Detoxifying from cocaine
Detoxification means getting rid of all traces of the drug from the body. The process includes various interventions to manage drug intoxication and withdrawal symptoms. One of the main purposes for cocaine detox is to minimize physical harm and ease severe withdrawal symptoms of the users.
In cocaine detox several of these events are involved during treatment:
- The user’s assessment of cocaine dependence
- The physical, psychological well-being of the user as well as their medical history
- Psychological and emotional support of the users from family and friends
- Appropriate rehabilitation treatment that comprises of education, lifestyle change, and substance abuse treatment program
- Assessment of the current physical and mental state of the user like a headache, depression, and suicidal thoughts
Two ways of Detoxification process
As complicated as it may seem, there are just two ways to detox from cocaine abuse.
- Natural detox
- Detox medications
Natural Detox
Natural detox means drinking water, lots of it, allowing the body to naturally flush out the toxins from its system. The body will naturally cleanse all traces of cocaine from its system but this process may take longer.
For first-time cocaine user, natural detox is possible but the time frame varies. The body can get rid of cocaine approximately 2 to 3 days from the last dose. However, for heavy it would take 12 days to a month to naturally cleanse the drug from the body.
Using detox medication
Users may also choose to take detox products in the form of pills, powders, and drinks. These medications can aid the body to quickly get rid of the drugs from its system. They can speed up the elimination process and let users manage of drug levels in the body to test clean of a drug test.
Detox products can also help the body regain the vitamins and mineral lost due to drug abuse. These minerals may include zinc and niacin to assist the body excreting cocaine.
Water and cocaine
In summary, cocaine is a water-soluble drug, which makes it easier to flush out from the body. Users may need to consider these things when choosing to detox naturally:
- natural detox takes longer
- it would take even longer time for long-term and heavy users
- not the best method for immediate urine screening
Cocaine Detox Timeline
Users cannot just eliminate cocaine from their system without experiencing withdrawal symptoms. It is important to know what to expect during detox.
Day 1 to 3
From the last drug intake, within the period of 24 to 72 hours, users may feel remorse and depression. They may also feel hungry most of the times as well as irritable. Users may also experience insomnia and wake up to feeling down, disoriented and confused.
Day 4 to 7
Users may experience up and down emotions as intense drug cravings start to kick in. They might need longer period of sleep as they will really feel extreme cravings. However, these feelings will decrease after 3 to 4 days. Other withdrawal symptoms will also begin to emerge like:
- anxiety
- aggression
- apathy
- depression
- dysphoria
- loss of appetite
- irritability
- paranoia
After a week
About a week from the start of a detox program, users may begin to feel better, as most of the drug left the system. During this time, they may start to gain back their confidence which may include an uplift of spirit regarding the detox program. Cravings may start to subside but can start without warning. However, other symptoms may linger like mood swings, depression, and sleeping problems. After the first week of detox, users may still experience nightmares, agitation but have an increased appetite.
2 weeks from detox
Users may still experience nightmares and cravings from time to time. They may also suffer withdrawal symptoms like:
- hunger
- anger
- depression
- agitations
Maintaining a drug-free lifestyle
After a month in the detox process, users may still suffer from erratic mood changes, sleep problems and depression. Fortunately, exercise and a healthy diet can easily address these symptoms. The root of addiction may surface around this time, so relapse is common during this phase. Until now, there are no specific treatment programs that can guarantee full recovery from cocaine addiction. It is still best to seek medical help from doctors, psychologist and psychiatrist to fully recover from the addiction. These experts can address the behavioral, psychological root of addiction.
The hardest part of the program is breaking and overcoming the ‘binge-crash’ cycle of cocaine use. That can happen during the third or fourth day of detox. If users can manage their way out of that, most likely they can win their battle of addiction and stay sober.
A natural approach is seen more beneficial to recover from cocaine addiction because of it takes longer. Meanwhile using medications is like shortcuts, users may pass a drug test but can also give false recovery. Even though users can excrete drug traces, the physiological effects of addiction take longer time to repair. This along with the psychological well-being needs to be addressed properly to maintain sobriety.