Crack Cocaine Addiction Explained
Ever since the 1900s, people have been using cocaine, but it was in the ’80s when a new, more intense form called crack started showing up, first in American cities and then carried across the world. This type of cocaine quickly got a reputation for being incredibly addictive and really harmful. The crack problem has turned into a major issue for society, destroying lives everywhere and costing UK taxpayers millions of pounds every year.
What is Crack Cocaine?
Crack cocaine is simply a version of cocaine that you can smoke. Cocaine normally comes in a powder, but crack looks like white or pale rocks with a texture that can be a bit like hard wax or brittle plastic. People smoke it using a pipe, which hits them with a strong high that doesn’t last long. That’s why people often end up taking more soon after their last hit, trying to keep that high going.
People often say crack is the worst kind of cocaine to get hooked on. There’s a bit of a debate about whether it’s the actual form of crack that makes it so addictive or just that the high is so short and intense that people take more of it. The need to keep the high going can make someone spend loads of money on it every day.
In the UK, the law doesn’t see crack any differently from normal cocaine, they’re both Class A drugs. Getting caught with them can land you up to seven years in jail and an unlimited fine for just having it, or even life in jail and an unlimited fine if you’re caught selling it or been part of the distribution network.
Street names for crack cocaine
In the UK, you can hear a lot of different names for crack cocaine. Some you might know and some you might not, include the following:
- Candy
- Beans
- Cookies
- Nuggets
- Jelly
- Jelly
- Gravel
- Dice
- White
- Rocks
- Pebbles
- Wash
- W
- Cloud
Remember, the words people use for crack can change fast and depend a lot on where you are. One place might call it one thing, and another place might have never heard of that. It shows how these names can vary from one spot to another.
Methods of use
Most people smoke crack in pipes made especially for that, or they tweak other things to smoke it out of. Some even roll it into cigarettes. Another way is to dissolve the crack in something acidic and then inject it, but that’s turning it back into regular cocaine, which is more time consuming and not that common.
History of crack cocaine
Back in the late 70s in the US, there was way too much cocaine floating around, dropping its price by about 80% in loads of big cities. This got suppliers scrambling to figure out how to get people to buy more so they could keep their profits up.
They came up with crack cocaine, a cheaper, smokable type of the drug that still made them a substantial amount of money because people really got into it. Crack showed up around 1981 and quickly got big in city areas where it was mostly used in places that weren’t doing so well financially, mostly by people who didn’t have much money. From the start, the whole “crack epidemic” had a bit of a racial twist, being tied a lot to African-American communities in these poorer places, though it wasn’t just them used by that particular demographic.
Crack hit the UK by the mid to late 80s and caught on just as fast as it had in the States. Over in the US, they were already freaking out about it on the news and passing super strict laws, like people getting at least five years for having just 5 grams of crack. The UK kind of went the same way with how they saw it.
Even with all the media buzz, crack never got as big in the UK as it did in the US, but it still caused big problems, especially in the less well-off parts of big cities. Around 2016, they said there were about 66,208 people in England getting help because they were hooked on crack. It was most used around 2008/09, with 3% of people between 16 and 59 saying they’d tried it that year, which dropped a bit to 2.4% by 2015/16.
What is the difference between crack cocaine and cocaine?
So, what’s the deal between crack and regular cocaine? They come from the same active material, but they look different and you use them differently. Crack comes in hard lumps that you smoke and it hits you super fast, giving you a big high that’s over in like 10 to 15 minutes. Powdered cocaine is mostly snorted and kicks in slower and lasts longer, like 30 minutes to a couple of hours.
In the US, the law treats crack and powdered cocaine pretty differently, with tougher penalties for crack. But in the UK, they’re both seen the same way legally, both counted as Class-A drugs.
Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction
ends up being the biggest step of your life
Tiptoe if you must, but take the step
Why is Crack Cocaine so Addictive?
Smoking crack can feel really good, which makes people want to do it more. The high from crack is intense but it doesn’t last long. When the dopamine spike to the brain from crack drops quickly, it leaves a person feeling really down, which makes them want more in order to feel better.
Is crack cocaine instantly addictive?
