A cocaine drug rehab program addresses the physical and psychological components of a cocaine addiction. Very often, individuals who have tried cocaine for the first time have been reported to immediately become addicted to the drug; these individuals have often described their first experience with cocaine as a powerful high which gave them a feeling of supremacy. Many of these users have continued reaching repetitively for that same type of euphoric feeling, which has resulted in an addiction to the powerful stimulant.
Cocaine is a stimulant that closely resembles white powdered sugar, and the drug is known by various different street names that may include coke, snow flake, and blow. Crack is the street name that has been given to the form of cocaine that has been processed in order to make a rock crystal, which, when upon being heated, produces vapors that are smoked. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound that is produced by the rock when it has been heated. Cocaine use stimulates the central nervous system; thus individuals who use the drug regularly, often continue to use it for that "rush." Because cocaine has often been reported to be one of the most powerfully addictive drugs that are abused, cocaine drug rehab centers around the United States have treated millions of individuals for cocaine addiction problems.
The most common methods that are used to ingest cocaine include sniffing or snorting, injecting, or smoking the highly addictive drug, as in the form of crack cocaine; regardless of which method is used; ingesting cocaine may result in numerous health risks. Research has indicated that the compulsive desire to use cocaine can develop even more rapidly when the drug is being smoked; the reason for this is that smoking it allows extremely high doses of cocaine to reach the brain very quickly and results in a much more intense and immediate high that will last for a very short amount of time, usually not more than a few minutes. Regardless of the method of ingestion, once cocaine exits the brain, the user will experience a crash that may leave them feeling depressed and extremely irritable.
The warning signs that are related to cocaine abuse may vary, but quite often a cocaine user's eyes can be a good indicator. An individual who uses cocaine may exhibit symptoms such as frequent mood swings, tardiness or absence from work, anxiety attacks, high blood pressure, nose bleeds, extreme irritability, job loss, and relationship problems at home and on the job. Once it has been determined that a person is abusing cocaine, the most positive step that a loved one can take is to encourage the individual to seek the assistance of a quality cocaine drug rehab program.
In order to avoid some of the serious physical side effects that have been linked to cocaine use, an individual should seek quality cocaine drug rehab assistance; this potentially life-saving measure should take place immediately after an addiction to the drug has been confirmed. Cocaine users who choose to snort the drug will often develop severe nasal congestion, bleeding cartilage, and can cause extensive and sometimes permanent damage to the mucous membrane of the nose; additionally, the long term use of prolonged cocaine snorting can result in the ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose and can eventually cause such extensive damage to the nasal septum that it may collapse completely.
It is also common for cocaine users to experience insomnia and a noticeable decrease in appetite which is often accompanied by dramatic weight loss; additionally, cocaine use may cause a person's blood vessels to constrict, causing an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, which could possibly lead to a heart attack. Cocaine use also has been reported to lead to irregular heartbeat, lung disease, irreversible brain damage, respiratory failure, strokes and seizures, and in rare instances, death.
The reason that is important for a person, who is addicted to cocaine to be admitted to a quality cocaine rehab program, is to be able to avoid many of the negative effects that can occur with the use of the drug. Cocaine users have often been reported to act in bizarre ways and to exhibit extremely violent behavior; additionally, users who inject the drug are at risk for contracting HIV and hepatitis. Women who are pregnant and use cocaine are much more susceptible to the incident of miscarriages; even if they do carry the fetus to full term; serious birth defects have often been reported.
A quality cocaine drug rehab can help an individual that is currently struggling with a cocaine addiction to finally be free from the powerful stimulant. The first aspect of the addict's substance abuse problem that drug treatment professionals should consider is the length of the individual's cocaine addiction. For most cocaine addicts, long term residential cocaine drug rehab is by far the best possible option for cocaine drug addiction recovery. Very few of the individuals that have developed a serious cocaine addiction can enter a modest, out-patient cocaine drug rehab and thrive within that system.
While cocaine drug rehab methods are varied, treatment paths will often go through similar stages, always beginning with the cocaine detoxification process. Once the cocaine withdrawal has successfully been completed, an individual can then begin a directed, cocaine drug rehab program that addresses the psychological dependency. At a quality cocaine drug rehab, the treatment components may also include counseling, behavioral therapies, drug relapse prevention education, and an adequate level of aftercare.
Studies have repeatedly shown that a complete and comprehensive inpatient cocaine drug rehab program that last for a period of at least three months, is the type of treatment that works best in relation to the successful long term recovery from a cocaine addiction. Cocaine addicts who go through a medically assisted withdrawal in order to minimize their discomfort but do not receive any further form of cocaine recovery treatment, have been reported to perform about the same as those individuals who were never treated for their cocaine addiction.