Substance use
Cocaine addiction treatment in Ohio
Outpatient treatment for cocaine use disorder in Columbus and Dayton, covering the crash, the cardiac risks and the cues that drive cravings afterwards.
- Ambulatory detox
- Available for this substance
- Treated at
- Ambulatory detox, Partial hospitalization, Intensive outpatient, Outpatient, Virtual IOP
- Where
- Columbus, Dayton
- Admissions
- (614) 665-8878
The immediate risks
Cocaine raises heart rate and blood pressure while narrowing the arteries that feed the heart. That combination causes chest pain, irregular heart rhythms, heart attack and stroke in people with no cardiac history. Taken with alcohol it produces cocaethylene, which stays in the body longer than cocaine and adds to the strain on the heart.
Powder and crack are the same drug. Fentanyl turns up in both, and in pressed pills, and someone with no opioid tolerance can overdose on a first exposure.
Chest pain and naloxone
Chest pain during or after using needs an emergency department the same day, and tell the staff what you took and how much, because it changes what they should give you. Keep naloxone even if you have never used an opioid deliberately. Ohio pharmacies dispense it without an individual prescription, and Project DAWN sites give it out free.
The crash
Cocaine withdrawal is generally not medically dangerous, and the withdrawal itself does not cause seizures, though cocaine use can. The crash after a binge brings:
- Exhaustion, heavy sleep and hunger
- Flat or irritable mood, and vivid unpleasant dreams
- Cravings set off by cues, including payday and the places where use happened
- An acute phase that clears over days, with mood and sleep taking weeks longer
- Depression severe enough to bring suicidal thinking, and that is the safety concern in this phase: if you are having those thoughts now, call or text 988
Detox for stimulants
Ambulatory detox is provided on site at both facilities, and it covers stimulants. A nurse practitioner and a registered nurse assess you and monitor the acute phase, with medication management as needed. You sleep at home. Where alcohol or opioids are also in the picture, the medical side is built around those, since alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous. Say so at the assessment, which covers everything you have been using, including the drinking.
It is designed for mild to moderate withdrawal that does not need 24/7 medical supervision, and not everyone is a candidate. There are no beds and no overnight care.
Treatment without a medication
No medication is approved for cocaine use disorder, and NIDA states that plainly. A prescriber can still treat depression, anxiety or insomnia, and any co-occurring condition gets its own plan. The treatment for the cocaine use itself is behavioral.
That puts the weight on therapy and on the schedule. Cravings are tied to cues: particular people, places, times of the week, money in hand. Relapse prevention is concrete about naming those cues and planning around them in advance. Group is the main format, with individual appointments alongside it, using cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing and twelve step facilitation. Family therapy is available.
Levels of care
- Partial hospitalization
- 5 days a week, about 6 hours. 4 hours therapy group, 1 hour relapse prevention, 1 hour nurse education, plus 1 to 2 individual sessions. Lunch provided.
- Intensive outpatient
- 3 to 5 days a week, 3 hours a day, 9 to 15 hours a week.
- Outpatient
- 1 to 2 days a week, 2 hours a day, usually a step down.
- Virtual IOP
- fully remote, anywhere in Ohio, with morning, afternoon and evening sessions.
- Walk-ins
- welcome at both facilities.
- Alumni
- ongoing counseling, help finding work and twelve step meetings.
Common questions
Do I need a medical detox to stop using cocaine?
How long does the crash last?
Is there a medication that stops cocaine cravings?
I had chest pain after using. What should I do?
Can cocaine contain fentanyl?
Where this is offered
Hope inspired
Talk to admissions about the right next step.
Outpatient addiction and mental health treatment in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, from ambulatory detox to outpatient therapy groups. Walk-ins welcome. Call now, or leave your number and admissions will call you back.
