Cocaine use is surprisingly common, with nearly 28 million Americans aged 12 or older having used the drug at some point in their lives. Going into rehab for cocaine addiction is an essential first step toward recovery. However, if the cocaine recovery facility you choose focuses purely on medical detox, you might find yourself at risk of relapsing when you return to your normal life. Ongoing therapy is an important part of cocaine addiction treatment. In this guide, we’ll discuss how using therapy for cocaine addiction helps people avoid falling back into old, self-destructive habits.
The Role of Therapy in Addiction Treatment
Rehab for cocaine addiction often focuses on the biological part of the addiction. While this is incredibly important, as the physical symptoms of withdrawal can be difficult to deal with, addiction is a complex thing. If the reasons a person turned to illicit drugs in the first place aren’t addressed, relapse is likely.
Therapy plays an important role in cocaine recovery, and many rehab centers now offer it as a short-term treatment for clients receiving inpatient treatment. Even a short course of cognitive behavioral therapy or talk therapy can help people who are struggling with cocaine addiction or other forms of substance abuse build stronger coping mechanisms and reduce their likelihood of relapsing. However, individuals in recovery are more likely to avoid a relapse if they have ongoing support.
One emerging psychosocial treatment in the field of recovery is contingency management. People struggling with substance abuse disorder are often inclined to seek immediate rewards over receiving more significant rewards later. Contingency management helps people break out of this cycle by providing incentives to those who stay the course of treatment. Rewards given immediately after a positive behavior can be quite impactful in influencing future behaviors.
Contingency management can be combined with more traditional therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy and even peer support groups, to help maintain accountability and encourage people to focus on their recovery long-term.
Types of Therapy for Cocaine Recovery
When used alongside medically assisted detox treatments, therapy can help break the cycle of addiction by disrupting an individual’s inclination to engage in destructive behaviors. Therapy helps them identify their addiction, understand the urges they feel and realize how giving in to those urges will impact their lives. It also provides them with skills they can use to manage their urges so they can maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Many of these skills can be taught during inpatient rehab as a part of one-to-one therapy sessions. However, the most challenging time during recovery isn’t the time spent in rehab, but rather the return home.
An inpatient rehab facility provides a calm, safe and supportive environment free from temptation, with medical supervision during the withdrawal period. This makes getting a drug out of your system relatively simple, even if it doesn’t feel easy at the time. Returning home to an environment where you’re faced with the stresses of day-to-day life — along with temptations from friends who may still indulge in illicit substances — presents a new set of challenges.
Ongoing support groups, talk therapy and even CBT textbooks can help maintain motivation and accountability and prevent a relapse. Some common relapse prevention options include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy. This form of therapy is usually used as a short-term tool to help people identify negative thought patterns, triggers and urges so they can redirect or reframe them and turn them into positive behaviors. Not everyone responds well to CBT, but for those it works well for, it can be an impactful form of treatment.
- Talk therapy. Individuals struggling with mental health challenges, such as anxiety or depression, may need additional support to overcome those challenges. Talk therapy can be carried out in a group or individual setting, depending on the client’s needs. For example, some people engage in therapy with their spouse or family so they can discuss issues they’re struggling with while having the support and guidance of a skilled counselor.
- Peer support groups. Talking to others who are going through the same thing can be incredibly beneficial. People who’ve never had to live with addiction often don’t understand that the urge to indulge in cocaine can persist for a long time after the drug has left the user’s system. Peer support groups offer the accountability of having others check in on your progress in your recovery journey, along with the opportunity to share your struggles with someone who understands the difficulties you’re facing.
Addressing Underlying Mental Health Issues
Recovery from addiction isn’t easy for anyone, but it can be particularly challenging for those who turn to drug use because of an underlying mental health challenge. Self-medicating with cocaine and other drugs is a common tactic, and it can lead to significant harm to those who forgo seeking professional help in favor of drugs or alcohol.
Many individuals who check into rehab facilities for drug addiction find that, as part of their recovery journey, they uncover mental health challenges that were the underlying cause of their substance abuse disorder. Once that underlying cause is named, it can be treated.
Talking about mental health isn’t always easy, but it’s a key part of recovery. Working with a skilled and compassionate therapist can help you unravel the challenges you’ve been dealing with and provide the tools you need to face life’s challenges in the future.
Building Coping Strategies for Lasting Sobriety
Beating the physical part of addiction is just one part of the battle. Just as smokers find themselves snacking or playing with fidget devices to occupy their hands and people who struggle with alcohol use need to find ways to politely decline alcohol in social situations, those who struggle with cocaine addiction need to discover their own coping strategies.
If cocaine was used as a way to dull certain emotions or to cope with stress at work, a good therapist helps the person they’re working with find alternatives. Whether that’s processing those emotions in therapy or looking for alternative self-care options that are healthier, the goal remains the same: removing the urge to indulge.
Getting Rehab for Cocaine
If you or someone close to you struggles with cocaine addiction and is looking for a rehab for cocaine that offers ongoing therapy, contact National Rehab Hotline today to talk to a counselor and learn more about life-saving treatment options.