Cocaine is a very strong drug, a stimulant that affects the central nervous system whether it is smoked, injected, or snorted. Though women have a 3 percent to 5 percent chance of giving birth to a child with a birth defect in any given pregnancy, according to the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists, that chance increases significantly for expectant mothers who abuse cocaine.

Cocaine Abuse is Dangerous During Pregnancy

No amount of cocaine is safe for use during any point of pregnancy. Every day is an important growth step for the unborn child and taking cocaine at any point could disrupt that developmental process. The drug crosses the placenta and affects the child during all parts of the pregnancy and has the potential to cause serious problems. Children born to mothers who abuse cocaine during pregnancy have cocaine in their urine and stools, umbilical cord, and hair; babies process the drug much more slowly than do adults, which means that the drug builds up and stays in the system for far longer.

Risk of Miscarriage with Cocaine Abuse

When cocaine is abused during the first trimester, the risk of miscarriage is highest, however, it remains a risk throughout the pregnancy. As fetal development progresses, cocaine use can mean the separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus, a condition called placenta abruption. If this occurs, heavy bleeding may follow and can be fatal for the mother and baby. Premature delivery is also a risk if miscarriage doesn’t occur and with that comes the risk of a number of complications, including death.

Other Problems Caused by Cocaine Use During Pregnancy

There are a number of different issues that mothers who abuse cocaine during pregnancy risk for their unborn child. Some of these include:

• The risk of birth defects, including abnormalities of the brain, face, limbs, genitals, and urinary tract
• Withdrawal symptoms that signify cocaine dependence
• Intense jitteriness and irritability after birth
• Interrupted sleep patterns and issues with sensory stimulation for up to 10 weeks after birth
• Central nervous system problems
• In later childhood, there may be issues of behavior problems, aggression, and inattention
• Learning delays
• Abnormal muscle tone
• Abnormally slow rate of growth
• Language development issues

Cocaine Addiction Treatment

If you are addicted to cocaine and you are pregnant, you can get the help you need to stop before you hurt your unborn child. Contact us today for information about cocaine rehabilitation programs for women here at The Orchid.

Darryl Graves’ was a cocaine dealer in Lynchburg, Virginia, and a convicted felon, so when he decided to fire a weapon in his home, he ended up with multiple firearms charges as a result, including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharging a weapon in an occupied building, and attempted malicious wounding. The alleged intended victim of that discharged weapon? His wife.

Cocaine Addiction and Violence

The court records say that Graves shot in the direction of his wife in the home that they shared in Lynchburg, Virginia. This one act earned him a total of 10 years with eight suspended for the shooting charges and then two years for having the weapon at all. But how did he get here in the first place?

Graves’s attorney says that cocaine addiction was the impetus for the latest issue. Graves was convicted for selling cocaine in 1996 and 2002 and though he received jail sentences for each of them, he still continued to abuse and sell cocaine after he was released. It’s well known that one of the effects of cocaine abuse and long-term addiction is irritability, angry reactions, and violent outbursts – and for Graves, it may have been part of the reason that he was unable to handle issues with his wife in a calmer, more collected manner.

Cocaine Addiction and Domestic Violence

Graves’ attorney also explained to the court that Graves’ cocaine addiction may have been due in part to his upbringing. He was raised in a home with both domestic violence and substance abuse, two factors that may have contributed to the development of those issues in his adult life. Selling the drug, according to his lawyer, is what he had to do to support his habit.

Cocaine Addiction Treatment

Graves’ attorney asked the judge to make the sentences concurrent, saying that with time to get the right treatment and to get away from the bad influences that were keeping him in his current lifestyle, he could make changes that would last and no longer be a problem for the court - or his wife. The request was not granted, however, and Graves will be expected to serve each of his sentences one after the other, no matter when or if he gets the treatment he needs.

If you are abusing cocaine regularly and you, too, suffered a difficult childhood, it’s important that you receive addiction treatment to help you deal with both the addiction and the early trauma that you experienced. Without treatment for both, legal problems, health problems, and more become a risk. Call us now to learn about the different programs we offer for women fighting cocaine addiction here at The Orchid.

Getting to work and maintaining a regular schedule 40-hour-a-week schedule is hard for everyone, and few really love to do it – unfortunately, it’s the one thing that almost everyone has to take on. When you attempt to get into a routine at a new job (or your old job) after cocaine rehab, it can be even more difficult. Why? Here are a few issues that often come up:

• Emotions. The period right after addiction treatment is a particularly emotional time, and many in recovery feel highly pressured to perform well during their first weeks on the job. Every little stressor can feel like a big deal.
• Problems at home. If you’ve had time away from a significant other or other family members, your return home can be bittersweet. Many of the old issues that were problems before cocaine rehab will resurface. It can make focusing at work even more difficult.
• Insecurity. It’s not uncommon to feel like you won’t be able to accomplish something you want to do or that something may be too hard or beyond your grasp. As you get more clean time under your belt and prove yourself each day, you’ll gain more confidence in yourself, but in the beginning, it can create complications as you try to learn a new job or get back on track at an old one.

