If you are a regular or even an occasional cocaine user, the last person you are likely to discuss your habit with is your doctor. Cocaine addicts and habitual drug users often deny their substance abuse when confronted with it. Unless your doctor has detected evidence of your cocaine use, you are unlikely to voluntarily talk to him about that use if you have no intention of quitting. When you are ready to quit, however, your physician is the first person you should talk to. He or she will probably tell you that if you try to quitting cocaine cold turkey, you may be endangering your health and you’re likely to relapse back to your cocaine habit when your cocaine cravings kick into high gear. Cocaine recovery is possible, though.
Cocaine Detox & Withdrawal
Regardless of whether you are chemically or psychologically addicted to cocaine, you will experience detox and withdrawal symptoms when you abruptly stop using it.[1] Those symptoms include agitation and restlessness, depression, fatigue, and a general sense of listlessness. Your symptoms will include physical ailments if you are chemically addicted to cocaine and you will experience intense cravings for the drug that will last for several days after your last use. These cravings will give rise to suicidal thoughts and episodes of intense emotional turmoil and anger.
Getting Cocaine Recovery Help
If you disclose your intention of quitting cocaine cold turkey to your physician, he can recommend better techniques and further therapy that will help you handle all of your withdrawal symptoms. He should discuss how you can change your routines and habits to minimize a risk of relapse. If you are willing to sign in to a rehab facility, he can also refer you to inpatient medical detox and withdrawal center where your symptoms will be monitored until they begin to abate. He will not, however, prescribe any pharmaceuticals or other medications to ease you through withdrawal and detox.
If he has experience with helping habitual cocaine users and addicts who want to quit, he will probably explain that your two options are going through detox alone and detoxing in a care facility. In both cases, he should recommend that you prepare yourself both physically and mentally to endure the crash period that accompanies cocaine withdrawal. He may ask detailed questions to better understand how much cocaine you use and how frequently and under what circumstances you use it. He might also suggest a short period during which you cut back on your cocaine use while you simultaneously get yourself ready for living without the drug.
Don’t Attempt Quitting Cocaine Cold Turkey
You might understand all of this without a physician’s consultation and still attempt to abruptly stop your cocaine usage without first preparing yourself. The greatest risk of cold turkey withdrawal is that you won’t have the tools to fight off the cravings and may attempt to treat your withdrawal symptoms with other substances.[2] Complications of withdrawal from cocaine can include depression, suicide, and cravings and overdose.
Those cravings will be strongest when you first stop using cocaine, but they can last for months following your last use. Your best option to fend off those cravings is to join and participate in one or more support groups with other recovering addicts who can help to keep you away from cocaine. Your cocaine use and abuse have probably caused multiple problems for you and your family and friends, and you might want to use those problems as motivation to turn your life around. A cold turkey withdrawal from cocaine can set you up for failure and additional disappointments with the people close to you.
Get The Help You Need From The Last Resort Recovery
The Last Resort Recovery Center near Austin, Texas offers a number of men’s substance abuse treatments. Before you consider quitting cocaine cold turkey, please contact the counselors and therapists at Last Resort. We’ll advise you on cocaine addiction treatment and how to get your life back.
