Cocaine addiction treatment (Treatment of cocaine (and stimulant) use disorder)

What is cocaine addiction treatment?

Cocaine addiction treatment helps you stop or take control of using powder cocaine, crack cocaine or other stimulants, and rebuild your health and life. Because — unlike heroin — there is no substitute medicine for cocaine, the heart of treatment is psychological: a keyworker who coordinates your care, and talking therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you understand and change the thoughts, feelings and situations linked to your use.

Mutual-aid groups such as Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and SMART Recovery can add valuable peer support. Medicines are not used as a substitute, but short-term medicines may sometimes help related problems such as poor sleep — used briefly, because some sleep medicines can be addictive themselves.

Treatment can greatly improve your health, mood and daily life, but it cannot guarantee you will never use again. Addiction is a health condition, not a moral failing, and recovery is very possible. Relapse is common and is part of the process, not proof of failure.

You do not have to pay. Free NHS and charity drug services are available across the UK, and you can usually refer yourself.

Types, options & approaches

There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.

Options at a glance

These are the main approaches described in this guide. The right option depends on the diagnosis, your goals and what your clinician thinks is safe.

Preparing for your treatment

• Have a confidential assessment first, so the right plan can be agreed; a urine or saliva test may be used.
• Be honest about how much you use and how often, and about any other drugs or alcohol — mixing cocaine with alcohol or opioids is especially risky.
• Tell the team about any chest pain, palpitations, blackouts, or mental health problems such as anxiety, paranoia or low mood.
• List your medicines and health conditions.
• Think about your triggers and goals, and who can support you.
• You can usually self-refer to a free NHS or charity service; you do not need to pay to get help.
• Ask at the start what is confidential and what to do in an emergency.

What happens

Treatment starts with a confidential assessment of your cocaine use, any other drug or alcohol use, your health and your circumstances. Staff may ask for a urine or saliva sample, and you are given a keyworker who helps plan and coordinate your treatment.

Because there is no substitute medicine for cocaine, the plan centres on psychological therapy — usually CBT — to help you understand and change your use, along with practical support. Some services use contingency management, offering small incentives for engagement or drug-free tests. Peer support through groups such as Cocaine Anonymous or SMART Recovery is encouraged.

Where relevant, short-term medicines may help related problems such as poor sleep, used briefly to avoid creating a new dependence. Any heart symptoms or mental health needs are taken seriously and addressed. Your progress is reviewed regularly and the plan is adjusted with you. Most treatment is as an outpatient, with residential rehabilitation reserved for more complex needs.

Is this treatment right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Cocaine itself carries real risks to the heart and mental health, and these can be serious — chest pain, a racing or irregular heartbeat, severe agitation or paranoia all need urgent attention. Mixing cocaine with alcohol or opioids increases the danger. The treatment itself is talking-based and low-risk, but stopping can briefly worsen mood and sleep. Ask your team about your specific risks, how to look after your heart and mental health, and what to do in an emergency.

Published figures to discuss

Outcomes after cocaine treatment vary widely with severity, other substance use, mental and physical health and social support, and there is no substitute medicine to fall back on. Relapse is common and does not mean treatment has failed. Because reliable single figures depend heavily on the population and programme studied, we describe risks and benefits in plain terms rather than quoting precise percentages.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

What happens afterwards

Recovery from cocaine addiction is a process, not a single event. 'Afterwards' here means how things change over the weeks and months after treatment begins.

• Strong cravings that come in waves, especially around old triggers.
• Low mood, irritability and tiredness in the first days and weeks (the 'crash').
• Disturbed sleep and changeable mood early on.
• Feeling clearer and more in control as therapy skills build.
• Lapses or relapse — common, and a reason to get support rather than give up.

Aftercare

• Keep therapy and keyworker appointments, and be honest about lapses.
• Identify your triggers and have a written plan for handling them.
• Use peer support such as Cocaine Anonymous, NA or SMART Recovery if it helps, and involve supportive family.
• Avoid mixing cocaine with alcohol or other drugs, which is especially dangerous.
• Look after your heart and mental health, and report chest pain, palpitations or worsening mood.
• Use any short-term sleep help only as prescribed, to avoid a new dependence.
• If you relapse, contact your service rather than struggling alone.
• Save crisis numbers: 999, Samaritans 116 123, and the FRANK drugs helpline 0300 123 6600.

