Treatment for Cocaine Addiction at Costa Rica Recovery

Cocaine is a powerful stimulant made from cocoa leaves. When inhaled or otherwise ingested in its powdered form, it causes a rapid and significant spike in dopamine levels in the brain. This neurotransmitter is linked to changes in mood, and when it floods the brain after cocaine use it produces a sudden surge of energy along with feelings of extreme euphoria.

These feelings don’t last for long, which encourages continued cocaine use. But as the brain gradually develops a tolerance for cocaine, the user must take more of it to achieve the same effects. It is this dynamic that creates physical and psychological dependence on the drug, making addiction a logical outcome of continued misuse.

Beginning in the 1980s, crack cocaine began to turn up on America’s streets. This type of cocaine is processed into small rocks that can be melted and smoked.

Crack produces a more rapid and intense high than powdered cocaine. But its effects wear off more quickly, possibly in as little as five to 10 minutes. This encourages more frequent consumption, speeding the user’s descent into physical and mental addiction.

In addition to dependency, regular use of cocaine can also put you at risk for a potentially fatal drug overdose. Frequent cocaine use can also lead to the development of psychosis, which causes frightening delusions, harrowing hallucinations, and extreme paranoia.

Risk Factors for Cocaine and Crack Addiction

There are many reasons why casual users may eventually succumb to cocaine or crack cocaine dependency. Some of the major risk factors for addiction include:

• Family history: Studies suggest that between 60 and 80% of the risk of cocaine abuse¹ can be linked to genetic factors and family history. This is higher than for most drugs, revealing tremendous dangers for cocaine users whose parents or siblings had substance abuse issues.
• Peer pressure or influence: Many cocaine users first start using the drug after being encouraged to do so by friends, family members or co-workers at social gatherings. Many people have a hard time saying ‘no’ in these circumstances, and if they continue to spend time with other cocaine users the results could be the development of a habitual use
• Mental health issues: There is a strong connection between mental health problems and drug and alcohol dependency. In a 2022 study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)², about 40% of those who had a substance use disorder also had a co-occurring mental health disorder. Many who abuse stimulants like cocaine are seeking relief from mental disorders that cause sadness, loss of motivation, and low energy. Research has linked cocaine use disorders with many different mental health conditions, including:
  • Mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder)
  • PTSD
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Complicated grief
  • Personality disorders (especially borderline and antisocial personality disorders)

Diagnosing a Cocaine or Crack Use Disorder

The latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) lists 11 criteria that are used to diagnose cocaine or crack cocaine addiction³. They include:

1. Consuming more cocaine than intended to on multiple occasions.
2. The failure of previous efforts to reduce cocaine use.
3. Experiencing intense and irresistible cravings for cocaine.
4. Growing tolerance for the drug, accompanied by ever-increasing usage.
5. Experiencing physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms when cocaine use is halted.
6. Increasing amounts of time are spent obtaining and using the drug, or recovering from its aftereffects.
7. Neglect of home, school or work responsibilities as a result of cocaine intoxication.
8. Regular use of the drug has continued despite its role in causing relationship problems.
9. Previous hobbies or other enjoyable activities are abandoned in favor of cocaine use.
10. Cocaine abuse can be linked to exposure to hazardous situations (i.e, driving while intoxicated or visiting unsafe locations to buy more drugs).
11. A decline in physical and mental health that has been caused or made worse by cocaine use.

You’ll be diagnosed with a mild cocaine use disorder if you meet two or three of these criteria, a moderate disorder if you meet four or five, and a severe disorder if you meet six or more.

Regardless of the severity of your cocaine dependency, our highly trained and compassionate treatment experts can help you overcome it. Our healing regimens are designed to help you find lasting sobriety, and to address all the circumstances that left you vulnerable to the lure of cocaine in the first place. Contact us today so that we can start the process of arranging for treatment, or making a recommendation for a resource that will be helpful for you.

Resources:

1. Psychology Today, The Family History of Addiction, What having a family history of alcohol or drug abuse means for you, available here.
2. SAMHSA.Gov, Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, available here.
3. National Institute of Health, the National Library of Medicine, DSM-5 Criteria for Substance Use Disorders: Recommendations and Rationale, available here.