Crack Cocaine Addition

The concerns of addiction of any kind are complex and extremely involved. Substance abuse and addiction should be of great concern among the citizens in our societies. Addiction robs our children of their childhoods and our adults of their successes and aspirations.

Many different forms of addiction exist including that of cocaine. Cocaine is an odorless, crystalline chemical. It very easily passes from the blood to the brain and has an impact on nerve cells in the brain that regulate experiences of joy and pleasure. Cocaine will amplify these signals producing intense feelings of well being initially. When cocaine is continually used, that same feeling of great intense pleasure becomes increasingly more and more difficult to attain. The reason being is because our wonderful brain has the ability to adapt to external influences. Consequently, the user quickly discovers the need to use more amounts and more frequently.

Crack cocaine often appears as a solution to this need. It is the cheapest, most potent form of cocaine but unfortunately, it is also the most addictive. The dealers have figured out that they can sell more of the product and attract more buyers if they freebase the street cocaine themselves. Freebasing basically means changing the cocaine to a form that can be smoked. All the user then needs is a simple cocaine pipe to get some incredibly potent "tokes" hopefully leading to that once fabulous feeling of "bliss". It is not terrible expensive and provides a very quick high.

Even though crack is normally no purer than the street cocaine, it feels purer because smoking the product gives a more intense sensation. This occurs because the smoke is absorbed through the huge amount of lung tissue in our bodies which is a direct route to the brain. Unfortunately, as quickly as the "rush" may come on, it disappears just as quickly. In contrast, snorting cocaine is absorbed much more slowly since absorption through the mucus membranes has to occur. Either way, an addiction occurs rapidly.

Crack has been designed for the user who is willing to use freebased cocaine but doesn't care to do the freebasing. Crack is also for the user who has built up a tolerance for snort cocaine and wants something stronger and quicker without having to inject.

Cocaine, snorting or smoking, can kill in different ways. Cocaine over stimulates the cerebral nervous system which causes convulsions that may lead to respiratory collapse. Cocaine increases blood pressure which may result in a stroke. Cocaine also causes heart attacks by constricting coronary arteries that supply oxygen to the heart. The act of freebase binging exasperates all the potential hazards. It may bring on a quicker respiratory failure due to the entire cardiovascular system being devastated by constricting blood vessels. It also increases the potential for convulsions and coronary attack.

Long term effects of freebase use are believed to cause permanent pulmonary damage as byproducts are deposited in the cells of the lungs reducing carbon monoxide diffusing capabilities. Lung disease, brain seizures, heart attacks, repeated convulsions, ventricular fibrillation, and a variety of toxic effects are all associated with cocaine addiction. As the addict continues to be active, frequent use of other substances such as alcohol and sedatives are usually practiced to help come down from the binge that may be uncomfortable.

Once an individual gets to this point of addiction; death, institutions, or jail is inevitable unless help is pursued. The most effective treatment to date is the use of meetings modeled after AA or NA.