Cocaine Addiction Treatment Should Always Address Cross-Addiction

If a struggling drug addict is looking for cocaine addiction treatment, then there are some of the options that they might pursue.  In most cases, treatment will be a bit more flexible and also a bit less expensive because cocaine addicts do not really have to go through a rigorous detox process.  Yes, there is a psychological withdrawal process but there really is not a strong physical detox from the drug.  Of course this can be complicated by the fact that most cocaine addicts will also use another drug, such as alcohol, to level them off at times.  So if an coke addict typically drinks alcohol in order to wind down at night, then they probably will need detox when they go to treatment, even if the alcohol is not really their drug of choice.

I have seen this over and over again in treatment, actually, where a cocaine addict uses or even abuses alcohol, but they dismiss it as being harmless and not part of their addiction. They separate the alcohol use from their problem for some reason.  This is a very dangerous thing to do because it sets them up for failure down the road.  A person who is addicted to cocaine may take a seemingly harmless drink later on, thinking that it will not trigger their addiction.

photo credit: grenade

And the extremely deceptive thing is that taking that single drink probably will not send them off on a drug seeking rampage right away.  No, addiction is more subtle than that.  Instead, the drink will occur, nothing will happen, and they will become that much more susceptible to future weakness.  In other words, they will take a single drink of alcohol and they will get away with it. This is the cunning part of addiction.  The addict believes that they got away with it and makes no big deal out of it.  Now they are really set up for failure.

In order to recover from addiction, the addict must abstain from all mood and mind altering substances, including alcohol.

So cocaine addiction treatments are really an exercise in long term recovery and finding a new way to live.  It is not enough to merely quit the drug and go on about your life.  Total change is necessary and that is why they call it “recovery.”  That is also why people tend to engage in daily meetings, talk about their problems, and explore options for continuous growth.  It takes a great deal of effort to recover from addiction in the long run.

Recommended Reading

• Overcoming Addiction
• Holistic Addiction Treatment Center