Crack is a crystallized form of powder cocaine. The drug comes in rock or crystal form, the color can vary
from clear to pink, or all the way to yellow. Crack got its name from the popping and crackling sound it makes when it is heated before it is inhaled it through a pipe.
Why do people need help to recover from crack addiction?
Crack cocaine is one of the most powerful illegal drugs available on the streets when it comes to psychological dependence. It delivers an extremely heightened euphoric feeling and stimulates the brain’s primary pleasure centers. Crack is twice as strong as cocaine and users rapidly become accustomed to having those sensations stimulated. The drug enters your system so quickly that compulsive use often starts after the first dose.
This drug instantly leads to a tolerance, which means the same amount of crack the user originally started with is not going to produce that same high ever again. The high is also very short lived, lasting only about 10 to 15 minutes. Most users say the high is very intense and instantaneous. Because of how immediate the high is, users quickly become addicted.
Treatment for this type of addiction is usually the best option because most users are constantly chasing after the original high, and professional intervention the only way to break that cycle.
Yet another Issue – Affordability
Crack cocaine is quite inexpensive, which makes addiction treatment even more critical. Even though tolerance rises quickly, meaning higher quantities are constantly needed in order to maintain the addict’s high, the drug’s price is so affordable that even people who live in poverty will generally find the few dollars necessary to purchase the low-quality substance.
What does crack actually do to a person?
After the intense but short-lived high, the user will never experience those first sensations again. They will, however, constantly crave more of the drug, feel very on edge, and likely become depressed. Many people who use this drug do not eat or sleep enough. They may have convulsions, increased heart rate and may even have a noticeable twitch. A frequent user could experience feelings of paranoia, intense anxiety, and may become violent before receiving treatment.
Regardless of how frequently the addict uses crack, or how much they consume, use of this drug will cause seizures, stroke, heart attack and respiratory failure, among various other health ailments.
What are the health risks?
Drug dealers mix crack with other substances to increase their profits. Many of these additives are toxic to the human body, especially when heated. In addition, the pipes used to smoke crack are typically made of glass, which causes blisters on the lips when heated.
What are the effects of crack addiction?
Besides the traditional effects of cocaine addiction, people who smoke crack cocaine experience many respiratory problems like bleeding, shortness of breath, coughing and permanent lung damage. Other effects can be liver, kidney and heart damage.
The Short-Term Effects
Crack cocaine affects the body more immediately and with more intensity than its powdered alternative. These are some of the short-term effects:
- Psychosis and paranoia
- Unpredictable behavior
- Depression and anxiety
- Dilated pupils and loss of appetite
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Convulsions and seizures
- Hallucinations
- Overdose
The Long-Term Effects
Seeking professional rehabilitative treatment for addiction is usually the only option to get someone off of the substance permanently and to help prevent the harmful long-term effects it causes.
Here are a few of the signs of an untreated addiction to crack:
- Delirium
- Mood swings
- Malnutrition, loss of weight
- Tolerance and addiction
- Tooth decay
- Disorientation; Constantly moving
- Hallucinations
- Respiratory (lung) damage or failure
- Liver and kidney damage
- Blood damage
- Overdose and death
How do I find the best treatment option?
There is no rehabilitation center that can promise any addict will achieve or maintain long-term sobriety. Any facility or organization that makes such a promise is not being honest about the nature of addiction. Every client is unique, and each must be treated as an individual, with the understanding that an effective form of treatment for one patient may not be equally beneficial to another. But with patience and commitment to rehabilitation, lasting sobriety can be attained by anyone.
The most commonly advised form of treatment for those struggling with an addiction to crack is inpatient rehabilitation. This type of program offers the best chance at recovery, focusing upon life skills, which assists the addict with adjusting to daily life once returning home. Rehab for crack cocaine users can be a lengthy journey, because it is such a potently addictive substance, however rehabilitation is worth the investment.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, we want you to know recovery is always possible. You need to contact the best treatment centers for your individual situation, and we are available to help you find those facilities, and answer any questions you may have along the way. Call us today.