Cocaine is an addictive and destructive drug that can inflict a wide range of health, psychological, and social problems for the user and those around them.
Cocaine addiction can be treated at rehab, where the patient can go through therapies and other treatments to identify the root causes of their cocaine problem and recover with the support of others.
Staying in recovery is an ongoing challenge, which is why it is important for a person to be proactive in their own recovery process. Whatever the substance involved, the goal is to avoid relapse.
Below we have listed some information on what relapse is, how to look out for the warning sings of relapse, and how best to prevent cocaine relapse.
Cocaine relapse is when a person goes back to using cocaine after a period of abstinence. This could be after a week, a month, or years of being in recovery and sobriety.
The term ‘relapse’ can be applied to any drug, but cocaine relapse prevents its own range of symptoms, challenges, and warning signs.
Undoing the harm that comes with relapse can be a very challenging process. The best way to address cocaine relapse is to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Below is a list of different warning signs that you should look out for in a person who is in recovery from cocaine addiction.
When a person is in recovery, sudden changes in their behaviour could be an indication that they have become more likely to relapse.
This could be things like suddenly stopping a hobby that they are usually passionate about or re-establishing social contact with a former friend who they used to use with.
Indications of behaviour change can also be found in a person’s conversations. This might include talking fondly about ‘fun’ times that they had when they used to use cocaine.
This suggests that the person has forgotten the extent of the misery that addiction caused them, or that they are trying to convince themselves that it wasn’t that bad.
A very stark warning sign of relapse is when the person in recovery starts badmouthing the recovery process or being cynical about the whole premise of recovery.
This is perhaps the strongest indication that the person is close to relapse. As such, hearing them say something like this should never be taken lightly.
Everyone has different triggers when it comes to their addiction, and there are a number of lifestyle factors that can make a relapse more likely to happen.
Boredom and loneliness can both be big risk factors in relapse, which is why it is important for those in recovery to stay socially and physically active.
An important part of addiction treatment is breaking off social contact with those who you used to use, at least until such time as they are also in recovery.
Re-establishing friendships or relationships with people who are in active addiction can make it much more likely that you yourself will relapse.
There are many ways that you can decrease the chances of suffering a relapse. The most important thing is to stay proactive and not to take your sobriety for granted. Below is a list of steps that you can take to stay in recovery.
It cannot be overstated how important it is to stay on top of your own basic needs while in drug or alcohol recovery. Neglecting these needs could easily increase the likelihood of relapse.
This is the thinking behind the HALT relapse prevention technique, which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired – four feelings that increase the likelihood of relapse.
The theory is that making sure that these basic needs are fulfilled provides you with the best possible chance of staying in abstinent recovery.
Group therapy is one of the most common means of supporting people in addiction. This could be through Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, or another recovery support organisation.
It can be incredibly beneficial to have others to share with, as well as provide support to them in return. You will also be able to learn from the collective experience of the other group members.
While group therapy can be very helpful in recovery, there may be certain things which you would prefer to talk about in individual therapy sessions.
Seeing a mental health professional on a one-to-one basis could provide you with an emotional outlet as well as give you the opportunity to learn coping techniques.
Managing your psychological triggers is an important part of staying in recovery. Commonly, this includes doing things like staying away from venues where drugs and alcohol are present.
If some of your triggers are things that you unavoidably come into contact with in your everyday life, try working with a mental health professional to manage your response to those triggers.
Having a strong support network of friends and family can provide invaluable support in times of temptation or another personal crisis. It may be the difference between staying in recovery or not.
These loved ones may not always be contactable, so it would also be wise to have a sponsor who you could contact, as well as a list of helplines to provide support if needed.
Cocaine addiction can be treated at rehab. This is the best environment in which to get help, due to the level of expert care available around the clock.
Cocaine rehab does not require a medical detox, although you will still have your physical and mental well-being monitored as you go through the withdrawal stage.
From there on out, you can focus on getting well, with the help of highly qualified mental health practitioners and other support staff on site.
Rehab 4 Addiction is a helpful resource of free advice around everything to do with drug & alcohol abuse, addiction treatment, and the recovery process.
We also provide referrals to private rehab clinics around the whole of the country, whether you need help with cocaine, alcohol, opiates, or any other substance abuse issue.
If you have any more questions about cocaine relapse and cocaine addiction treatment, please call us on 0800 140 4690 for more information.
All calls to Rehab 4 Addiction are free of charge from UK landlines and we abide by all applicable data protection laws of the United Kingdom.
Boris is our editor-in-chief at Rehab 4 Addiction. Boris is an addiction expert with more than 20 years in the field. His expertise covers a broad of topics relating to addiction, rehab and recovery. Boris is an addiction therapist and assists in the alcohol detox and rehab process. Boris has been featured on a variety of websites, including the BBC, Verywell Mind and Healthline. You can connect with Boris online at LinkedIn or X.com.
