31 Mar Does Your Family Member in Edmonton Have a Cocaine Addiction?
If you have a family member in Alberta struggling with a cocaine addiction, you know how difficult this situation is for the addict and the entire family as a whole. People with addiction have difficulty maintaining healthy relationships with their partners and children. Children are more likely to develop an addiction themselves and become the victim of abuse or neglect.
The regular use of cocaine can damage chemical pathways in the brain, and those changes can make thinking clearly difficult. Albertans with a cocaine addiction may not even know they have a problem. Families can raise awareness through interventions. We offer Interventions in Edmonton and Calgary. If cocaine addiction treatment is accepted by the individual our trained interventionists and addiction specialist will be with your loved one every step of the way. Together we can all provide love and support, so the person stays in treatment in Alberta. We also can connect you with family programs and counselling so you too can heal and know how to deal with the addicted person once they return home from treatment in Edmonton. The freedom from cocaine addiction all starts with the intervention.
Cocaine and the Brain
The reason that cocaine addiction is so difficult to beat lies in how this drug interacts with the neurons in the brain. Inside the brain is a pathway called the mesolimbic dopamine system. This pathway is stimulated by rewarding stimuli, like food, sex, and drugs that interact with dopamine. The pathway starts in the midbrain section and also helps regulate emotions and motivation. When dopamine is released after something pleasurable (like food or sex) it binds to specialized proteins called dopamine receptors. This makes dopamine a sort of chemical messenger.
How Do You Know if Your Loved One is Addicted to Cocaine?
Some questions you can ask yourself regarding the behavioral and emotional signs of substance abuse include.
- Do they try to cut back or stop using, but are unable to do so?
- Do they use more of a substance than they intend to?
- Do they spend a great deal of time looking for the substance, using it, and recovering from using it?
- Do they use a substance in risky situations, such as driving?
- Do they continue taking the substance, despite knowing the substance causes a physical or emotional condition to get worse?
- Are they unable to manage their responsibilities including home, school, or work?
- Do they give up important activities in order to use them?
- Do they continue to use a substance, even knowing that it causes problems in relationships?
- Does your loved one show physical signs of abuse, such as taking more of the drug to get high or craving it?
Having at least two of these signs in the past 12 months could indicate that the person has a substance use disorder in Edmonton or elsewhere in Alberta.
Side Effects of Cocaine Withdrawal in Alberta
People almost immediately suffer an emotional crash after a cocaine binge. Cravings can last for months after giving up the drug. There are some side effects that make it hard to tackle a cocaine addiction. These include the following.
- Headaches
- Muscle tremors
- Lack of energy both mental and physical
- Nervousness and agitation
- Inability to handle stressful situations
- Increased appetite
Cocaine Addiction and the Role of the Family in Edmonton
Family members and loved ones may be the best able to pinpoint when someone has a problem with cocaine abuse. Spotting and recognizing the signs of addiction and problem drug abuse is key to knowing when it is time to get help and it is never too early to intervene. When someone is addicted to cocaine, much time may be focused on finding a way to get the drug, using it, and then coming down and recovering from the drug’s effects. The person may shirk normal duties and be unreliable. Loved ones may notice a decline in work production or slide-in school grades. Physical health may also be affected as cocaine use can decrease normal appetite, resulting in weight loss and disrupted sleep patterns. Mood swings and irrational behavior may be apparent in someone regularly abusing cocaine as well.
It is important to take care of yourself first when dealing with someone potentially addicted to cocaine and not to let the addiction take over your life as well. If a loved one presents a danger to anyone, seek immediate professional help. You are not alone. We have Interventionists and Addiction Specialists available now in Edmonton and Calgary who can help you stage an intervention or even just answer questions and help guide you. Don’t hesitate to call us today at 1-888-960-3209. We can meet with you safely in Alberta or anywhere in Canada within 48 hours of your call.
In the meantime, we can offer some tips for dealing with a loved one addicted who may be addicted to cocaine.
