Cocaine Anonymous: What to Expect, Find Meetings, and Hotlines

Recovering from cocaine misuse isn’t easy, especially without proper support and help. 12-step support groups like Cocaine Anonymous (CA) can play an important role in recovery from cocaine addiction, and can result in better outcomes, such as higher rates of abstinence and better mental functioning.¹ This article will help answer the question, what is Cocaine Anonymous, and help you find Cocaine Anonymous meetings near you.

What Is Cocaine Anonymous (CA)?

Cocaine Anonymous is a 12-step mutual support group based on the 12 steps of recovery originally outlined by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).² The main purpose of CA is to help people achieve and maintain abstinence from cocaine and other substances.²

CA is a spiritual program that can serve all people regardless of their belief system, as it is not aligned with any religious sect or organization.² While it’s true that 12-step groups rely on submitting to a higher power, this does not need to mean God or a traditional religious figure, rather, it can mean any source of spiritual support of a person’s choosing. CA also involves working through the 12 steps with the guidance and support of a sponsor and being actively engaged in group meetings.¹

A CA meeting can be open, meaning that it is open to CA members, their families, friends, and other interested people, or closed, meaning that it is only accessible to CA members.³ What happens in Cocaine Anonymous meetings? Most CA meetings follow a specific format, which can involve an opening and/or closing prayer, a description of the group for newcomers by the group leader, a speaker, and active sharing and participation by group members.³

Peer support groups like CA are part of the National Institute on Drug Addiction’s Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, which includes the idea that support groups during and after treatment can help support abstinence.⁴ Participating in mutual support groups is generally encouraged as a part of many rehab treatment plans, and can also be an important component of aftercare plans once a person has completed the initial period of rehab.¹

It’s important to note that some people may attend Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings instead of CA. NA is a 12-step group that is designed to support people in achieving and maintaining abstinence from all drugs, including alcohol.⁵

What Are the 12 Steps of Cocaine Anonymous?

The 12 steps of Cocaine Anonymous are the same as those used in NA and AA meetings.⁶ Cocaine Anonymous uses the AA text, the Big Book, which outlines the 12 steps of recovery.⁶ The 12 steps are:⁶

• Step 1: You admit your powerlessness over cocaine and that your life has become unmanageable.
• Step 2: You come to believe in a power that is greater than yourself that can restore you to sanity.
• Step 3: You make the decision to turn over your life to the higher power of your belief.
• Step 4: You make a searching and fearless moral inventory.
• Step 5: You admit your wrongs to your higher power, yourself, and another person.
• Step 6: You become ready to turn over your shortcomings to the higher power of your belief.
• Step 7: You ask your higher power to remove these shortcomings.
• Step 8: You make a list of all the people you have harmed and become willing to make amends with them.
• Step 9: You actively make amends with those you have harmed.
• Step 10: You continue to make a personal inventory and promptly admit when you are wrong.
• Step 11: You engage in daily prayer and meditation to deepen your spiritual connection in order to receive knowledge of your higher power’s will for you and the power to carry it out.
• Step 12: You carry out the CA message to others who are struggling with addiction, and continue to practice the above principles throughout your life.

Working through and practicing these 12 steps can prepare people to have a spiritual awakening or spiritual experience.⁶ People may begin to experience renewed faith in their higher power as they experience not only their own transformation, but the transformation of others in their 12 step groups.⁶

Find a Cocaine Anonymous Meeting Near You

You might be wondering, how can I find Cocaine Anonymous meetings near me? During rehab, people might participate in 12-step facilitation therapy, which is a behavioral therapy that prepares people to start the CA process, or they may participate in CA meetings as a part of their treatment plan or group therapy.⁴

You can find a Cocaine Anonymous meeting by researching online, calling the CA helpline in your state, or visiting the CA website, which, while it doesn’t provide meeting info directly, offers contact information and links to local CA websites where you can find CA meetings or talk to a CA member. Meetings are available online as well as throughout the U.S, so you can always attend a meeting regardless of whether you’re away from home for travel or work, or if you move to a new city or state.

Online & Virtual Cocaine Anonymous Meetings

Cocaine Anonymous meetings are available not only in person but also online and virtually. You can find these meetings by researching online, calling the Cocaine Anonymous hotline in your state, or visiting the CA Online website. Attending meetings online or virtually can be beneficial for those who prefer a more convenient meeting format, have transportation issues, or live in remote areas.

As with in-person meetings, you might also start this process during rehab as part of your treatment plan and group therapy/meetings or as a part of your aftercare plan to support your ongoing recovery once you’ve completed rehab.

Alternatives to Cocaine Anonymous

In addition to CA, there are other types of support groups for those struggling with cocaine addiction, such as Secular Organizations for Sobriety, which offers a secular approach to recovery, and SMART Recovery, which is a secular support group based on self-empowerment. It’s important to understand that self-help support groups are beneficial for recovery, but they are not the same as formal treatment.⁷

People may also consider entering individual or group therapy, where they might receive different behavioral therapies for addiction, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or contingency management (CM), to help learn skills that help in achieving and supporting sobriety.⁴ It can also be beneficial to explore the idea of entering formal rehab, which can help people overcome cocaine addiction.

Although the rehab process can vary from person to person depending on their specific needs, it typically involves detox, followed by rehab and some form of aftercare. There are different levels of rehab that people may enter, including:

• Detoxification, which provides medical support and supervision to help people undergo withdrawal from certain substances.⁷ The detox process may include administration of comfort medications, when there are no FDA-approved treatment medications, as is the case for cocaine.
• Inpatient drug and alcohol rehab, which involves living onsite at a rehab, participating in different therapies, and receiving 24/7 care and support.⁷
• Outpatient addiction treatment programs, which means people can continue living at home but will need to attend treatment on a regular schedule at a rehab.⁷
• Intensive outpatient addiction treatment programs, which are more supportive outpatient programs offering 9-20 hours of treatment per week.⁷
• Partial hospitalization rehab programs, also known as high-intensity outpatient programs, which are very supportive outpatient programs offering 4-8 hours of daily treatment.^7,8
• Rehab aftercare, which may include one or more supports, including support groups, sober living, ongoing counseling, or regular contact with your rehab.⁷

Start Your Recovery from Cocaine Addiction

CA meetings can be beneficial for recovery, as they are free and easily available to anyone who wants to stop using cocaine. CA and 12-step groups are based on spirituality and do not focus on one religion, so they can be adapted to suit most needs and belief systems. Peer support groups, in general, can provide many benefits to those in recovery, such as the opportunity to make new sober friends, the support of a sponsor, and the camaraderie with others who know what it’s like to be in your shoes.⁷

If you are interested in a 12-Step program or are already in one, you might also benefit from rehab. You can locate addiction treatment programs using the recovery.org directory.

Learn More About Addiction Treatment & Support Groups

• AA Big Book
• AA Promises
• AA Recovery Programs
• AA Frequently Asked Questions
• 12-Step Addiction Recovery Programs
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Marijuana Anonymous
• Smokers Anonymous
• Gamblers Anonymous
• Sexaholics Anonymous
• Emotions Anonymous
• Neurotics Anonymous
• Debtors Anonymous