Cocaine is a powerful stimulant. It impacts the reward system in our brain. Normally, dopamine is released in small amounts when we exercise or eat. But cocaine forces the brain, creating a “high,” so that the brain recognizes it as a survival priority. Eventually, the brain loses the capability to feel pleasure from normal activities. Due to a regular habit, it converts into addiction, and later, it becomes impossible to recover from cocaine addiction.
In the early recovery, you can face withdrawal symptoms of cocaine addiction, such as not feeling joy in doing an activity, but this is not permanent. It is your brain’s method of rewiring. Due to overdose and regular intake, your receptors have been downgraded. So it will take time to become sensible again.
Cocaine addiction affects mental health more than physical health. After taking the dose, within one hour physical crash happens. A person might experience intense fatigue, increased appetite, and vivid dreams. Along with psychological effects, depression and craving can be exhaustive.
While cocaine withdrawal is rarely life-threatening, the mental stress can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Professional cocaine addiction detox centers act as a barrier between you and the triggering environment. They provide a safe space with special care to detox from addiction.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to form new neural connections. Your brain does not wait for the right time to build new neurons. Whenever you develop some healthy habits over a triggering point, the brain starts building new connections.
Along with medication and exercise, your body needs hydration and nutrients. A major protein that is essential is an amino acid, mainly found in turkey, beans, and eggs. It acts as a building block for dopamine. Another one is Omega-3s, found in fish oil or walnuts. It helps in repairing fatty membranes of the brain cells.
Along with this, a deep sleep is also required to quickly recover from cocaine addiction. During deep sleep, the brain’s glymphatic system flushes out harmful waste. Make a regular schedule of sleep time because it helps in reducing stress and anxiety, improving mood, and enhancing cognitive function.
CBT helps you to identify and reduce automatic thoughts that lead to craving. By slowing down the time between trigger and action, you can strengthen the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for impulse control.
Research says that doing regular exercise and meditation can significantly improve mental health. It helps you to become stronger and avoid the triggering points and cravings. With mediation, you will gain control over your feelings, thoughts, and emotions. You can join several rehab programs for cocaine addiction, which offer both physical medication as well as mental treatment therapies.
Recovery is not a straight process. In the initial recovery days, you might feel comfortable, but sometimes, you might be suddenly hit by a feeling of fatigue and irritability. This is one of the post-acute withdrawal symptoms. You have to be patient during this brain maintenance period. Some sessions, like family therapy, meditation sessions, and group therapies, may be effective while facing coaine withdrawal phase. It will not only help you to quit the addiction but also help you to stay away from it in the future.