Cocaine addiction doesn’t just impact the person using cocaine. It impacts entire families. Parents of those with cocaine use disorder always wonder how to support their children without supporting their addiction. Spouses worry about the people they love most in the world passing away due to overdose. Brothers and sisters watch their siblings change into individuals vastly different from the people they grew up alongside as a child. Cocaine use disorder can be earth-shattering for those using cocaine and those who love them alike.
The good news is, there is hope in the face of cocaine use disorder. Cocaine addiction treatment is available at Hope for Tomorrow, and we’re passionate and dedicated to the recovery of yourself or your loved one. We welcome everyone in need of treatment, with veterans, pregnant women, those with complex medical conditions, and couples included. We firmly believe everyone deserves to live a fulfilling, substance-free life, and our goal is to help as many people achieve that as possible.
Over 7% of West Virginians with illicit drug use disorders needed treatment in 2021 but didn’t receive it. If you or a loved one have a cocaine use disorder, we encourage you to make sure you aren’t part of that statistic and reach out to us. We take most major insurance policies, including Medicare and Medicaid of West Virginia, and are eager to support you in your recovery.
Hope for Tomorrow focuses on evidence-based therapies customized to your needs. When you first contact us, you’ll take our detailed intake assessment. We’ll never judge you based on your answers. We’ll use them to determine what kind of treatment plan will work best for you, and if your needs change along the way, that’s no problem. Your cocaine rehab plan can change too. We know recovery isn’t linear or straightforward, and we’re passionate about doing what works best for your unique path to recovery – no matter what.
All of our programs incorporate individual and group therapy, with cognitive behavioral therapy included. In our counseling programs, we’ll get to and address the root cause of your cocaine use disorder. You’ll learn new coping and problem-solving skills, and develop concrete plans to achieve your goals alongside our therapists. You’ll also share your story with your peers who are just as dedicated to their recovery, and inspire and motivate each other to work toward a healthier, cocaine-free life. We believe family is a vital component to recovery, and know that sometimes the family as a whole needs to heal, too. That’s why Hope for Tomorrow offers family counseling, as well.
The specific programs we recommend for cocaine use disorder are our inpatient and outpatient programs.
In Hope for Tomorrow’s inpatient program, you’ll receive 24/7 care as you live alongside others who are also focused on achieving recovery. You’ll receive a visit from your medical provider at least once a week, and attend daily group and individual therapy sessions. Our full-service kitchen will provide meals, and you’ll be able to focus fully on developing the skills and mindset needed to overcome your cocaine use disorder.
Our Beckley facility is small, with 20 beds total. Your length of stay will vary based on the care you require, but the most common is 30 days, with up to 60 days if needed.
We know returning to regular life after the constant support of a residential program can be challenging, so Hope for Tomorrow offers continued care after you leave us. Your continued care plan will be customized to you as well, and may consist of continued counseling, outpatient treatment, support groups, and alumni groups.
Outpatient treatment is a good option if you need treatment, but can’t leave your life behind for an inpatient program. While we recommend inpatient treatment for those who can solely focus on their recovery, outpatient is an option for those with obligations they need to tend to at home. You can customize your treatment to your schedule, leaving plenty of room for other responsibilities like work, school, or childcare. You will still receive a personalized treatment plan and comprehensive care, but you’ll be able to return home at the end of every day as opposed to staying in one of our facilities.
We have intensive outpatient and regular outpatient program options, with regular outpatient requiring four hours of time with us per month, and intensive outpatient requiring more than nine hours per week.
Cocaine is a stimulant, rarely used by medical professionals as a form of anesthesia and often used illicitly. It most frequently comes in a powdered form, and is mixed with water and injected, snorted or smoked.
When your brain functions without cocaine, your brain cells (neurons) release dopamine into the gap between neurons called the synapse. The neighboring neuron then picks up the dopamine, and continues spreading it to other neurons throughout the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of pleasure, relaxation, and motivation.
