"I remember being on a five-day binge and my daughter was hungry and tried to make a sandwich for my son. All I had in the house was a moldy onion and moldy bread. I hit my daughter because I did not want her to eat it."

Tanya

• Drugs Decide to make a change

  For many people struggling with addiction, the biggest and toughest step toward recovery is deciding to make a change. It’s normal to...
  For many people struggling with addiction, the biggest and toughest step toward recovery is deciding to make a change. It’s normal to feel conflicted about giving up your drug of choice, even when you realize it’s causing problems in your life. Committing to sobriety involves changing many things, including the way you deal with stress, who you allow in your life, what you do in your free time and how you think about yourself.
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• Reach out for support

  Don’t try to go it alone. Whatever treatment approach you choose, having a solid support system is essential. The more positive influ...
  Don’t try to go it alone. Whatever treatment approach you choose, having a solid support system is essential. The more positive influences you have in your life, the better your chances for recovery. Recovering from drug addiction isn’t easy, but with people you can turn to for encouragement, guidance, and a listening ear, it’s a little easier.
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• Keep triggers and cravings in check

  While getting sober from drugs is an important first step, it’s only the beginning of the recovery process. Once sober, the brain nee...
  While getting sober from drugs is an important first step, it’s only the beginning of the recovery process. Once sober, the brain needs time to recover and rebuild connections that have changed while addicted. During this time, drug cravings can be intense. You can support your continued sobriety by making a conscious effort to avoid people, places, and situations that trigger the urge to use.
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• Look for help

  There are many groups and organizations available to help you overcome your addiction. Once you have set your mind to beating your addi...
  There are many groups and organizations available to help you overcome your addiction. Once you have set your mind to beating your addiction you can seek help from one of the groups to help you accomplish your goal. Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, or Debtors Anonymous are trained to work with you to successfully beat your addiction. They are a mentor, a crutch, and a friend in a time of need.
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• Make a life change

  The first step to fighting addiction is to make a decision that it is time to make a life change. That life change will reflect your de...
  The first step to fighting addiction is to make a decision that it is time to make a life change. That life change will reflect your desire to quit your addiction. Your life change may require one or many changes be made to accomplish your goal.
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Keep a list of reasons to stay clean

This will continually remind you of why you desire to become clean. It will motivate you to continue through the urges, and give you go...

This will continually remind you of why you desire to become clean. It will motivate you to continue through the urges, and give you goals to look forward to.

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Have an accountability partner

Having someone whom you can look up to and to communicate with daily, will give you strength. It will not only make you more confident...

Having someone whom you can look up to and to communicate with daily, will give you strength. It will not only make you more confident, but will also add positive peer pressure upon you to give you motivation to keep your promises.

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Get new friends

Do not go around old friends which could entice you back into old habits. Cultivate new friends with new ideals to broaden your mind an...

Do not go around old friends which could entice you back into old habits. Cultivate new friends with new ideals to broaden your mind and thoughts. This will stimulate your mind to think about new horizons for your life.

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Stay away from the old environment

Your old environment will definitely be detrimental to your progress. Old haunts will be just that "haunts". Old environments will hau...

Your old environment will definitely be detrimental to your progress. Old haunts will be just that "haunts". Old environments will haunt you until you give in and fall into the old habits. It could take several years before the old environments will not affect you any more.

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Cultivate a new environment

By cultivating a new environment as you abandon your old, it will broaden your outlook. With the change of environment, you should natu...

By cultivating a new environment as you abandon your old, it will broaden your outlook. With the change of environment, you should naturally go toward the positive. Search that new environment to find new and interesting things to do.

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Learn a new occupation

Now is the prime time to learn a new occupation, or to further your education so that you can gain confidence and also an income to sup...

Now is the prime time to learn a new occupation, or to further your education so that you can gain confidence and also an income to support yourself. With a new occupation stimulating your mind, you will naturally have less time to focus on old habits.

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Stay busy

Find an activity or hobby to become engrossed in, occupying your time will mean that you do not have time to dwell on your old habits. ...

Find an activity or hobby to become engrossed in, occupying your time will mean that you do not have time to dwell on your old habits. Use this time to broaden your mind and your horizon.

