How to Stop Taking Cocaine

Have you been wondering lately how to stop taking cocaine but are finding it hard to overcome? Cocaine abuse is a common addiction that many people suffer from around the world.

Cocaine is a stimulant which is highly addictive. The majority of people using cocaine consume it in powder form, however, some cocaine addicts will smoke or even inject cocaine in order to experience a more intense high.

Even short-term cocaine use is highly risky when it comes to your health. Other than your physical health, cocaine addiction can have a negative impact on your social, professional, and financial well-being. If you’ve been regularly using cocaine for more than three or four months then you will likely feel more depressed, anxious, and paranoid.

Understanding your cocaine addiction and knowing that help is out there is the first step to turning away from cocaine and living a more fulfilling life. With professional help you can learn how to stop taking cocaine and get your life back on track.

If you would like to find out more about cocaine addiction treatment and how to quit cocaine, read more about our resources and how we can help on our Cocaine Rehab and Cocaine Detox pages.

The Dangers Of Cocaine Abuse

Cocaine abuse can be very dangerous, and when you consume cocaine, you risk several health problems. This includes high blood pressure, hyperthermia, heart palpitations, stroke, and even sudden cardiac arrest.

Cocaine is particularly dangerous when it is mixed with alcohol as together, they form a metabolite in the liver known as cocaethylene. Cocaethylene is highly toxic to the liver and can cause a heart attack.

Many people believe that casual cocaine use is not a problem, however casual use can quickly turn into a full cocaine addiction which affects both women and men and people of all backgrounds. The rate of cocaine-related deaths has risen for the 11th consecutive year in the UK. 

Increased cocaine and alcohol abuse is also being partly blamed as the reasons for a rise in violence and crowd disorder at events such as football. Because of the increased use, more people are seeking treatment for cocaine addiction and in a report covering 2020 to 2021 of the people starting treatment, “20% said they had a problem with crack cocaine” and “15% said they had a problem with cocaine”.

Seeking treatment to overcome cocaine addiction is key to quitting it for good. Find out how to stop taking cocaine below.

How to Prepare to Quit Cocaine

Taking the step to quit cocaine is a big one, so being prepared and having a plan beforehand gives you a better chance at succeeding in achieving long-term recovery. There are some things you can bear in mind when preparing to quit cocaine.

Get in the right mindset

You must go into the process with a positive attitude. Allowing yourself hope and accepting that there is hard work ahead will stand you in great stead down the road. Recovery causes many ups and downs, so taking care of your mental health alongside your addiction will help you in the long run.

Seek out drug services

Even if you don’t feel ready to enter cocaine rehab, or are not sure you need to, start researching to find a suitable treatment centre as soon as possible. Having a plan and finding a place that is right for you will help put your mind at ease about the process. Uncertainty and fear of the unknown stops many cocaine addicts from getting the help they need – so finding out what treatment options are available to you and how to access services should give you a boost.

Voice your desire to quit

Telling family and friends that you are ready to quit cocaine with hopefully be a positive step. Being surrounded by a support network that is willing to do a lot to make sure you succeed in your recovery.

How to Stop Taking Cocaine Yourself

Once you are prepared to stop using cocaine you can put it into action. There are many things you can do to start withdrawing from cocaine yourself if you feel like rehab is not the best choice for you.

Change your habits

Cocaine habits such as drinking alcohol and cocaine use on a night out can become a routine that is hard to break. Quitting drinking alongside cocaine will help your brain stop making the connection between the two activities – increasing your chances of getting sober.

Find new ways to spend your time

Distracting your mind and finding ways to fill your time will hopefully stop you from thinking about cocaine. Exercising, reading, taking up a new hobby – anything other than taking cocaine is a better way to keep yourself occupied and improve your mental and physical wellbeing.

Gradually cut down

Many people attempt to quit cold turkey – and that could bring on nasty symptoms of cocaine withdrawal if not done with professional support. If you can manage it, cutting down gradually will help you eventually become sober as smaller steps always feel less intimidating than a big leap.

About Cocaine Treatment

Cocaine dependency is known as a psychological addiction, and cocaine withdrawal causes a range of psychological withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include cravings for the drug, paranoia, insomnia and panic attacks. Chronic cocaine users may also experience a form of psychosis during withdrawal and experience symptoms such as hallucinations, aggression and severe paranoia.

This is why residential rehab treatment is one of the key ways people stop taking cocaine. Professional services help people who are unsure how to stop cocaine recover from abuse for good.

Cocaine Rehab Programmes

Through a regimented therapy programme, you will begin to explore the reasons behind your addiction and work on ways to beat it. Through a combination of evidence-based therapies such as CBT, well-being therapies and social activities, you will learn to cope with addiction triggers and better understand the thought processes that lead you to take cocaine.

Mental healthcare is at the forefront of our approach to addiction treatment. Utilising group therapy, group walks and many other treatment options, we will help you achieve long-term recovery.

By far the best way to treat these symptoms is to undergo rehabilitation at a residential cocaine treatment provider. During rehab, you receive 24/7 medical attention until the above withdrawal symptoms have dissipated.

These acute withdrawal symptoms may last for around five to seven days.

Once psychological withdrawal symptoms have ended, it is essential that clients receive therapy. Therapy sessions typically include ’12 step’ work, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and holistic therapy.

For this reason, we highly recommend clients undergo cocaine addiction at a residential clinic. This means clients are completely removed from their ‘using environment’ whilst therapy takes place.

Other Common Ways Of Beating A Cocaine Addiction

If private rehab is not the chosen method of recovery, there are other ways of beating cocaine addiction – knowing how to quit cocaine is key to recovery.

Most of this information of gathered during ‘group therapy’ sessions taking place at our residential rehab clinic. We urge cocaine addicts to adopt many of the below strategies in conjunction to attending a residential rehab programme:

• Avoiding social situations where cocaine is commonly consumed. Some addicts even move home in order to avoid external ‘triggers’ of cocaine use
• Avoiding certain ‘friends’ who also use cocaine
• Increasing physical exercise and improving diet
• Seeking out new hobbies and sports
• Seeking out the services of an addiction counsellor/therapist on an ‘out-client’ basis.

Get Help Today

If you are ready to stop using cocaine and turn your life around, Ocean Recovery can help. We are an industry-leading rehab centre that can offer you a wide variety of treatment options to help you become sober – whether it be from cocaine, alcohol or any other addiction.

Call our team today at 0800 880 7596 or fill out our contact form to take your first steps towards recovery.

• 
• 
• 

John Gillen - Author - Last updated: August 9, 2024

John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.