Cocaine
Discover why Harbor Detox is your best choice for addiction treatment in Orange County.
lEARN mORE
Cocaine Detox in
Southern California
Cocaine addiction can be powerful and challenging to overcome. Rehab programs can help you deal with the underlying causes of your addiction so you can work toward recovery, but before you can do that, you have to detox. Harbor Detox is a professional program offering cocaine detox in Southern California so that you can stay safe and comfortable during this initial step in your recovery journey.
Understanding the Effects of Cocaine
Cocaine is a stimulant drug that affects the mesolimbic system in the brain. This is the brain’s reward pathway, and addictive drugs affect it, leading to compulsive use. Along with reward, this area of the brain regulates motivation and emotion.
Typically, dopamine is released in the brain, acting as a chemical messenger. Drugs affect this process. For example, cocaine binds to the dopamine transporter so that the dopamine can’t be removed from the brain. The dopamine builds up in the brain, leading to a euphoric high.
Cocaine was the third-leading cause of overdose deaths in 2021, even though it’s sometimes seen as less addictive or dangerous than other drugs. In a 2022 study, it was found that almost 25 million people use cocaine globally.
Harbor Detox is a cocaine detox in Southern California, as well as a provider of residential rehab programs to help you overcome addiction.
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Signs and Symptoms of Cocaine Abuse
The physical signs that someone is using cocaine can include:
- Dilated pupils
- Bloodshot eyes
- Rapid speech
- Sensitivity to light, touch, or sound
- Appetite changes
- Insomnia
- Changes in physical appearance
- Rapid heart rate
Psychological signs of cocaine misuse include:
- Experiencing excitement or euphoria
- Excessive confidence while high
- Depression once the high wears off
- Fear or paranoia
- Unexplained attitude or personality changes
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Mood swings
- Impairments in judgment
Signs of cocaine use that are behavioral include:
- Neglecting responsibilities
- Not meeting expectations at work or school
- Changes in hobbies or routines
- Unsafe or risky behaviors
- Suspicious or secretive behavior
- Unpredictable behavior
- Aggression
- Having trouble with authorities
Over the long term, with continued use, cocaine can lead to effects including:
- Weight loss and malnourishment from having a reduced appetite.
- Disorders like Parkinson’s disease can occur, caused by irregularities in dopamine in the brain.
- Cognitive impairment can lead to problems with decision-making and impulse control.
- Psychosis, including delusions and hallucinations.
It is also possible to overdose on cocaine, especially when combined with other substances, but on its own. Signs of cocaine toxicity include:
- Seizures or stroke
- Increased body temperature
- Convulsions
- Rapid breathing
- Anxiety and panic
- Chest pain
- Confusion
- Nausea and vomiting
When dealing with cocaine addiction, it’s essential first to choose a qualified medically-based Southern California cocaine detox. Harbor Detox offers individualized detox programs in a safe and calm environment.
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Cocaine Withdrawal and Detox
When you use cocaine for some time, you risk becoming addicted and dependent. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they are different medical concepts. Addiction is a brain disease, while dependence is a physiological response to the body adjusting to substance use. Your brain chemicals rely on the substance after use to function normally.
If you stop using cocaine when you’re dependent, you’ll likely experience withdrawal symptoms as your brain and body try to regain balance. Many of the withdrawal signs of cocaine are related to the drug’s effects on dopamine and the reward circuits in the brain that are involved with reward and motivation.
The increases in dopamine related to cocaine will reinforce continued drug use. Over time, as your brain adapts to having excess dopamine, it becomes less sensitive to cocaine’s effects. You need larger doses at that point to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
Stimulant withdrawal isn’t typically severe, at least in physical symptoms, but it can cause serious mental health complications. One such complication is dysphoria, which means you could experience depression and extremely negative feelings and thoughts. In the most severe instances, someone who’s going through dysphoria because of cocaine withdrawal could have suicidal thoughts or attempts. These dysphoric feelings can also increase the risk of relapsing.
Harbor Detox offers cocaine withdrawal treatment in an expert-led environment. We can help minimize some of the more severe signs of cocaine withdrawal and help you make it successfully to the next phase of your treatment program.
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Harbor Detox in Orange County, California offers a variety of drug & alcohol addiction treatment options.
How Long Will Symptoms of Cocaine Withdrawal Last?
How you use cocaine and the type used will impact when withdrawal symptoms begin. Using crack cocaine is typically associated with a more rapid onset of withdrawal symptoms—often just hours after it was last used. Other types of cocaine will usually lead to withdrawal symptoms within a day or two after the last use.
The withdrawal symptoms last around three to four days for most people, but some can be ongoing for several weeks.
Acute symptoms of cocaine withdrawal include:
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Problems with concentration and focus
- Slower movements and thoughts
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Increases in appetite
- Drug cravings
- Paranoia
Symptoms of withdrawal tend to vary a lot between people, with influences including age and general health, how much cocaine a person is regularly using, and how long they’ve been using it.
Before you begin a detox, we encourage you to contact Harbor Detox for help. We’re a cocaine detox in Southern California, also offering evidence-based inpatient rehab programs after you’ve detoxed.
Managing Cocaine Withdrawal
at Harbor Detox
While withdrawal from stimulants isn’t as severe in most cases as some other substances, it’s still very uncomfortable and challenging. A negative withdrawal experience significantly increases the risk of relapsing, complicating recovery attempts.
A professional detox program is the best way to stay as comfortable and safe as possible while going through withdrawal symptoms. A medically supervised detox is one where your body clears itself of toxins and substances while you receive medical professionals’ monitoring. If you need medications or any interventions, the treatment team can quickly ensure those happen.
If you experience mental health symptoms such as severe depression as you’re withdrawing, you might need mental health medications.
It’s essential to know the role of a detox program in the more extensive background of addiction treatment. Detox is a critical first step but not a substitute for rehab programs.
Harbor Detox is a cocaine detox in Southern California, and we also offer residential rehab. That allows our clients to move seamlessly from detox and into treatment so they can begin their new lives.
Contact our team today if you’d like to learn more about our detox and inpatient rehab programs.