Cocaine is a powerful stimulant sourced from the coca plant, coming from coca shrub leaves from South America. It is a recreational drug, known for creating a profound high and sense of euphoria, but often at great cost to your health.
Cocaine is one of the most addictive and widely used drugs in existence, which comes in many forms. It generally appears as a white powder, commonly known as coke. But another form of the drug is called crack or crack cocaine, so-called because the drug appears as lumps or tiny rocks which crack when burning.
Basically, crack cocaine is a variant of the drug which can be smoked, as it is a free base. It can be created through a process referred to as `cooking up`, made by combing water and baking soda, producing miniature rocks or crystals.
Crack cocaine is notorious for its incredibly addictive properties. People generally smoke the drug, using an apparatus known as a crack pipe. It can invariably be a bong or glass tube or, in many cases, an improvised item, like a plastic bottle or a ripped open soft drink can.
There is no doubt cocaine is an addictive drug, but the risk of dependency is greatly increased if using crack cocaine, as the substance is smoked, and can reach the brain faster. As a matter of fact, crack cocaine is said to be so addictive, you can develop a dependency if only taking it once.
Some people may even take crack cocaine intravenously, as when it is heated it can lose its solid shape and become a liquid, which can be put in a syringe and injected. But smoking is the most common method of taking crack.
The biggest indicators a person may be smoking crack cocaine is the presence of burned lips or fingertips. A possible sign they have been using, despite the risks to their health.
Cocaine enhances activity in the nervous system and brain, which experiences a rise in chemicals, creating strong feelings of reward, pleasure and energy, amongst other emotions.
You may feel a passing high, becoming increasingly excitable, social and even sexual, but then comes the inevitable downside. Long term cocaine use can lead to all-consuming cravings for the drug, alongside feelings of paranoia, loss of appetite and sleep problems. As well as displaying aggression, errors of judgement, delusion and hallucinations, alongside other symptoms.
If you have been using crack cocaine, you may suffer from various health conditions, from kidney, lung and liver failure, to high blood pressure, rise in heart rate, an increased chance of a stroke, and even sudden death.
You may also suffer from psychological or emotional issues. Ranging from depression, anxiety and mood swings to personality changes, exhaustion and even psychosis, which may need constant treatment.
If you are struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine and wish to get clean, then you can put yourself on course to recovery by entering rehab. You can carry out a long-term rehabilitation programme, comprising of a medical detox, where doctors and nursing staff will prescribe the most appropriate medication to manage the symptoms of withdrawal.
Following detoxication, you can attend regular psychotherapy sessions, where, by speaking with a counsellor, you can address the mental and psychological aspect of addiction.
Undergoing counselling, using contemporary methods like CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and holistic therapies, such as mindfulness and meditation, can help you conquer crack cocaine.
Cocaine may be one of the most addictive drugs in the word, and crack cocaine may be its most addictive form, but you can still learn how to live without the drug, by entering rehab.