Quick answer
Cocaine use disorder has no FDA-approved medication, so treatment runs on behavioral care — contingency management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and structured outpatient programs. London has intensive outpatient and counseling at Cumberland River Behavioral Health, plus 21 SAMHSA-listed outpatient programs within 30 miles. Here is what the evidence says and where to start.
Cocaine treatment questions sound different from opioid ones — people usually ask whether something can take the edge off, and the honest answer is that nothing approved can. What works instead is a structured behavioral program, and London has a real one: Cumberland River Behavioral Health runs assessment, counseling, and evening intensive outpatient out of its Laurel County office, with the rest of a 26-program radius filling in around it. Here is what treatment looks like.
What the evidence supports
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is straightforward: no approved medication exists for cocaine use disorder, and treatment is behavioral. The approaches with the strongest records are:
- Contingency management — patients earn vouchers or prizes for drug-negative tests. It sounds transactional and works like crazy; trials consistently show it outperforming counseling alone for stimulants.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy — learning the cues, the planning, and the decision points that lead to use, then rehearsing different endings.
- Community reinforcement plus incentives — rebuilding a life worth staying sober for, with a schedule that fills the hours cocaine used to occupy.
One warning NIDA gives that matters in Kentucky: cocaine and fentanyl are increasingly mixed, so a person who uses "just cocaine" can still overdose on an opioid. Carrying naloxone is not paranoia; it is reading the supply.
What the numbers say about cocaine here
- Kentucky recorded 154 cocaine-involved overdose deaths in 2025, down 19.4% from 191 in 2024, per the KIPRC annual report — and cocaine appeared in 79 of the state's 482 fentanyl-involved deaths that year.
- Laurel County recorded 17 overdose deaths in 2025 (Kentucky ODCP fatality report); counts that small do not get a public cocaine-specific breakdown, so residents see the state picture, not a county table.
- What Laurel County does show in detail is emergency department use: 149 residents visited a Kentucky ED for drug overdose in 2025, a rate of 246.5 per 100,000, and 14 of those visits involved a stimulant (per KIPRC's supplemental files). Cocaine and methamphetamine share that stimulant category in the state's ED data, so the split is not public — but the exposure is.
- Laurel County's population is about 63,000 (Census 2024 estimates), and London sits where I-75 meets the Daniel Boone National Forest — a corridor town, which is exactly where stimulant markets move.
Where to start in London
The SAMHSA locator lists 26 substance use programs within 30 miles — 21 outpatient, 5 residential, 6 with detox. For cocaine specifically:
- Cumberland River Behavioral Health (915 N. Laurel Road, London — 606-864-2104) is the practical first call. As the regional community mental health center, it offers substance use assessment, individual and group counseling, dual-diagnosis care for people whose depression or anxiety rides along with the cocaine use, and an adult intensive outpatient program meeting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. A 24-hour regional crisis line runs at 606-528-7010.
- BrightView London (2645 N. Laurel Road, 888-501-9865) treats the whole substance picture — relevant when cocaine use sits alongside opioid or alcohol use, which in Kentucky is common.
- SperoHealth (189 West Highway 192, 606-657-5470) provides integrated outpatient care with counseling and medical visits under one roof.
- Horizon Health (934 S. Laurel Road, 606-657-2030) offers outpatient behavioral health with an intensive outpatient program and peer support on a recovery campus.
Statewide, the KY HELP Call Center (1-833-8KY-HELP) refers to publicly funded treatment, and the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) is free, confidential, and always open.
Paying for treatment
Kentucky Medicaid covers medically necessary substance use treatment for eligible members, including assessment, individual and group counseling, and intensive outpatient programs — the exact services cocaine treatment runs on. If you are uninsured, ask each program about sliding-scale fees, or call the KY HELP Call Center for state-funded slots.
How to start tonight
- If there is a medical emergency — chest pain, seizure, severe agitation, unresponsiveness — call 911. For a crisis that is not medical, call or text 988.
- Call or text (800) 653-9376 to talk through your options with a treatment specialist, or send this brief form:
Calling is free; the referral service is paid for by treatment providers, and we check your benefits before you commit.
- Call Cumberland River Behavioral Health's London office and ask for a substance use assessment — mention cocaine specifically so the assessor plans for stimulant-specific care.
- Pick a start date you can keep. Behavioral treatment works on attendance; the program cannot outperform the calendar.
This page is general health information, not medical advice. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any facility named above.
Last updated: Mon Oct 19 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Frequently asked questions
Is there a medication for cocaine addiction?
No medication is FDA-approved for cocaine or any stimulant use disorder. The evidence-based treatments are behavioral: contingency management — real rewards for drug-negative tests, which has the strongest trial record for stimulants — plus cognitive behavioral therapy and community reinforcement. Disulfiram and a few other candidates have shown promise in research but are not approved for this use.
How much cocaine is actually in Laurel County?
The honest answer is that state data shows cocaine is present but not dominant. Kentucky counted 154 cocaine-involved overdose deaths in 2025, down 19.4% from 2024, and cocaine appeared in 79 of the year's fentanyl-involved deaths. Laurel County's own deaths (17 in 2025) are too few for a public county-level cocaine breakdown, so the state numbers are the best public signal.
What does cocaine withdrawal feel like, and is it dangerous?
The crash after heavy use brings fatigue, increased appetite, vivid unpleasant dreams, and a depression that can last weeks. It is not medically dangerous the way alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal is, but the early-abstinence depression carries real suicide risk, which is why clinicians recommend assessment and support rather than white-knuckling it alone.
What should I do if someone has a stimulant overdose?
Call 911 — cocaine overdose can mean chest pain, seizure, dangerous body temperature, or severe agitation, and those are emergencies. Naloxone does not reverse a stimulant overdose, but carry it anyway: cocaine in Kentucky is increasingly used alongside fentanyl, and people who thought they were using only cocaine die of opioid overdose.
Can I be treated in London without insurance?
Yes. Kentucky Medicaid covers substance use disorder assessments and outpatient treatment for eligible members, and Cumberland River Behavioral Health's London office serves Medicaid patients. If you are uninsured, ask programs about sliding-scale fees, or call the KY HELP Call Center (1-833-8KY-HELP) for state-funded slots.