Back in the 80s and 90s, when crack was always in the news, a lot of people said that just one or two tries could get someone hooked. That’s a bit of a stretch. Crack doesn’t hook you right away. But, the high it gives is so strong, it can make someone want to do it again right after the first time. This makes it more likely they’ll keep using crack and could become addicted.
Is crack cocaine physically or mentally addictive?
Crack is usually not seen as physically addictive. That means it doesn’t make your body rely on it like some other drugs, though the mental urge to use it can be strong. There’s a debate among doctors and mental health experts about whether crack or powder cocaine is more addictive. Some think the quick high from crack makes it seem more addictive because it makes people want to use it again sooner.
What is the difference between crack abuse and addiction
It’s important to know that using crack a lot and being addicted to it are not the same. Crack abuse is using the drug in a way that’s harmful to your health or to others around you. A person can use crack a lot without being addicted. For example, someone might use a lot of crack at once and harm their health because of it.
Why Do People Use Crack Cocaine?
People use crack cocaine for many reasons, all personal and tied up in their unique mental and life situations.
Here’s why someone might pick up crack cocaine:
- For the thrill or pleasure
- To push back against what their family or society expects
- To handle personal mental health problems
- To deal with bad experiences from their past
- To try and forget feelings like shame or deep sadness
- It can make sexual experiences feel heightened
- To break through dull moments
- Just being curious
- To blend in with certain friends
- If other drugs aren’t around
- Other drugs might make them less careful and more likely to try it
- They might be pushed into it by someone else
- It could be normal in their family
- They might not even know they’re taking it, mixed in with other stuff
- They could be hooked on it
Crack Cocaine Dependence
When someone uses a substance like crack cocaine often, their body can start to rely on it to feel normal. If they stop using it suddenly, they’ll probably start feeling withdrawal symptoms. We usually think of this as physical dependence, meaning their body physically craves the drug. But there’s also what we call psychological dependence. This happens when the person craves the feelings they get from the drug, which can make them feel really down if they don’t have it.
Crack isn’t typically known for getting people physically hooked, but it can get a grip on them mentally. The high from crack is so intense that users often can’t think of anything other than chasing that feeling, even if it ruins their lives.
What are the Effects of Crack Cocaine?
Taking a hit of crack gives an intense high right away. It makes people feel super happy, alert, confident, and full of energy, and it can make them feel more interested in sex. But this only lasts for about 5 to 15 minutes. Once it wears off, the good feeling disappears fast and leaves a pretty strong craving to take more to feel good again.
Smoking crack can make your heart beat faster, raise your body temperature and blood pressure, make your blood vessels tighter, and your pupils bigger. Sometimes, it can even cause death from a heart attack, a seizure, or stopping breathing, and this can happen the first time someone tries it.
Using crack a lot can lead to some serious problems. It’s bad for your heart and lungs, can mess up your liver, and mess with your mind, making you see or believe things that aren’t real. There’s also a risk for pregnant women or those breastfeeding, as it could harm the baby, but we don’t know exactly how bad it can be.
What are the Stages of Crack Cocaine Addiction?
Every person’s struggle with addiction unfolds differently. Still, common stages are often observed in those grappling with crack cocaine use.
- Initial exposure
This stage is about first encounters with crack cocaine. Users experience its strong effects and the hard crash that urges them to seek more. It could be just one time or several instances back-to-back. - Familiarisation
Users start to get used to the drug, recognising its taste and smell, understanding its effects. They begin to use it more often, feeling a growing urge to keep going. - Habituation
Here, taking crack becomes a part of everyday life. Getting and using the drug becomes as regular as anything else they do daily. The cravings get stronger and start to push out other priorities. - Addiction
This is when users can’t stop. If they don’t get their regular dose, they suffer severe withdrawal symptoms. Using crack is all that matters, no matter the cost to health or life quality.
The Signs and Symptoms of a Crack Cocaine Addiction
Spotting an addiction? It’s not always straightforward, especially if it’s someone you’re close to. People who are addicted? They often hide it well. With crack cocaine, there’s a big stigma and it’s often seen as a poor drug, which can seriously damage someone’s good name if people find out they’re using. Addicts might start acting sneaky or lying to keep their drug use secret. They might be good at keeping their addiction separate from the rest of their life, so it doesn’t cause trouble elsewhere.
