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Crack cocaine treatment remains a desperate need for as many as a million afflicted people. One use of the drug can make an addict out of a person who thought to try it on a recreational basis. Most dangerous, crack is inexpensive, and therefore in a position to poison the lives of those who are most vulnerable. The crack wars of the ’80s have passed but the need for crack treatment endures.

Source

The South American cocoa leaf is the source for cocaine and all its derivatives. The Indians habitually sucked or chewed the leaf for its stimulant properties. Those properties were relatively weak. However, chemists discovered the active ingredient and processed the leaf into true cocaine in the mid 19th Century. It wasn’t till the 1980s that drug dealers derived a form that could be smoked without risking blowing themselves up.

Effects

The user smokes the drug and then feels its powerful effect in just eight to ten seconds. It creates a huge dopamine rush, bringing the characteristic intense feeling of elation. The user feels he or she has escaped all mundane problems. This feeling, however, is exceptionally short-lived, lasting only about ten minutes. The elation is followed by a significant crash, making the user almost desperate to return to the elation.

Responsibility Rejection

Tantalizingly, that feeling only takes a few dollars, so it’s never far away. The user quickly gets caught in a treadmill of going from hit to hit, with the greatest terror being the possibility of ever touching the ground. The drug becomes all the user cares about. Any earlier commitment, up to and including the family bond, loses all importance. Addicts have been known to sell off everything of value, to steal and borrow from others, or become prostitutes, rather than give up their high.

Physical Symptoms

Addicts damage their brain, lungs and heart by smoking crack. The heart is subject to arrhythmia and heart attack. The brain is subject to producing hallucinations and to stroke. Lung damage can make breathing difficult, and the lungs might even collapse altogether. Everything from sexual dysfunction to the user’s characteristic dilated pupils attests to a distressed circulatory system.

Treatment

The addict receives treatment on an inpatient basis in a hospital or other facility. There, he or she undergoes the withdrawal process, which isn’t as bad with crack as perhaps one might expect. It includes weight loss, sleeplessness, irritability, and craving. If withdrawal is particularly difficult, propranolol may be administered. If the patient suffers seizures, vigabatrin may be administered.

Psychological Help

The psychological and social problems the addict faces will typically be more of a problem than the physical challenges. Unless there’s real physical damage, the patient can receive outpatient counseling. Those with especially difficult recoveries are assigned to inpatient rehab under strict care. After successful medical detox, they may receive therapy in a group home.