How to stop Cocaine addiction – it’s one of the biggest questions we get asked weekly!
People say “Cocaine is the rich man’s drug, it’s a party drug and it’s a drug that only gets used now and then”. These beliefs often lead to people holding misconceptions that coke wouldn’t be as hard to kick as say, drugs like Ice or Heroin. This couldn’t be further from the truth – we actually find Cocaine to be one of the hardest addictions to beat amongst our clients for a multitude of reasons.
If you are reading this and are addicted to coke, don’t freak out! Keep reading, we have some solutions coming in this article!
A common New Years resolution that we hear goes something like this; “Shit, this is getting a little out of hand, I better get off the blow”. We are a couple of days into 2021 and we have already heard this more than a few times. As a result, we wanted to put together a short guide on how you can overcome addictive coke patterns. And get the real party started (yes believe it or not a life without coke is loads better).
But first…
Before you can fix the problem, you must first know what it is.
The DSM 5, (the latest version of the American Psychiatric Association’s gold-standard text), defines excessive Cocaine use as a substance-use disorder. The text defines these disorders using 11 criteria and if you are experiencing any of these criteria you should really PANIC…
No, we are just playing and trying to make light of a pretty depressing topic, however, if you do relate to any of the below criteria it’s is a good idea to reach out and get in touch to see how we might be able to help.
DSM 5, Criteria
- Taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer than you’re meant to.
- Wanting to cut down or stop using the substance but not managing to.
- Spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from use of the substance.
- Cravings and urges to use the substance.
- Not managing to do what you should at work, home, or school because of substance use.
- Continuing to use, even when it causes problems in relationships.
- Giving up important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of substance use.
- Using substances again and again, even when it puts you in danger.
- Continuing to use, even when you know you have a physical or psychological problem that could have been caused or made worse by the substance.
- Needing more of the substance to get the effect you want (tolerance).
- Development of withdrawal symptoms, which can be relieved by taking more of the substance.
It is important to know the criteria because we find that people often get misdiagnosed with conditions like ADHD and bipolar, when really they are just having a little too much fun on the bags.
When asking yourself the question “How do I stop Cocaine addiction?”, it’s a good idea to think of these criteria as symptoms, symptoms of a larger addiction issue. This then begs the question; if these are only the symptoms, what’s at the core and how do I fix it?
The core of Cocaine addiction
Traditional treatment for Cocaine addiction is lumped in with the exact same treatment methodology for all other addictions which usually goes something like this:
- Go to rehab for 90 days
- Drop all life commitments for those 90 days including work
- Don’t really see family whilst at rehab
- Make a commitment to give up all alcohol and drugs forever
- Spend years focussing on your past
This is unfortunate because when it comes to Cocaine recovery, traditional treatment can actually be more harmful than productive. There is 100% a physical dependence that occurs when it comes to alcohol and drugs, however, think about it for a second…
How many people do you see going to rehabs for 90+ days? Get completely cleaned up only to come straight back out again to use drugs? This fact means there is more than meets the eye when it comes to addiction. Because if all we had to do was send people away to get ‘clean’, we wouldn’t have a problem with addiction.
There is something more going on beneath the surface and that is where the core of Cocaine addiction is found.
3 simple but effective tips to get recovery from the blow
Clearly beating Cocaine addiction involves more than 3 simple tips. However, we have found these to be the most helpful as a starting point of change:
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Keep a Cocaine diary:
Unfortunately, it has been our experience that one of the biggest drivers of change is pain. A really good way to manufacture some of this pain is through heightened awareness. Because it brings the “behaviour” into clear sight. Like a food diary, a cocaine diary helps you break out of denial, track how much you are using, as well as giving you the ability to see patterns that may be forming with your use e.g. times of day use is most prevalent, or triggers in the day that has set off using the most. Once you know the key focus areas, you are going to have a much greater chance of making a significant change. -
Take off to the middle of bum f&%#:
If you are at the point of using Cocaine daily or almost daily and have a physical dependence on the drug. We find one of the best things to do is get away. Most people acknowledge that if you were dependant on alcohol it would be pretty hard to get sober in a bottle shop…well same goes with Cocaine – you can think about your suburb or city as one big cocaine shop. Getting away for a week or so in the middle of nowhere can be a great way to detox and break the cycle (seek medical advice before taking off). -
In our opinion, Cocaine addiction is “95% psychological and emotional”:
Riffing off the point in the above section when you get someone off coke for a period of time and go beneath the surface, there are always a series of negative belief systems driving individuals destructive behavioural patterns. These patterns can be tricky to identify because they are often unconsciously playing out in the background. However, they are the real key to long term success. If you really want to overcome coke addiction, you must identify and change these belief systems. The best way we have found to do this is through coaching or having some kind of mentor. That can give it to you straight. Having that outside person is critical because as the old saying goes. “You can’t fix a broken head with a broken head”.
We hope this short guide about how to stop cocaine addiction was helpful. And that the interview with Jim at the top of the page provided some helpful insights.
We would love for you to drop your comments and insights about the struggles you are having or how you managed to kick the coke habit.
As always, if you are having any troubles on how to stop cocaine addiction please don’t hesitate to reach out at any stage using the links on the website. (Book a Free Consultation)