But you can look out for certain signs that might show someone is struggling with addiction. Though, keep in mind, these signs could be down to other things that have nothing to do with drugs at all.
Physical symptoms of a crack cocaine addiction
Physical symptoms of an addiction to crack cocaine include the following:
- Really red eyes
- Lots of sweating
- Burn marks on lips or fingers
- Breathing fast or too much
- Big pupils
- Uncontrolled shaking or twitching
- Looking overly alert
- Coughing a lot
- Feeling sick often
- Problems with breathing or the heart
- Passing out
- Having seizures
Psychological symptoms of a crack cocaine addiction
These are some of the mental and behavioural signs of a crack cocaine addiction:
- Seeming really happy for no reason
- Can’t focus
- Thinking too highly of themselves
- Being aggressive
- Wanting sex more or differently
- Can’t stay still, feeling on edge
- Mood swings
- Seeing things that aren’t there
- Really wanting the drug, all the time
- Not sleeping or eating like normal
- Keeping things secret, lying a lot
- Always needing money
- Not caring about hobbies or fun anymore
- Not doing well at work or school
- Losing friends or family
- Staying away from people
- Not looking after themselves
- Might start breaking the law
How Crack Cocaine Affects the Brain
Crack cocaine significantly damages the brain by attaching onto dopamine transporters and stopping them from sucking back up dopamine. This leaves too much dopamine hanging around in the gaps between nerves, making the high from crack really intense and making it highly addictive.
Crack cocaine also effects the serotonin receptors, but scientists have so far not worked out exactly how that works. Serotonin’s is the chemical in your brain that helps keep you feeling good and stable.
In addition, crack blocks channels in your nerves that would normally send pain signals, so taking crack has a similar effect to that of a strong painkiller too. It also squeezes your blood vessels and cuts down your hunger, but the exact ways it does these things aren’t totally clear yet.
Crack cocaine psychosis
Using too much cocaine can bring on a state of psychosis with the symptoms getting worse the more you use. Psychosis can make you feel or see things that aren’t there, get super anxious, angry, or violent, and even make you think about hurting yourself or others. Psychosis is a very serious condition and looks in nature very similar to other mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
- User can begin to see or hear things that are not really there
- They can get really mixed up in their head
- They might feel super anxious or on edge
- They might snap easily and get aggressive
- Sometimes, there’s an intense anger that just pops up
- They get really suspicious or paranoid
- They might think about hurting themselves or others
- Things can just feel all over the place, really confusing
- User can can really believe things that just aren’t true
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The Dangers of Crack Cocaine Addiction
Getting hooked on crack is a very serious problem and has wrecked lives across the world. If someone’s using a lot, like you see with addiction, it can mess them up—both body and mind—and it could even kill them. And don’t forget the other risks. Accidents can happen when they’re high, or they might get into fights over drugs. They could also catch nasty diseases like HIV or hepatitis from unsafe sex, since crack might make them take more risks.
When the high from crack wears off, the craving kicks in hard, and that can make someone want to take more straight away. They might end up using so much crack every day it costs a fortune, which could leave them broke or in debt. This might push them into doing illegal activities, like stealing or selling themselves, to buy more drugs. And that sort of thing can land them in jail or ruin their reputation.
Even if someone gets clean from crack, slipping back into normal life can be tough. They might find it hard to enjoy stuff like they used to, which can shake up their relationships and how they feel about the world. It’s not always something that sticks forever, but getting back on track can be a real battle. They might feel tempted to use again just to feel those strong highs they used to get from crack.
The Long-Term Consequences of Crack Cocaine
Even the odd bit of crack cocaine isn’t likely to leave lasting health issues. But it’s critical to bear in mind that serious harm or death could follow even from just once using crack. It’s never safe, not in any situation. Crack cocaine’s long-term use is a big risk for both physical and mental health.
The serious health risks from long-term crack use include:
- Lasting damage to important organs like the lungs, kidneys, and liver
- The chance of respiratory failure
- High blood pressure
- Risks of heart attacks
- Risks of strokes
- Often having chest pain
- Damage to the blood vessels, including those in your brain
- Nutritional problems and losing a lot of weight
- Finding less joy in things you once liked
- Big swings in your mood.
