Cocaine addiction has been an ongoing epidemic in Los Angeles County for many years now. In the beginning, it was most commonly used by snorting its powder form up the nose. However, in time, crack cocaine was invented, allowing the drug to be smoked using a glass pipe, sprinkled in joints or using other manmade contraptions. Some also liquify it and shoot it up their veins using hypodermic needles, or rub the powder on their gums.
It’s a very powerful stimulant that leads to addiction for any user who enjoys that type of high. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), more than 14% of all Americans over the age of 12 have used cocaine at least once in their lives.
During the second half of 2013, admissions for cocaine treatment in Los Angeles accounted for 6.8% of the local population of alcohol and drug treatment seekers. Its primary distributors and smugglers are within the Mexican drug trafficking rings and criminal organizations. Therefore, cocaine is just a border away from L.A., making it extremely easy to get it into the metropolitan area. Today, Los Angeles continues to act as a cocaine hub between Mexico and other US cities.
Santa Monica, CA Beverly Hills, CA Long Beach, CA Anaheim, CA Huntington, CA San Diego, CA Temecula, CA Riverside, CA
In the LA area, the most commonly used form is crack cocaine. It’s mostly dominant in Hispanic and African American communities, where it’s distributed on a street level by local gangs. This drug is often associated with violence in LA.
The two most common types of cocaine addiction treatment programs in Los Angeles are pharmacological approaches and behavioral interventions. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve a medication to treat cocaine addiction. However, many Californians have been turning to marijuana to help them kick their cocaine habits.
One type of behavioral therapy has shown really positive results over the years. It’s known as motivational incentives or contingency management (CM). This is an award-based program that awards the cocaine addict for abstaining from the drug. After completing treatment, experts advise cocaine addicts to attend group meetings regularly for life
Santa Monica, CA Beverly Hills, CA Long Beach, CA Anaheim, CA Huntington, CA San Diego, CA Temecula, CA Riverside, CA