NCJ Number
130520
Date Published
1991
Length
207 pages
Annotation
This book for cocaine users and the professionals who work with them discusses the development and effects of cocaine addiction and presents the basic principles of recovery from such addiction.
Abstract
Part One describes the history of cocaine use, the complications of cocaine use, and the cocaine addiction cycle. The discussion of the complications of cocaine use addresses its effects on the body and the mind. Effects on the body are distinguished by the method of ingestion, i.e., oral, "snorting," intravenous use, and freebasing or crack smoking. Effects on the body pertain to the heart and other muscles, the liver, and the brain. The discussion notes that cocaine is most toxic to the brain as it produces the negative side effects of depression, slowed thoughts, no motivation, and an absence of life satisfactions apart from taking cocaine. Part Two addresses principles of recovery and includes discussions of detoxification, cocaine craving patterns, thought distortion, mood problems, the twelve recovery steps, relapse prevention, and long-term therapy. One basic recovery principle presented is that a cocaine addict must assess commitment to recovery and a drug-free lifestyle on a daily basis. The second principle is that the recovery reflex is a natural reflex of the mind. It occurs when each of the following happens to the addicted brain: the brain is freed from all mind-altering chemicals and their long-term toxic effect; the most intense conflicts of the past are addressed and at least partially resolved; and the mind is exposed to order and direction, usually through a spiritual experience. 10 figures, 4 tables, 30 additional readings, and a subject index