- Delirium
- Trouble thinking straight.
- Gum disease
- Teeth getting worse
- Seeing things that aren’t there
- Trouble with sexual activities
- More chance of catching diseases
- Experiencing psychosis
- Falling into deep depression
- Problems with anxiety
- Getting addicted and dependent
Detox and Withdrawal from Crack Cocaine
People hooked on crack who want to quit often start with detox and withdrawing. Withdrawal kicks in when someone who’s dependent on crack stops using it suddenly which causes the brain and body to struggle to adjust to not having the drug. These withdrawal signs can show up during the detox part of treatment or might just happen if the user can’t get crack.
Crack isn’t usually seen as something you get physically hooked on, but the mental withdrawal can be pretty tough which can include the following:
- Really wanting the drug
- Being easily upset
- Feeling really tired
- Being down in the dumps
- Shaking
- Moods all over the place
- Feeling anxious
- Not being able to sleep
- Not enjoying things
- Not doing great in the bedroom
- Hard to focus
- Losing weight
- Thinking about suicide
What happens when you detox?
Detox is when doctors keep an eye on you and help manage symptoms to make sure you’re safe and as comfortable as possible. Withdrawal from crack might not be as dangerous as coming off alcohol or benzodiazepine, but it’s still a serious thing and really hard to go through without help.
It’s tricky to see addiction as something you can just fix. Yes, you can begin to control it, and you can stop using drugs for good, but recovery often lasts a lifetime. With the right help, though, it’s totally possible to get over crack addiction and move on to a healthier life without drugs.
Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction
ends up being the biggest step of your life
Tiptoe if you must, but take the step
Get Help for Crack Cocaine Addiction
If you’re struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine, you’re facing a very serious issue. It’s something that could endanger your life, and it definitely impacts your physical and mental health long-term. It could also mess up your life chances. So it’s really important you get help soon. Luckily, there are quite a few different treatments and places that can help you with your addiction.
No matter how bad or how long you’ve been addicted to crack cocaine, the sooner you get help, the better. So why not make a call to your GP or an addiction expert today? They can talk through your situation with you and look at what treatments might work. Making this call could be the first step out of addiction and back to a happier, healthier life.
Rehab for Crack Cocaine Addiction
Why trust AddictionRehab with your addiction treatment and rehabilitation?
Choosing AddictionRehab for your crack cocaine addiction journey means prioritising your safety and comfort above all else. Here are the benefits you will receive by undergoing your treatment with us:
- Professionally supervised 24/7 care
Our commitment to your well-being is reflected in our 24/7 supervision and tailored treatment plans. Through our detailed detox and treatment programmes, we guarantee your comfort and safety at every step.
- Your comfort is our number one priority
Withdrawal from crack might not be as dangerous as coming off alcohol or benzodiazepine, but it’s still a serious thing and really hard to go through without help. Our team employs specific strategies within your detox plan to help manage these symptoms, making the adjustment period easier.
- A holistic approach to restoring the whole of you
Our medical centres adopt a holistic approach, treating the whole individual – mind, body, and spirit. This comprehensive care strategy ensures not just a temporary solution but promotes lasting health and wellness for our clients.
- High quality nutrition
Nutrition is key during detox from crack cocaine. At our private centres, our dedicated chefs use top-quality ingredients to prepare meals that are balanced and nutritious, helping you regain your strength.
- Workshops designed to keep you focussed
To aid in maintaining focus and motivation, we offer a variety of workshops and sessions designed specifically for individuals undergoing crack cocaine detox.
- Compassion from staff who have been exactly where you are
The empathy and support from our staff, who have their own recovery stories, provide a layer of understanding and encouragement that is invaluable during your detox process.
- Aftercare to support your recovery for life
Our aftercare and Alumni programmes are second to none and extend the support network beyond your stay, offering a community of support and advice that lasts a lifetime.
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Our highly trained advisers are available to speak to you right away, simply call 0808 252 3379 today.
We can discuss your concerns in complete confidence, explore the options for treatment, and help you to understand what will work best for you.
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