California Cocaine Abuse Statistics, Rates, and Treatment

Negative Impact of Cocaine on Physical and Mental Health

Cocaine may prevent some of the chemical messengers in the brain responsible for pleasure, like dopamine, from being recycled, thus creating a flood of these neurotransmitters and resulting in euphoria. Cocaine highs may be intense but also short-lived; thus, many people who abuse cocaine do so in a binge pattern, taking multiple doses back to back to prolong or increase the high. This can lead to the brain becoming dependent on the drug, and an addiction may form that is both physical and psychological in nature.

Individuals regularly abusing cocaine may no longer be able to feel pleasure without the drug and may feel anxious, depressed, restless, and irritable when not under the influence of cocaine. Cocaine withdrawal may be emotionally intense and may be best treated with medical detox where individuals are kept safe and withdrawal symptoms may be managed with medications and therapeutic methods.

Cocaine can also exacerbate underlying mental illnesses and possibly even cause mental illness symptoms. In some cases, cocaine may induce psychosis and may cause auditory hallucinations, creating a loss of touch with reality. Cocaine abuse and mental illness may co-occur between 30 and 50 percent of the time. Cases of co-occurring diagnosis are best treated through an integrated treatment program where the medical and mental health professionals are well versed in dual diagnosis disorders. [8]

Cocaine addiction may cause many negative health, economic, social, interpersonal, and legal ramifications. Repeated cocaine abuse may damage the cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal regions of the body and may increase the risk for heart attack, stroke, the contraction of infectious diseases through the sharing of dirty needles, damage to the nasal cavities from snorting the drug, scarring and vein damage at injection sites, and more.

In 2012, injection drug use (IDU) was considered to be the cause of more than 8,000 HIV/AIDS cases in California.[9] Cocaine abuse may result in overdose when breathing, heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure are raised to dangerous levels and may cause a life-threatening stroke or heart attack. Between January and April 7, 2014, cocaine abuse was the cause of 1.4 percent of all calls to poison control centers in Los Angeles County and was present in 11.9 percent of LA County coroner’s toxicology reports.[10] Cocaine also accounted for 7.2 per 100,000 population visits to emergency departments (EDs) in 2012 in Los Angeles County.[11]

California Crime Rates and Economic Costs

Drug abuse and dependency are major drains on the economy and have significant costs to society as a whole. Illicit drugs, which includes cocaine, are thought to cost society overall close to $200 billion annually, as individuals abusing or dependent on these drugs may need more healthcare, be less productive at work, and may be more likely to involved in crimes or incur legal or criminal justice expenses.[12] Domestic violence, property crimes, sexual assault, and other offenses may be more common when someone is addicted to or under the influence of drugs.

In California in 2009, there were 113,000 adult felony drug arrests, and 38 percent of them were for narcotic drugs such as cocaine.[13] In 2010, there were more than 30,000 people in California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) system for drug-related felonies.[14] These numbers may not include the crimes that may be committed in the attempt to score more drugs, or while impaired by drugs, or crimes that may be committed due to drug addiction.

Cocaine has been historically linked to increased violence and violent crimes. In 2007, almost 4 percent of all homicides in the United States were considered drug-related.[15] In California in 2013, close to a quarter of prison inmates tested positive for drugs and 2 percent of those were positive for cocaine.[16]

In California, there are 202 drug courts operating to provide nonviolent offenders with an alternative to prison and access to treatment for individuals abusing or dependent on substances like cocaine.[17] There are adult drug courts, juvenile ones, and family drug courts, all with the intention of helping people get the care they may need to recover, instead of just locking them up in prison. The drug court system may provide initial assessments and referrals to treatment programs and provides an important link to public treatment programs in an attempt to prevent future crimes.

In addition to legal or criminal justice concerns, cocaine addiction may also create problems within families and cause financial strain as individuals struggling with addiction may find it difficult to maintain employment. In addition, money may be spent on drugs instead of necessities. Children may be neglected as the result of drug abuse or addiction as well. Cocaine addiction affects all aspects of a person’s life, but treatment can really help turn things around.

Cocaine Treatment Options in California

Addiction can be successfully treated in a variety of settings and through a range of methods. In general, there are two main treatment types:- private, or fee-for service, and public treatment programs that are paid for through state and county resources. In California, public options are run through individual county offices. Public programs serve the population as a whole and provide treatment options for free or low-cost for individuals who need it.

In California, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Services Division develops and supports addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery programs within the state.[22] As a general rule, individuals may first visit their primary care physician for a referral to a public and county-run SUD program. Private programs may not need an initial referral. Private programs may accept most insurance plans and typically offer flexible funding plans as well. Almost 1 million Californians aged 12 and older each year between 2009 and 2013 were considered to be suffering from drug dependence or abuse, and only 12.6 percent of those needing treatment actually got the services they needed in a public treatment program.[23] Private treatment programs may serve to help bridge this gap.

Both private and public treatment providers may offer a range of services depending on what an individual may need. Unique populations like pregnant women, children, and the elderly may benefit from a specialty program, for example. People who have abused cocaine for a long time, or who may be abusing multiple substances at a time, may be more dependent on the drug and may benefit from a more structured or stringent program, such as intensive outpatient treatment or residential treatment. Outpatient treatment models may be best suited for individuals with involved support systems at home since they will return home each night. Residential treatment may be the most comprehensive option and can provide the chance to build a strong base before returning back home. Both of these programs may start with a medical detox program first to help a person become physically stable.

There is no FDA-approved drug to treat cocaine addiction at this point; however, several drugs have been promising and may be used off-label during detox, treatment, and recovery. In general, treatment for cocaine addiction is likely to include both pharmacological and behavioral methods.[24]

Beyond the treatment window itself, many organizations and programs may provide education, prevention, and recovery services. Support groups and transitional programs can help foster recovery by helping to close the gap between treatment and sustained recovery and provide ongoing services.

Each individual California county will have local and community resources available as well as local private and public treatment options for cocaine abuse, addiction, and mental health concerns.