- Educate yourself on the disease of addiction, specifically on the mental and physical effects of cocaine abuse as well as a potential treatment and support options. Remember that cocaine addiction is a brain disease and not a willful choice.
- Be patient and persistent while not enabling drug use or abuse. Make it clear that you do not support the drug habit but you do support the person. Do not make excuses for a loved one’s drug abuse or offer financial support.
- Set boundaries and be consistent in upholding them. Help the person to understand that drug use is not acceptable to you and that actions have real consequences without making idle threats.
- Open the lines of communication about drug abuse. Try to have any conversations about a loved one’s drug use when the person is sober and relaxed. Help your loved one to understand the way addiction affects everyone in tangible ways without being confrontational.
What is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug widely used across the entire province of Alberta. Cocaine is produced from the coca plant, and cocaine hydrochloride was isolated from the plant more than 100 years ago. Cocaine is sold as a fine white crystalline-like powder and is often adulterated with other drugs such as amphetamine or even heroin. There are two chemical forms of cocaine that are abused. There are the water-soluble hydrochloride salt and the water-soluble cocaine base. Cocaine users will snort or inject the hydrochloride salt or will freebase cocaine powder processing it with baking soda and water. Doing this is removing the hydrochloride, and producing a product that can now be smoked. Freebase cocaine is referred to as crack, because of the sound it makes when you heat it up with a lighter. Powder cocaine and freebase cocaine both produce different and unique highs.
Do I Really Need to Have an Intervention?
The need for cocaine intervention services in Edmonton is as prevalent now as it ever has been. When you are organizing an intervention for a cocaine user, professional intervention is still the best way. Andy Bhatti Intervention and Addiction Services in Edmonton and Calgary have helped many families by organizing interventions for crack and cocaine addicts and successfully getting them into treatment centers throughout the country. Intervention can be very difficult for a family to do on their own without help from professionals. Cocaine completely changes a person who is using it, more specifically, they become extremely manipulative. Whether they are smoking cocaine, injecting, or snorting cocaine, the level of manipulation with the family is extensive. Cocaine addicts often have the most people enabling them. This is one barrier that a certified interventionist in Alberta will help a family understand and break down. Enabling is damaging and makes it impossible to get a cocaine addict to go to treatment in Edmonton, Calgary, or anywhere for that matter.
What Does the Cocaine Intervention Involve?
Cocaine addiction is a serious problem that many people cannot overcome on their own. Many times it takes the caring and love of friends or family to help someone who is addicted to cocaine. While getting an addict to a cocaine addiction treatment program is vital, it is not always easy to accomplish. You may need a cocaine addiction intervention to take place to get the user into treatment in Edmonton.
An intervention is a planned event to provide help for someone who is addicted to cocaine but unwilling to confront their drug problem. Generally, an intervention specialist will talk with family or close friends of the addict and arrange a time where they can each express their concern and care for the individual in a controlled environment.
During a cocaine addiction intervention, each person involved will take turns speaking to the addict with the goal of letting them know they care and want to help them. A cocaine addiction treatment program in Edmonton or Calgary should be chosen prior to a cocaine addiction intervention so there is a set plan and goal for the intervention. An intervention specialist will educate the involved parties on the disease and the way the intervention will happen. If you know someone who is in need of a cocaine addiction intervention, you can call our toll-free number or fill out our request form and we will have someone contact you to help coordinate a cocaine addiction intervention.
Can a Crack Cocaine Addict be Convinced to go to Detox and Rehab in Alberta?
All forms of cocaine are addictive, but when crack cocaine is used the euphoria is instant and it immediately affects the brain. Crack cocaine addicts romance after the drug, and are continually chasing their next high. A crack cocaine intervention in Edmonton (or Calgary) needs to be well-planned because the time and place when intervention happens can change instantly. Crack cocaine creates an unpredictable level of paranoia when the person is using the drug. A crack addict can be missing on a bender for days, weeks, or even longer. However, what is different from crack cocaine than other drugs, is the downtime between these crack-benders. This is where the organization and planning are done while working with us. It is at the point when a crack addict is just starting to come off the drug and is feeling the guilt, shame, and remorse where interventions are most successful. At this moment is when a crack cocaine addict can be convinced to go to drug treatment.
