Cocaine treatment in Alberta

Looking at an Alberta cocaine rehab for a loved one or for yourself can be a frustating experience. What type of cocaine rehab treatment in Alberta is the best? How long should the cocaine treatment be? Should the cocaine detox or rehab be out-patient or residential rehabilitation treatment?

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Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption process of dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement. The buildup of dopamine causes continuous stimulation of “receiving” neurons, which is associated with the euphoria commonly reported by cocaine addiction abusers.

Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. The duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include hyper-stimulation, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity, depends on the route of administration.

The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. On the other hand, the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. Increased use can reduce the period of time a user feels high and increases the risk of addiction.

Cocaine rehab

Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. A tolerance to the "high" may develop—many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Some users will increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users can also become more sensitive to cocaine's anesthetic and convulsant effects without increasing the dose taken. This increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after apparently low doses of cocaine.

Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, may lead to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. This can result in a period of full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the user loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.

Types of cocaine rehab

There are different types of treatment depending upon the severity and nature of the individual's drug addiction. In all cases though, detoxification is only the initial step towards recovery, and by itself does little to change long-term drug addiction. Detoxification safely manages the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal associated with stopping drug use. While detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicts achieve long-term abstinence, for some individuals it is a strongly indicated precursor to effective drug addiction treatment.

Under Canada’s Controlled Drug and Substances Act, illicit possession of cocaine is a criminal offence. For less serious charges tried by summary conviction, the consequence for a first transgression is a fine of up to $1,000 and/or six months’ imprisonment. For subsequent breaches, the penalty is a fine of up to $2,000 and/or one year’s of jail. The penalty for possession of cocaine is up to seven years’ imprisonment when the charges are considered more severe and are tried by indictment.

Cocaine belongs to a group of substances known as ‘stimulants’. It speeds up the activity of the central nervous system?the communications going to and from the brain. Amphetamines (or ‘speed’) and nicotine are also stimulants.
Cocaine most generally comes in the form of a white, odorless powder named ‘cocaine hydrochloride’. It has a bitter, numbing taste. The powder is taken from the leaves of the coca bush, found principally in Peru and Bolivia. The extract is then processed with different chemicals.

Producing, trafficking, importing and exporting cocaine are felonious offenses punishable by up to life imprisonment. A 2002 survey of the province’s students (grades seven to twelve) found that 2.9 per cent had used cocaine and 2.8 per cent had used crack in the last year. The prevalence of cocaine use was way less than that of marijuana use (28%) and alcohol use (56 per cent).