Cocaine interferes with this process by preventing your body from removing excess dopamine from the synapse. Instead, dopamine builds up there, making your neurons pick up even more dopamine, which then amplifies those feelings of pleasure.
Cocaine’s effects rapidly manifest and disappear just as quickly, but the way you use it matters. For example, snorting cocaine brings about its effects slowly, but they last longer. If you smoke cocaine, you feel its effects almost immediately, and they fade faster.
The most desirable short-term effect of cocaine is a feeling of euphoria. Some people feel less of a need for sleep and food, and complete tasks faster, while others feel less able to focus on tasks. Short-term effects of cocaine also include talkativeness, light, sound and touch sensitivity, and additional energy. At higher doses, people are more likely to experience anxiety, paranoia, irritability, and violent behavior.
There are also more physical immediate effects of cocaine, including:
Even one dose of cocaine can cause a heart attack or seizure, both of which are the primary causes of death related to cocaine use.
With continued use of cocaine, your brain changes. The reward pathways in your brain become used to cocaine, and don’t respond as strongly to events that would naturally stimulate them. The parts of your brain related to feeling stress also grow more sensitive, causing irritability and bad moods without cocaine.
Your body also grows tolerant to cocaine’s positive effects, but can simultaneously become more sensitive to its negative effects. This increases the cocaine you need to achieve the familiar euphoria of cocaine, while putting you at greater danger of seizures, anxiety, and more. This combination of tolerance and sensitivity increases the probability of an overdose.
How you use cocaine also determines what parts of your body are impacted long-term. Snorting cocaine can make you lose your sense of smell, cause nosebleeds, chronic runny nose, and problems swallowing. Smoking cocaine damages the lungs, while injecting it increases the risk of contracting infectious diseases.
Cocaine use can also cause organ damage and worsen cognitive function. Diseases such as Parkinson’s are more likely. Recurring cocaine use also may lead to cocaine use disorder.
Cocaine as a substance is not inherently addictive. The real causes of addiction are usually undiagnosed mental health conditions, trauma, or other environmental or genetic factors. This causes people who develop substance disorders to seek out the brief feeling of euphoria cocaine can bring as a temporary escape from their troubles. That feeling of pleasure is what is most addictive, especially for those who don’t feel it as often naturally as other people. Once someone develops a habit of using cocaine, it also becomes difficult to break due to withdrawal.
Withdrawal is incredibly unpleasant, and many people with cocaine use disorder will go great lengths to make sure they don’t experience it. The crash that follows cocaine use happens very quickly. During a crash, cravings become intense, as do negative effects, such as:
The more cocaine someone takes, and the longer they take it, the more their brain and body grow used to cocaine and respond negatively without it in their system.
Cocaine overdose often happens due to a tolerance to cocaine. Your body may be growing used to cocaine’s effects, but that doesn’t mean it can suddenly process cocaine at a faster rate. Therefore, high concentrations of cocaine can be very dangerous. Mixing substances also increases the chance of overdose.
West Virginia had the highest rate of drug overdoses in the country in 2021, so this is a very serious issue for our community in particular. If someone using cocaine experiences these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately:
Cocaine use disorder will manifest differently in everyone, but you’ll want to look out for the following changes and behaviors:
If you believe you or a loved one have cocaine use disorder, the next step is to seek treatment. If you’ve lived with cocaine use disorder for a while, life may seem hopeless, but that isn’t the case. Seeking treatment can and will change your life for the better.
Hope for Tomorrow’s passionate and empathetic staff is eager to help you overcome your cocaine use disorder. We’ll address every aspect of your cocaine use disorder, from mental health concerns to physical health conditions, so you can recover and lead a fulfilling, cocaine-free life. We take most major insurance policies, including Medicare and Medicaid of West Virginia. We’re here for you no matter who you are or where you come from. Call us at 877-679-8162 for more on what we can do for you.
