Author: Alex Thompson

Cocaine: Side-Effects and Addiction Treatment

These effects are also similar to those of other commonly abused stimulants, such as methamphetamine. Since crack cocaine is one of the most addicting drugs, it is often the hardest for a person to stop taking altogether. When a person keeps on using crack, their brain will trigger them to have tremendous cravings, causing them to want to take the drug more frequently and in higher doses. When the exposure is repeated, the brain will start to adapt, leading to an inability to feel pleasure from normal levels of dopamine.

1. If you keep using cocaine, your brain’s circuits become more sensitive.
2. The best way to support someone coping with addiction is to encourage them to find help.
3. Your brain may become less responsive to other natural rewards, such as food and relationships.
4. These psychotic episodes can easily reoccur with repeated crack use.

Crack cocaine is also known as “rock,” because it looks like small, hard shards of rock. People typically smoke crack by heating it in a glass pipe; however, they may also add it to tobacco cigarettes or marijuana joints. Cocaine is a stimulant drug that is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant. The purified form of the extract, which looks like fine, white, powdered crystals, was initially used for medicinal purposes. The following video shows how your brain is affected by crack cocaine use and how using it can lead to dependence, addiction, and an array of negative effects.

Long-Term Effects of Crack Cocaine Abuse on the Mind

Because of its potency and addictive quality, any amount of Crack use should be cause for concern. Those addicted to Crack put getting their fix above all else, including breaking the law. Knowing what to look for could save your life or the life of someone you care about. As a result, people need to take more of the drug more frequently in order to achieve the same high and prevent withdrawal symptoms.

The term ‘crack’ refers to the crackling sound the crystal makes when it is being heated to smoke. People who are addicted to crack have a chronic medical condition that requires treatment. It’s often not as simple as expecting a person to stop using it on their own, or thinking they’ll be better if they stop using it for a few days. Drug use disorder, or addiction, is a complicated disease that involves changes to your brain structure. Many issues play a role, including other mental health disorders,  your background, and your environment.

What Is Crack Cocaine?

As a person becomes more tolerant of crack’s effects, they’re more prone to increase the amount used. This means that smaller amounts of cocaine can cause anxiety, convulsions, or other effects brought on by this toxic drug. As a person’s use continues, the way this drug impacts a person’s health and quality of life can become far more severe. Crack addiction is a substance use disorder that involves the use of crack cocaine. It is characterized by a cycle of cravings and withdrawal, as well as other severe physical and mental symptoms. The short-term physical and mental effects of using crack are generally more intense than the effects of snorting powdered cocaine and similar to those of injecting cocaine.

Inpatient treatment centers are a desirable choice for many crack abusers because these centers keep the user away from the drug and anyone using it. Inpatient programs can also provide the intensive counseling and therapy many people require to recover from crack cocaine addiction. Additional aftercare or sober living programs can help ex-abusers maintain their sobriety and rebuild their lives once they leave the safety of inpatient treatment. Using it increases your risk of serious and sometimes life-threatening medical conditions like heart attack, stroke and drug overdose. Cocaine use disorder (addiction) can affect your personal relationships. Cognitive behavioral therapy may help people recover from cocaine use disorder.

Smoking crack can cause the drug to reach the brain faster than snorting powdered cocaine. As a result, the person experiences an intense rush, followed by a hard crash that can feel depressing and lead to intense cravings for more of the drug. Cocaine and crack are powerful stimulants that give users a euphoric feeling and increased energy, says Dr. Tetrault. Using these substances floods the brain with dopamine, a natural chemical that is part of the brain’s reward system; it stimulates the brain, numbs pain, and helps us feel pleasure. In addition to negative short-term effects, long-term crack cocaine abuse can have even more pronounced drawbacks that affect users even when they are not getting high.

The treatment process often begins with detox, where the person is not allowed to consume crack and may experience severe withdrawal symptoms as a result. Dr. Tetrault explains that repeatedly using crack or cocaine can cause changes in the brain’s reward circuitry, which can make people use it compulsively, despite the harm it causes. This is because repeated use of the drug causes the reward circuit of the brain to adapt and become less sensitive to its effects. Counseling and other types of therapy are the most common treatments for cocaine use disorder. Sessions with a trained therapist can help you make changes to your behaviors and thought processes.

Crack cocaine can cause sudden death or overdose the first time a person tries it. Further, a person who has used the drug for a long time can overdose when they use the drug. Smoking crack exposes the lungs not only to crack but to any other toxins or chemicals the drug may be laced or cut with. Combined with the drug’s toxins, this could cause lung damage or aggravate a person’s asthma.

Recommended Crack Cocaine Rehab-Related Articles

Finding the next high may seem like the most important thing in their lives. But the impact of cocaine use can last for months, years or a lifetime. If you think someone you love is using cocaine, encourage them to seek help. Ask a healthcare provider about programs and services for people affected by another person’s cocaine use.

Users take cocaine in binges, in which cocaine is used repeatedly and at increasingly higher doses. With cocaine use disorder, you may become both physically and mentally dependent on the drug. If you stop using it, you’ll likely have withdrawal symptoms.

People there have chewed and eaten coca leaves for thousands of years to help them stay alert and lessen their appetites. Cocaine is a powerful drug that can cause serious side effects that can happen very quickly after you start using the drug. The 2021 (U.S.) National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) concludes 4.8 million people age 12 and older used cocaine in 2020.

These unpleasant effects often make you want to use the drug again. The 2021 survey found no differences in rates of cocaine use among different ethnic and racial groups in the U.S. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information.

Once a user has quit crack cocaine, their chance of relapsing is higher than almost any other drug, as it takes a long time for the brain’s pleasure and reward center to heal and normalize. This is why professional help is critical for recovery from crack addiction, and why continued therapy and peer support meetings are essential for long term success. Cocaine is a powerful stimulant drug that’s extracted and processed from coca plant leaves in South America. Healthcare providers may occasionally use cocaine as anesthesia. More commonly, people use cocaine to boost feelings like being energized, happy and alert. Cocaine is very addictive, meaning people seek out the drug and use it even though they know the choice comes with negative consequences.

Having a co-occurring mental health condition and exposure to environmental factors can also increase the risk of developing a crack addiction. Crack cocaine has serious health risks, which is why treatment is so important. Detoxing the body of the substance and attending psychotherapy can help people with their long-term recovery from crack addiction.