When Work is Necessary After Cocaine Rehab

If people depend upon you to pay the bills or if you had to take out a loan to pay for cocaine rehab, then it’s necessary for you to get a job after treatment. This is the case for most people, but even those who are independently wealthy and don’t need to work in order to survive will still derive benefits from finding and keeping a job. It can be a crucial part of creating a new identity and life for yourself in recovery, one that doesn’t include cocaine addiction or relapse on any other drug. In other words, it can be a positive thing, no matter what the reason!

Finding a Job that Works for You After Cocaine Rehab

Though you may feel that you need to take whatever is offered to you, you can take steps to find a job that will serve you best in recovery. Here are a few tips:

• Be flexible. You may need to start a few levels below where you ultimately want to be, but paying your dues is a great way to advance.
• Consider school. Education may help you to command more money and better jobs.
• Don’t overwork yourself. Even if you can take on two jobs, working more than full-time in early recovery can be a relapse trigger.
• Avoid jobs that have you working around alcohol or those who abuse drugs.
• Be on time, follow the rules, and be prepared to work through problems logically.

Good luck!

One of the most important factors in anyone’s successful cocaine addiction recovery is the support system that patients create to help them through the tough times. Women, especially, need a strong emotional support system in order to be successful without drugs and alcohol in recovery –and many have found benefits to creating woman-centered system of support that is mutually beneficial to all.

Through woman-centered 12-step meetings, therapy sessions, and drug rehab programs, women are finding in larger and larger numbers that banding together can be most effective in helping them to stay clean and sober for the long term.

Woman-Centered Cocaine Addiction Recovery Meetings

There are a number of 12-step meetings and other support groups for those breaking free from cocaine addiction that are for women only. Here, participants can feel safe to share the stressors of the day, issues with significant others, and other issues that they may not feel comfortable sharing when men are in the room. Participants exchange phone numbers and often make themselves available for coffee or support when cravings strike. Often, women form lifelong friendships based on the experiences they have in 12-step cocaine addiction recovery.

Woman-Centered Cocaine Addiction Therapy

Group therapy sessions or private therapy sessions with a female therapist and/ or female participants can provide similar mechanisms of support found at woman-centered 12-step meetings but with a more psychologically therapeutic bent. Working with a medical professional means that you will receive medical guidance in addition to the support of other women in the group. A therapist who can help you navigate the emotional issues and issues of sexual trauma can be of great assistance in an ongoing recovery and is one of the best choices to make after completing a cocaine rehab program.

Woman-Centered Cocaine Rehab

If you are seeking woman-centered cocaine detox and addiction treatment, there are drug rehabs for women that provide just that. Here you will find an all-female staff and female peers who will help you through the process of leaving cocaine addiction behind. Starting with a cocaine detox to handle the physical effects of cocaine addiction and continuing with comprehensive cocaine addiction treatment, a woman-centered cocaine rehab can help you build a strong foundation in recovery and help you begin the process of working through trauma that occurred before or during your cocaine addiction and help you learn how to better handle the stressors that come your way without relapse. Contact us at Orchid Recovery Center to find out how we can help.

Nice, polite, unassuming – Dwight Gooden is nothing like most of the “celebs” that show up on Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab reality TV show on VH1. Once one of the best pitchers in baseball, Gooden has spent the last 20 years not playing for the NY Mets but fighting his way through five stints in drug rehab and almost no time – outside of rehab – spent completely sober.

Gooden lists cocaine, Ambien, and alcohol as his drugs of choice, but cocaine was definitely what has plagued him the most. It was a problem with that drug in 1985 that first caused him to be suspended, first for a couple of months and then for an entire season. It was also the drug that he tested positive for when he first arrived at the Pasadena Recovery Center on the show.

Alongside a number of actors, the father of an actor, a drummer, and an ex-con-slash-porn-star, Gooden spent three weeks in rehab in front of the cameras. When it was all over, he talked to ESPN about his experiences. Unlike others in the program, he didn’t try to leave or have any dramatic episodes. At one point, a friend of his visits and says something about breaking him out, but that’s about it. Climbing on the roof, participating in screaming fights, sobbing hysterically, or threatening to/ actually breaking out – all that he leaves to others in the programs.

Says Gooden: “I’m very happy now. At 46, I’m still learning about myself, but I am getting more comfortable in my skin. Fans have always been supportive of me, and it brings back memories each time I go out to the ballparks to think about all those great accomplishments.

“I’m just blessed to be here these days. It’s a good feeling. I have two boys in high school who are playing sports and I get to give back to them. That’s a good feeling.”

As far as his plans for the future, Gooden hopes to open a baseball academy in Newark, New Jersey, and teach kids how to play the sport.

Although he’s gone to rehab six times now, spent time in prison, lost his career, and endangered his child due to his continued cocaine addiction and prescription drug addiction, Gooden’s spirits are high and he remains hopeful. It’s a good lesson to learn from: no matter how much you feel like you’ve lost due to drug addiction or how long you’ve spent fighting to be drug-free, tomorrow is a new day and it could bring with it another great opportunity in recovery.