The truth is most interventions are only successful when a professional interventionist is involved. They help the family layout boundaries and consequences. The family must follow through with their consequences if the addict refuses help, and most crack cocaine users will not agree to get treatment unless no other options are left. We help a family establish the bottom line and show their loved one they mean business. The end goal is to get the addict to agree to go to detox or rehab in Edmonton or elsewhere and gain long-term recovery from cocaine or crack addiction.
Long-term inpatient drug rehabilitation in Edmonton is an excellent option for cocaine addiction. Our intervention team in Alberta will help the family source-out the best possible treatment plan for the individual struggling and have a spot secured and waiting before the intervention takes place. Cocaine intervention with a professional greatly increases a family’s success in getting their loved one to treatment.
What Should a Reputable Treatment Centre in Edmonton Offer?
Detoxification
The first phase of a cocaine addiction recovery plan involves getting the patient clean of the effects of the drug. This is going to mean draining your body of toxins through withdrawal. The effects of a cocaine detox can be quite debilitating. A person going through this process will generally crash for several days.
There will be increased feels of cravings, agitation, and irritability. The person could also experience insomnia, nausea, and other physical complications. This is why going through detox at a certified rehab center in Edmonton or elsewhere is so crucial. There will be medical staff on call around the clock to monitor a patient’s condition.
If the need for supplemental medication is required, it can be provided right away. A patient will also have their vital statistics monitored for any rapid changes. The entire detox process could last anywhere from three days up to a week.
Residential Private Treatment Centres in Edmonton
Once detox is complete, the patient can approach their treatment with an open mind and clear head. The physical cravings for cocaine can be managed, but what is key to recovery is an understanding of the core problems associated with the patient’s need for the drug. These causes are often rooted deep in the psyche of an individual and need to be explored and examined.
Treatment work continues in individual and sometimes group settings if appropriate. In these environments, patients find positive reinforcement from the strength.
Depending on the particular cocaine rehab center in Edmonton, there could also be additional programs designed to broaden the approach of the recovery process. We treat each of our clients as individuals and as such we know there is no one size fits all treatment model. The centers our Interventionists in Edmonton and Calgary work with can incorporate holistic approaches like guided meditation, yoga, or acupuncture as well. Recovery from a cocaine addiction should take a healing approach to mend the mind, body, and spirit.
Individual Therapy
The private treatment centers we work with offer patients an individualized daily treatment program to increase their understanding of addiction and their continuing care needs. The patient’s daily schedule consists of a variety of activities such as educational groups, art therapy and sports therapy, yoga, massage, counseling, motivational groups, and family counseling sessions. Management of co-occurring disorders can also be addressed as well.
Individual therapy consists of a variety of different treatment modalities are used, including but not limited to:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- Grief Counselling
- Alternative Psycho-Educational
- Supportive & Expressive Therapies
- Co-occurring Disorder Support
- PTSD counselling
Group Therapy
Most group sessions are separated by gender in the centers we work with to best address gender-specific issues such as grief, trauma, seeking safety, and healthy relationships. Below are some of our group therapy that may be offered,
- Dual-Diagnosis Group (available at inpatient rehab level of care)
- Gender-specific groups
- 12-Step Groups
- SMART Recovery Groups
- Chronic Pain Group
- Young Adult Group
- Arts and crafts classes
Get Help Today For You and Your Loved One in Edmonton
At Andy Bhatti Addiction Specialists and Interventions we provide professional and effective addiction counseling and intervention services in Edmonton, Calgary, and several other locations across Canada. Addiction can often leave a person feeling lost, depressed, isolated, and misunderstood. A professional counsellor and Interventionist aim to resolve these feelings by offering insights on the addiction and different ways in which they may look to understand and overcome it. Take the first step towards recovery today and contact us today at 1-888-491-8589. We can help you in answering all your questions and selecting the right private cocaine rehab facility for you in Alberta or elsewhere.