest part of the cocaine withdrawal timeline is not its physical effects. For cocaine users, the toughest hurdles to overcome relate to psychological aspects of addiction. These will need to be worked through in therapy, possibly as part of a rehab program. Knowing how to detox from cocaine successfully includes knowing that you may need ongoing therapy.
Serenity House Detox Knows How to Detox from Cocaine
Serenity House Detox has two cozy, compassionate medically supervised detox facilities in Florida. These Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach detox locations are the perfect environments for overcoming a cocaine addiction. If you or someone you love are ready to start the road to recovery from cocaine abuse, contact Serenity House Detox at 866-294-5306. Detox is the first step into recovery. Call now to let your journey of healing begin.
