Overcoming a cocaine addiction and avoiding cocaine relapse is never easy. An addiction to drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, or cocaine creates changes in the brain, rewiring it for addictive behavior. However, it is possible for one to overcome these changes and live a long life of sobriety. Fortunately, there are a variety of useful strategies a person can use to prevent a cocaine relapse well after their initial addiction treatment.
What is a Cocaine Relapse?
Like many other illegal drugs, cocaine is a powerful and highly addictive substance. Although its desired effects are short-lived, it has the potential to wreak havoc on the human body, especially when ingested repeatedly over prolonged periods of time. Cocaine addiction can lead to several serious health complications, including restructuring the brain.
Oftentimes, a cocaine addiction rewires the brain, reprogramming it for addictive behavior. Even after a person detoxes their body and receives addiction treatment, the brain is typically still structured to seek immediate pleasures. Unfortunately, this means it is usually easy for those living with cocaine addiction to relapse.
A relapse occurs when a person who has become sober returns to the substance or substances they are addicted to. This is dangerous for a number of reasons, primarily due to the effects an addiction can have on one’s health and well-being. While relapses do happen, especially when a person is facing challenging situations or circumstances, it is best to prevent them as much as possible to preserve one’s sobriety and overall well-being.
Strategies to Prevent a Cocaine Relapse
Preventing a cocaine relapse can be challenging and often takes consistent effort from a person living with a cocaine addiction; however, it can be more manageable through the use of proven relapse prevention strategies, including:
Addiction Counseling
Counseling is one of the best options available for any person living with a disorder, including an addiction. Counselors who specialize in addiction counseling can offer those with a cocaine addiction an empathetic ear to listen and help advise them on how to cope with addiction. Oftentimes, those who engage in addiction counseling find greater success in staying sober. This is because addiction counseling offers needed support, the ability to help identify triggers for drug use, and assistance in determining which coping strategies work best for a person.
Anticipate and Avoid Triggers
One of the best ways a newly sober person can avoid a cocaine relapse is by anticipating and avoiding their triggers. Typically, a person with an addiction will use drugs to cope with stress. In this case, it is best for a newly sober person to avoid stress or anticipate it in order to cope with it without turning to cocaine or other drugs. By avoiding and anticipating triggers, one can set themselves up for greater success during recovery.
Strong Support System
An addiction counselor is a great way for a person with cocaine addiction to receive support to stay sober, but it is not the only option available. Building and leaning on a strong support system made up of family, friends, sponsors, and more can help a person maintain their sobriety, especially in challenging situations or circumstances.
Meditation
Another effective strategy for preventing a cocaine relapse is mediation. The practice of meditation forces a person to be with themselves and to shut the world and other influences out. By practicing this art, those living in recovery often find that it helps them cope when their desire for cocaine use has been triggered.
Aftercare Services
Preventing a cocaine relapse is difficult, but professional help can make it easier. Many rehabilitation facilities across the United States provide aftercare services. These services typically take the form of meetings, counseling, and more. The goal is to help provide support to those in recovery long after their initial treatment. By engaging in them, a person with cocaine addiction or any other kind of addiction increases the likelihood that they will remain sober and successfully prevent cocaine relapse.
Searching for Relapse Prevention Services Near You?
If you or a loved one is in recovery or currently living with a cocaine addiction and in need of assistance, contact us today! At Knoxville Recovery Center, our team of addiction specialists offers a variety of effective treatments to help an individual enter recovery and stay in recovery. Call us today to learn more about how we can help.