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Don't Use Cocaine to Avoid Withdrawal

Cocaine is well known for the "crash" that happens after coming down from the cocaine high. This unpleasant state is marked by physica...

Cocaine is well known for the "crash" that happens after coming down from the cocaine high. This unpleasant state is marked by physical and mental exhaustion, and often, a low mood. The crash is part of the drug's rebound effect. Using more cocaine to avoid withdrawal will simply increase the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms when they catch up with you, as well as increase feelings of dependence on the drug.

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Avoid Bingeing

Cocaine users can find themselves taking the drug multiple times in one session -- this is known as a cocaine binge. The half-life of c...

Cocaine users can find themselves taking the drug multiple times in one session -- this is known as a cocaine binge. The half-life of cocaine is two to four hours, so the greatest danger of overdose comes from topping up your dose during this time period. You can reduce the severity of the crash you will get afterwards by not repeatedly dosing in the same session. For the best chance at a painless recovery, and to reduce the risk of cocaine addiction, let the drug wear off, get some rest and don't use again the next day.

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Stop using any other substances

This includes alcohol, marijuana, heroin and prescription painkillers such as Oxycodon or Vicodin. Prescribed pills, such as Xanax, fal...

This includes alcohol, marijuana, heroin and prescription painkillers such as Oxycodon or Vicodin. Prescribed pills, such as Xanax, fall into this category as well. But speak with your doctor before ceasing use of anything prescribed for anxiety, or a psychological disorder. Also, abstain from pornography, if it is an issue. Because of the way cocaine influences the pleasure receptors of the brain, any activity that overly stimulates those receptors, such as habitual pornography watching, should be stopped.

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Be prepared for the withdrawal symptoms

The initial symptoms include: depression, anxiety, tiredness and moodiness. Once you have been clean for a few weeks another phase of w...

The initial symptoms include: depression, anxiety, tiredness and moodiness. Once you have been clean for a few weeks another phase of withdrawal sets in called post-acute withdrawal. These symptoms can be: mood swings, apathy, lack of concentration and insomnia. These symptoms can last in varying degrees for up to two years.

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Begin Support Meetings

Attending meetings with peers who are experiencing similar addiction struggles can offer information, fellowship and support. Cocaine A...

Attending meetings with peers who are experiencing similar addiction struggles can offer information, fellowship and support. Cocaine Anonymous meetings are specific to helping a person deal with cocaine addiction and as a means to support the addict in deciding if recovery is right for him.

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Get Help From Literature

The books Alcoholics Anonymous (the "Big Book") and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (the "Twelve and Twelve") of Alcoholics Anonymou...

The books Alcoholics Anonymous (the "Big Book") and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (the "Twelve and Twelve") of Alcoholics Anonymous are two of our most valuable tools of recovery. In addition, Cocaine Anonymous publishes numerous pieces of literature to further help the recovering addict, including our books, Hope, Faith & Courage: Stories from the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous, and Hope, Faith & Courage Volume II: Stories and Literature from the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous.

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Recognize cravings as they are happening

Acceptable as a normal part of Recovery but do not give into them. Learn to deal with them constructively so they will dissipate and no...

Acceptable as a normal part of Recovery but do not give into them. Learn to deal with them constructively so they will dissipate and not lead to relapse.

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Exercise

is one of the best ways of beating cravings. Just make sure you don’t exercise too much (there is such a thing!) because you may end ...

is one of the best ways of beating cravings. Just make sure you don’t exercise too much (there is such a thing!) because you may end up substituting one addiction (coke) for another (exercise)

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Cravings

remember that these are natural but temporary. You can get through them and you can kick the habit. Ride out the wave rather than givin...

remember that these are natural but temporary. You can get through them and you can kick the habit. Ride out the wave rather than giving in to the craving.

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Withdrawal depression

Before you quit, think up some non-drug ways of cheering yourself up when you’re experiencing withdrawal depression. While they’re ...

Before you quit, think up some non-drug ways of cheering yourself up when you’re experiencing withdrawal depression. While they’re unlikely to provide the high that cocaine does, they will at least take your mind off it.

