Relapse in cocaine use while undergoing detoxification treatment or shortly after is normal. A relapse could even occur years after stopping use. Relapses are an element that forms part of recovery processes.
The relapse rate in cocaine use is high because it is a highly addictive substance. In fact, it is one of the most addictive drugs. If you want to prevent a relapse or want to stop cocaine addiction, CCAdicciones can help you and is at your complete disposal.
Relapse in Cocaine Use
Cocaine is a stimulant drug that provides a false sense of security. The person feels powerful, euphoric, and self-confident. The truth is that in the short term it can make the user feel an excess of energy, but in the long term it causes the opposite. It is essential to enter treatment to overcome cocaine addiction. Spain is the second country in the world with the highest cocaine consumption and the first in all of Europe.
Why Does a Relapse in Cocaine Use Occur?
There are many situations that can lead to a relapse in cocaine use. We explain some of the most common reasons:
- Negative emotional states. Whether it is anxiety, sadness, depression, frustration… And when these feelings appear and there is an inability to manage them, cocaine use is resorted to. It is a way to escape reality and avoid problems.
- Complicated situations and personal conflicts. This would be related to the previous point. If the person has complex personal circumstances with constant conflicts, the possibility of relapse will be greater. Whether due to being in an unstructured environment, family arguments…
- False security and euphoria. Overcoming an addiction is possible, but it must not be forgotten that it is a chronic disease. Having great confidence that cocaine addiction has been overcome can be dangerous because it lowers one’s guard and exposes one to risky situations, thinking that nothing will happen because the addiction disorder has been completely overcome. Excessive confidence can be dangerous. Additionally, at specific moments feeling excessive euphoria can provoke a state of imbalance that incites relapse in cocaine use.
- Feeling pressure. Feeling pressure from people in one’s social circle, such as friends, who are users of the substance. Eventually, after so much insistence, they give in to social pressure and a relapse in cocaine use occurs because they allow themselves to be influenced.
The Relapse Syndrome
Living with an addictive disorder does not mean that addiction cannot be overcome. It is possible to live without addiction and recover. However, it is also true that the risk of relapse is always present. One should not become obsessed with the possibility of relapse in cocaine use or any other substance, but it must always be kept in mind that it requires daily and constant work to maintain abstinence.
Debunking False Myths About Relapse
Myths always surround relapses. At CCAdicciones we want to debunk them.
What Are the Most Repeated Lies Related to Relapses?
- Relapse occurs due to a lack of motivation. Relapse in cocaine use or any other substance does not occur because the person is not motivated.
- If the person relapses in cocaine use, the recovery process and treatment will have been useless. Relapse does not nullify everything achieved up to that point. What has been learned and put into practice during detoxification treatment will be useful for the person because they will have learned tactics and methods to deal with their addiction.
- A relapse happens because the detoxification clinic has not done a good job. Relapse is not synonymous with failure. Nor is it a flaw in the recovery process or treatment. It is a common and usual element in the recovery journey.
Overcoming Cocaine Addiction
The first step to overcome cocaine addiction is to undergo medical detoxification. Once detoxification is completed, a therapeutic process needs to begin through therapies. In this process, the patient and their family members are taught techniques and tools that allow them to control their emotions and behavior. At all times, our patients are accompanied by professionals, by a medical and therapeutic team that will guide, support, and orient them always.
Cocaine Detoxification Treatment
A detoxification treatment to overcome cocaine addiction consists of 4 distinct phases:
1- Detoxification from Cocaine Addiction
This is the first phase of inpatient treatment. Interrupting cocaine use can lead to withdrawal syndrome with harmful effects. For this reason, being accompanied and monitored at all times, especially during the first hours, will provide security.
2- Cocaine Habituation
The habituation process aims to generate a change in the patient’s perception regarding cocaine. It is necessary to break with the toxic habits associated with the addiction disorder. Healthy routines must be learned and implemented. This phase is carried out through therapies. They are the main tool of habituation and of all CCAdicciones treatments. Group and individual therapies are conducted, as well as therapeutic activities so that a change occurs in the cocaine addict’s mentality.
3- Rehabilitation from Cocaine Addiction
The third phase, rehabilitation, has the objective of working on the attitudes and aptitudes that a person addicted to cocaine has been diminishing. As a consequence of addiction, physical and psychological capacities have been affected. Rehabilitation begins at the clinic, but continues once the detoxification process has ended.
4- Reintegration of Patients with Cocaine Addictions
Finally, reintegration aims for the patient to progressively return to their daily life. This phase occurs when the patient returns to their environment and begins outpatient treatment at a CCAdicciones center.
