What Are the Signs of Cocaine Addiction?

Cocaine is a dangerous and widespread drug with various price points, making abuse too common. As a nervous system stimulant, it produces effects like excitement, insomnia, elevated mood, and a racing heart. Cocaine is also tragically addictive, and the risk of deadly overdose is significant. The drug becomes habit-forming because of its effects on the brain’s reward center. It floods the system with dopamine, a feel-good chemical naturally present during activities like eating and sex. With chronic cocaine use, tolerance increases. This means those who use it need more and more to get the same high over time.

If you or a loved one is struggling with this drug, get help immediately. The qualified staff at NuLife Behavioral Health are waiting to help you identify signs of cocaine addiction and tell you more about our effective interventions. We offer a cocaine addiction treatment program in Massachusetts. Send us a message online or call 888.568.2057 to start getting support today.

Signs of Cocaine Addiction

Cocaine produces slightly different effects in each person who uses it. Moreover, some people seem to experience more severe consequences than others. Nonetheless, there are several common symptoms of cocaine addiction, including the following:

• Mood changes and mental health symptoms – Like euphoria, excitability, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, and mood swings
• Behavioral symptoms – Like risky sexual activity, financial difficulties, violent behavior, dangerous driving, extreme talkativeness, lying about drug use, changes to sleep and eating patterns, social isolation, and loss of interest in activities that previously brought joy
• Physical symptoms – Like dilated pupils, hoarseness, frequent runny nose, nosebleeds, poor hygiene, constriction of blood vessels near the heart and brain, loss of sense of smell, difficulty swallowing, and weight loss

You may also notice circumstantial clues as signs of cocaine use, like white powder around the nostrils or burns on the lips or hands. However, it may be easier to search for drug paraphernalia, such as razor blades, spoons, pipes, and baggies.

Cocaine Addiction Treatment Options

Recovery from cocaine addiction is a challenging but achievable process, especially with proper support. Research into medicinal interventions is ongoing, but this avenue has not yet become a primary treatment option. Behavioral therapies tend to work best in treating cocaine addiction.

One particularly effective option is contingency management, otherwise known as motivational incentives. These programs introduce clients to a voucher system that rewards them for negative drug tests over given periods. When clients provide a clean blood or urine sample, they receive vouchers or points. They can, in turn, exchange these for assets like movie tickets, dinners at a restaurant, or a gym membership. This approach is beneficial in early recovery since it taps into the brain’s already active rewards centers. Using the system, clients can reroute their energies toward healthy pleasures.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is also a great model for working with cocaine addiction. It’s especially effective in preventing relapse since it teaches skills for long-term sobriety. Skills include coping with emotions and interpersonal challenges and recognizing and avoiding triggers. As a top-tier talk therapy, CBT is an excellent choice for clients with co-occurring mental illnesses.

Finally, community support can be a game-changer in cocaine addiction recovery. This could take the form of a sober living community that provides a trigger-free home and accountability. Ultimately, it could simply be a weekly 12-step meeting. Whatever the format, peer support is powerful. This aspect of treatment is vital to relapse prevention since it can be part of life for a long time.

Find Cocaine Addiction Treatment in Massachusetts at NuLife Behavioral Health

Don’t struggle alone with cocaine dependency. You and your family deserve support, and the caring team at NuLife Behavioral Health is waiting to provide it. Send us a message online or contact NuLife Behavioral Health in Massachusetts at 888.568.2057 to learn more about our effective cocaine treatment program today.