Researchers May Know When Cocaine Addicts Will Relapse

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on September 13, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News | Comments are off for this article

A new study shows that the most common time for cocaine addicts to be discharged from treatment is also the most probable time period for them to relapse. According to researchers, cocaine addicts are most likely to relapse between one and six months after abstinence. This is especially interesting because most treatment programs discharge patients one and three months after admittance.

“Results of this study are alarming in that they suggest that many people struggling with drug addiction are being released from treatment programs at the time they need the most support. Our results could help guide the implementation of alternative, individually tailored and optimally timed intervention, prevention, and treatment strategies,” explained Rita Goldstein, researcher at Icahn School of Medicine in Mt. Sinai in New York.

Researchers investigated 76 adults who were addicted to cocaine. These adults had all been abstinent for varying amounts of time. Some were cocaine-free for only two days. Some participants were sober from cocaine for one week, others one month, or six months and a few were sober for a year. Using EEG images, taken while the subjects were viewing pictures, some of which had to do with cocaine, researchers were able to better understand how the brains were working during these time intervals. Prior to, and after, the EEG, participants were required to fill out questionnaires and complete a monitoring test to determine levels of craving. The results showed that major cocaine cravings started to increase after 2 days to one week of abstinence. The cravings peaked between one to six months of cocaine sobriety.

Researchers are hopeful that this information will be used to educate families and shape treatment program curriculum. One reason for the popularity of a one to three-month program is that this has become the norm in treatment. Addicts are notorious for being difficult to agree to treatment, and it is especially difficult to get them to commit to longer time periods of treatment. Oftentimes families and loved ones make compromises on the length of the program to ensure that their loved one will check in. However, it is likely that most families are unaware that evidence is pointing to longer programs being more effective.