Over time, cocaine use can create a compulsion to seek it out and keep using it, even when it causes negative consequences. This is an addiction. While addiction is a complicated brain disease, it’s also one that’s treatable. When you’re recovering from addiction to cocaine or any substance, it’s essential to have a relapse prevention plan in place. While there may be similarities in strategies, everyone’s relapse prevention plan is unique to them.
How Does Cocaine Addiction Happen?
Cocaine, a stimulant, increases dopamine levels in your brain. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter primarily associated with pleasure and reward. Cocaine use can lead to feelings of euphoria, more energy, and an increased sense of confidence. Over time, the brain adjusts to the rise in dopamine levels, reducing its natural production. Tolerance develops, leading to needing higher cocaine doses to get the same desired or pleasurable effects.
Chronic cocaine use can disrupt the regular communication that occurs between your brain’s neurons. Your dopamine regulation is impaired, and these factors contribute to addiction. As your brain becomes more dependent on cocaine to maintain normal functioning, you have intense cravings for cocaine. This leads to compulsive drug-seeking behavior, where cocaine use is the top priority above everything else.
By understanding how addiction occurs and the effects it has on the brain, you can start to understand more about avoiding relapse once you’re in recovery. That’s why psychoeducation can be such a big part of a cocaine addiction treatment plan.
Identifying Your Triggers
When you’re in recovery from cocaine or any other addiction, you should identify triggers. This is what will help you anticipate and manage symptoms that could lead to cravings or a relapse. If you attend one, much of this work is done in a formal addiction treatment program.
Some of the steps that can help you identify your triggers include:
- Self-reflection to understand your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions on a deeper level. You can think closely about your past cocaine use and analyze the circumstances surrounding your experiences.
- Keep a journal to note changes in mood or situations that coincide with cravings or urges to use cocaine. Try to identify long-term patterns.
- Therapy or counseling can help you delve into the underlying issues that led to cocaine use.
- Recognize situations that are high risk for you and could trigger cravings. It could be a good or bad situation.
- Pay attention to how you’re feeling physically as well as your emotions. Triggers can be emotional, like stress or boredom. They can also be physical, like sight or smell cues.
- Get treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders because when they aren’t treated and managed, they can lead to relapse.
Common Relapse Triggers
While identifying the triggers that are specific to you is a personal journey, some of the frequently shared triggers for people in cocaine recovery can include:
- High-stress levels
- Environmental cues, like people or situations associated with previous substance use.
- Negative emotions.
- Positive emotions like celebrations or moments of happiness.
- Social pressures.
- Objects, smells or sounds that bring up old memories.
- Feeling complacent or overly confident in your recovery.
- A need for more social support.
- Physical discomfort, like pain.
- Having unrealistic expectations about the recovery process.
- A lack of coping skills.
Relapse Prevention Strategies for Cocaine Recovery
By putting concrete relapse prevention strategies in place, you are better prepared to identify and manage triggers proactively. General relapse prevention strategies that can help you in your recovery from cocaine addiction include:
- Developing a routine. When you have a routine, it takes out the potential for unexpected situations or even boredom. Structure is an integral part of recovery, especially early on.
- Build refusal skills. If you’re in therapy, your therapist might work with you on role-playing scenarios, so you’re prepared to say no if you’re offered cocaine or you’re invited to take part in situations where drug use could occur.
- Create a network of sober supporters. Surrounding yourself with supportive, understanding people can help you stay accountable and give you a sense of belonging and community.
- Stress is one of the most frequent relapse triggers. Learn and practice stress management techniques. These can include deep breathing, yoga, or progressive muscle relaxation. When you have a toolkit of stress relievers, you’re going to be more resilient in the face of stress without turning to cocaine.
- Make sure you have a well-defined, personalized relapse prevention plan with specific steps you’ll take in case you experience cravings or high-risk situations.
- Participate in relapse prevention group therapy. This can be joining an outpatient rehab program for many people who are in recovery. During group therapy sessions, you share experiences, learn from others, and build more coping strategies. Having a group dynamic also tends to reinforce the commitment to recovery.
- Find hobbies and interests that are enjoyable for you. These can become a healthy way to deal with boredom or stress.
Other more specific ways you can prevent a cocaine relapse can also include:
- Participate in cognitive-behavioral therapy. CBT Helps with identifying and changing the negative thought patterns associated with cocaine use. It provides coping skills so you can manage your triggers and cravings and make healthier decisions.
- Mindfulness techniques like meditation help you stay present in the moment and develop a greater sense of awareness about your thoughts and emotions. This can help reduce impulsive reactions to triggers and increase your self-control.
- Attend a support group, like Narcotics Anonymous or Cocaine Anonymous, or a 12-step alternative, like SMART Recovery.
- Set achievable goals for yourself in both the short- and long term. Celebrate your small wins along the way.
- Minimize your exposure to high-risk situations.
- Develop a detailed plan that you’ll turn to in emergencies.
- Follow a healthy lifestyle, prioritizing your nutrition, sleep, exercise, and physical health. Physical wellness contributes to mental resilience.
If you’re struggling with cocaine use or other substances currently, please reach out to San Diego Detox. We can help you begin your path toward recovery and build a relapse prevention plan and strategy based on your unique needs.
