Cocaine withdrawal symptoms can be a barrier to recovery. But when you get the help you need, you can get through withdrawal start working toward a healthier and more hopeful future.
Learn more about our mental health programs in Atlanta or verify your insurance now.
What Happens During Cocaine Withdrawal?
When you use cocaine for an extended period, your body will begin to rely on the drug to maintain appropriate levels of certain brain chemicals. If you then suddenly stop using it, your system will be temporarily unable to produce an ample supply of these chemicals on its own.
This internal imbalance can trigger the onset of both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms
Influential factors
Your experience during cocaine withdrawal, including the type, severity, and duration of your symptoms, can be influenced by an array of personal factors such as:
- Your age, gender, weight, and metabolism
- Your overall physical and mental health
- The typical amount and frequency of your cocaine use
- How long you’ve been using cocaine
- If you’ve also been using other addictive drugs
- If you’ve been through withdrawal before
Potential cocaine withdrawal symptoms
Depending on these and other relevant factors, your cocaine withdrawal symptoms may include:
- Powerful cravings for cocaine
- Fatigue and exhaustion
- Confusion or “brain fog”
- Slowed responsiveness
- Anxiety and/or depression
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Increased appetite
- Difficulty focusing and concentrating
- Anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure)
- Abnormal sleep patterns
- Suicidal thoughts
Is Cocaine Withdrawal Safe?
Cocaine withdrawal can be quite unpleasant, but it rarely poses a serious health threat. However, there are a few potential dangers that you should be aware of, especially if you try to get through the process without professional help:
- As cravings and other cocaine withdrawal symptoms intensify, you will be tempted to ease your distress by using the drug again. If you’re at home, where you have access to cocaine, it can be easy to act on that temptation.
- Failing to get through withdrawal can undermine your self-confidence, push you deeper into active substance use, and delay future attempts to finally stop using the drug for good.
- Confusion, disrupted sleep, mood swings, and slowed responsiveness can increase your risk of harm due to slips, falls, or other types of accidents.
- Both cocaine use and cocaine withdrawal have been linked with an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Managing these types of thoughts can be hard at any time – but it may be particularly difficult when you’re also experiencing the physical and psychological distress of cocaine withdrawal.
Important note: If you ever fear that you are in danger of attempting to end your life, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to getting help through the website, you can also connect via phone or text by dialing 988 from anywhere in the U.S.
This free, confidential service is staffed by trained professions who can talk to you about what you’re going through and, if necessary, connect you with relevant resources in your area.
Benefits of Detox for Cocaine Withdrawal
Detoxification (detox) is a short-term program that can help you get through cocaine withdrawal safely and with as little discomfort as possible. The benefits of choosing to start recovery in detox include:
- You will be in a safe, closely supervised environment where you won’t have access to cocaine or other dangerous drugs. As long as you’re in the program, you won’t be able to act on the urge to use cocaine again.
- In detox, you’ll be under the care of professionals who are familiar with all aspects of the withdrawal process. They can help you understand how severe your cocaine withdrawal symptoms are likely to become and how long the process should take. Knowing what to expect can help you stay focused and motivated.
- Your treatment team can provide therapeutic support to help you cope with suicidal thoughts and other types of psychological distress.
- If you encounter any medical problems – which is unlikely but not impossible – your team can either address them directly or connect you with appropriate medical care.
- As you near the end of your time in detox, your treatment team can help you determine which type of follow-on programming can best prepare you for successful, long-term recovery.
What Happens After Cocaine Withdrawal?
Getting through withdrawal can be a significant step toward a healthier future. But just because your cocaine withdrawal symptoms have subsided, that doesn’t mean that you’re out of danger.
Successful recovery involves much more than simply getting a drug out of your system. To maintain long-term progress, you also need to address the psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of addiction.
Depending on how you’ve been impacted by your struggles with compulsive cocaine use, the best way to accomplish this may include enrolling in a residential or outpatient treatment program. The therapies that are commonly incorporated into treatment can help you in many ways, such as:
- Identifying the types of circumstances that could push you into relapse, and determining how to either avoid them or respond to them in a productive manner, without resorting to substance use
- Finding healthy ways to fill the hours that you previously spent acquiring and using cocaine
- Learning how to maintain appropriate boundaries and advocate for your own needs
- Discovering the power of sharing support with others who are working toward a similar goal
- Addressing any co-occurring mental health concerns that either contributed to or were worsened by your cocaine addiction
- Repairing relationships that were damaged by your compulsive cocaine use
- Connecting with community-based resources that can support your continued recovery efforts after you’ve transitioned out of treatment
Find Cocaine Addiction Treatment in Atlanta
Valor Behavioral Health is a trusted source of personalized addiction treatment in Atlanta, GA.
Our outpatient rehab serves adults and adolescents who have become addicted to cocaine and other substances, as well as those who have been experiencing anxiety, depression, and other co-occurring mental health concerns.
Treatment options include a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), an evening IOP, an adolescent program, and a virtual (online) program. A member of our team will be happy to discuss the features and benefits of each option with you, so that you can make the most informed decisions for yourself or a member of your family.
To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