• Assessment booked or completed
• Keyworker and care plan in place
• Therapy or support sessions booked
• Triggers and a relapse plan written down
• Support people identified, and peer groups noted
• Plan for looking after heart and mental health
• Crisis numbers saved (999, Samaritans 116 123, FRANK 0300 123 6600)

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Chest pain, a racing or irregular heartbeat, severe breathlessness or collapse — call 999, this can be a heart emergency.
• Severe agitation, paranoia, or seeing or hearing things that are not there.
• Thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life — contact your GP; for urgent advice use NHS 111 in England, Scotland or Wales, or in Northern Ireland your GP out-of-hours service; you can call Samaritans on 116 123 at any time, or 999 if you are in immediate danger.
• A very high temperature, fits (seizures), or a severe headache.
• Signs of overdose or serious reaction after mixing cocaine with alcohol or other drugs — call 999.
• Rapidly worsening mood, especially with thoughts of self-harm.

Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your psychiatrist gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

Good treatment helps you stop or take control of cocaine use, builds skills to handle triggers, and improves your mood, sleep and daily life. Because there is no substitute medicine, success comes mainly from psychological therapy, support and your own efforts, often with peer groups — and many people do well.

Treatment cannot guarantee you will never use again, and relapse is common — it is part of the condition, not proof that treatment has failed. The honest measure of success is steady improvement in health and life, with setbacks treated as something to learn from. Be wary of any provider promising a guaranteed cure.

Staying well after cocaine addiction is an ongoing process. Without a maintenance medicine, the lasting protection comes from the skills you build in therapy, your support network and your routines. Triggers and cravings can return, especially in old situations, so a relapse plan and continued peer support matter long term. Many people stay well, and many have setbacks along the way — both can be part of a successful recovery.

Related tests, treatments or support

Cocaine treatment is often combined with support for mental health, because anxiety, depression and the low mood that follows stopping frequently sit alongside cocaine use. It is also combined with treatment for any other drug or alcohol use, care for the heart and physical health, and support for family members affected by your use.

Follow-up & long-term care

You will have a keyworker and regular reviews of your progress and goals. Therapy continues over weeks to months, with peer support encouraged alongside. If you relapse or your circumstances change, your plan is adjusted rather than withdrawn, and you can get back in touch at any time.

• Keep using therapy skills and peer support after formal treatment ends.
• Maintain routines around sleep, activity and avoiding triggers.
• Have a written relapse plan and know who to contact.
• Look after your heart and mental health, and seek help for warning signs.
• Attend follow-up and ask for help early if cravings or low mood return.

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• Treatment goals may change over time between stopping, cutting down and staying safer.
• The therapy approach may be adjusted, and contingency management or group work added.
• Relapse usually leads to a revised plan rather than discharge from treatment.
• More intensive treatment, such as residential rehab, may be considered if community treatment is not working.

Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.

What good aftercare looks like

• A keyworker and clear plan, with regular review of progress and goals.
• Ongoing therapy and access to peer support such as Cocaine Anonymous or SMART Recovery.
• A written relapse plan and an easy route back into treatment.
• Attention to heart and mental health, with clear emergency advice including 999 for chest pain.
• Support for affected family members.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• The type and amount of psychological therapy provided (number and length of sessions).
• Whether contingency management or group programmes are included.
• Level of keyworker and care-coordination support.
• Whether residential rehabilitation is involved, and for how long.
• Treatment of related problems, such as sleep, mood or heart health.
• Seniority of the clinician (for example a consultant addiction psychiatrist).
• Aftercare, relapse support and family support included.

• The clinician's or service's fees and what the treatment plan covers.
• What psychological therapy is provided and how many sessions.
• Whether any tests or assessments are included or charged separately.
• Aftercare and relapse support, and what happens if you relapse.
• If residential care is offered, the length of stay and what is included.
• Cancellation policy and what happens if the plan changes.
• Confirmation that free NHS and charity options have been explained.

On the NHS? Cocaine treatment is available free on the NHS and through charities across the UK, often by self-referral; private treatment may be used for speed, choice or privacy, but you do not need to pay to get help.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a specialist safely

• Check the psychiatrist is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
• You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the psychiatrist who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good psychiatrist will welcome every one of these.

• What talking therapy will I have, and how often?
• Does your service offer contingency management (incentives), and would it suit me?
• How should I look after my heart and mental health while stopping?
• What can help with cravings and the low mood after stopping?
• What should I do if I relapse, and who do I contact?
• What free NHS or charity support and peer groups are available to me?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the psychiatrist who carries out my treatment, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this treatment not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified psychiatrist for cocaine addiction treatment

Every consultant is GMC-checked and independently reviewed. Search by postcode and distance, or switch to a map. Ordered by rating, relevance and recency — never by who pays.

How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Cocaine addiction: get help FRANK — find drug treatment support near you Royal College of Psychiatrists — Addictions faculty resources Comparative efficacy of psychosocial interventions for cocaine and amphetamine addiction (review, PMC) We Are With You — free, confidential drug support nidirect — urgent and emergency care services nidirect — GP out-of-hours service (Northern Ireland)

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.