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Mood swings

may be a symptom of substance-induced mood disorder, or you may have had a mood disorder which was masked by your addiction. If you thi...

may be a symptom of substance-induced mood disorder, or you may have had a mood disorder which was masked by your addiction. If you think this may be the case, see your doctor, as they will be able to sort you out with treatment for it.

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Withdrawal Fatigue

This is exhausting, and the mistake many people make is to try and continue life at its normal pace, and fail in the process. Allow you...

This is exhausting, and the mistake many people make is to try and continue life at its normal pace, and fail in the process. Allow yourself the rest and time that you need – early nights and proper eating should see you on the way, and maybe a couple of sick days from work would be useful.

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Withdrawal insomnia

to combat this, develop a good routine of going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. Avoid self-medicating with over-the-c...

to combat this, develop a good routine of going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. Avoid self-medicating with over-the-counter sleeping products.

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Despite my best intentions to improve my life, I had a highly addictive personality. I would often drink 5-6 times a week and smoke a pack of cigarettes a day.

Steve...

Steve

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Withdrawal can be dangerous

...and even deadly. Please, consult a medical professional before detoxing!...

...and even deadly. Please, consult a medical professional before detoxing!

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Begin Today

Depending on your use and cravings, you can start with an NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting where you are likely to get some good suppor...

Depending on your use and cravings, you can start with an NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting where you are likely to get some good support and personal advice from others who have been where you are. If you feel you need more you can see an addition specialist who may also prescribe something to help with related mood issues and to reduce cravings. An addition therapist is also recommended.

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It gets easier after the first week

Breaking the binge/crash cycle is the hard part. The extreme craving that occurs after the crash begins to decrease after 3-4 days, so ...

Breaking the binge/crash cycle is the hard part. The extreme craving that occurs after the crash begins to decrease after 3-4 days, so if the individual can get past that period of time, they are more likely to stay abstinent. Psychological treatments are really all we have, but can help if you stick with them. There are some medicines, especially Topirimate (Topamax) which may help.

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Remember Cravings Are Time-limited

The ninth step is to remember that most craving is time limited to two or three hours. If you can use the previous eight steps to get ...

The ninth step is to remember that most craving is time limited to two or three hours. If you can use the previous eight steps to get yourself fatigued enough to fall asleep, most people wake up and the craving is gone.

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Find some herbs that make it easier

As well as making sure that you stick to a good diet and to drink plenty of water (which eases the process of quitting cocaine) you’l...

As well as making sure that you stick to a good diet and to drink plenty of water (which eases the process of quitting cocaine) you’ll probably be interested in some natural herbs and supplements that help you to quit coke. There are 2 known serotonin boosters that ease negative and irritable moods, help to calm you and make it easier to resist taking or thinking about coke: 5HTP and L-Tyrosine. You should try at least one of these.

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Don't trust the Euphoric Recall

Euphoric recall is a way in which cocaine addicts "romance the high" by remembering and exaggerating the pleasurable experiences of pas...

Euphoric recall is a way in which cocaine addicts "romance the high" by remembering and exaggerating the pleasurable experiences of past cocaine use, while blocking out painful and unpleasant aspects of the memory.

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Don't block the good signs: Awfulizing Abstinence

When addicts awfulize abstinence, they notice all of the negatives and exaggerate them while blocking out all of the positive aspects o...

When addicts awfulize abstinence, they notice all of the negatives and exaggerate them while blocking out all of the positive aspects of recovery. This leads the recovering cocaine addict to feel deprived in recovery and to believe that being sober is not nearly as good as using the drug.

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Stop Magical Thinking

Magical thinking about use is the belief that using cocaine or other drugs will solve all of their problems. This magical thinking is ...

Magical thinking about use is the belief that using cocaine or other drugs will solve all of their problems. This magical thinking is brought about by the euphoric recall ("Remember how good it was!"), and the awfulizing of sobriety ("Look at how awful it is that I can't use it."). It is also important to stop magical thinking about future use and to stop awfulizing your current sobriety. This will allow you to deal with the physical set-ups and let you know what to do to stop a craving.

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