Crack Cocaine Use
Crack Cocaine Use
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug. The powdered form of cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and then injected. Crack cocaine is the street name for the form of cocaine that has been made into rock crystals. When crack is heated it produces vapor that can be smoked. The term crack refers to the crackling sound that it produces when it is heated. Crack cocaine offers a short and intense high to its smokers. Crack cocaine use began in impoverished city neighborhoods in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami in the middle of the 1980s.
In the United States crack cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the controlled substance act. This means that it has a high abuse potential but that it also carries a medicinal purpose. Under the Controlled Substances Act, crack and cocaine are considered the same drug.
Crack cocaine use affects the brain chemistry of its user. Crack cocaine use can cause effects such as:
- Euphoria
- Supreme Confidence
- Loss of appetite
- Insomnia
- Alertness
- Increased energy
- A craving for more crack cocaine
- Potential for paranoia
The effects of crack cocaine begin almost immediately and can last from 5-10 minutes. The initial effect of crack cocaine use is a large release of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that produces euphoria. When this initial effect of crack cocaine use wears off it leaves the user feeling depressed and low and this is why crack cocaine users usually crave more crack cocaine once they have done it all. The typical response of crack cocaine users is to take another hit of the drug as soon as the high from it has worn off.
Crack cocaine use affects the body physiologically too. The short-term physiological effects of crack cocaine use are:
Constricted blood vessels
Dilated pupils
Increased body temperature
Increased heart rate
Increased blood pressure
With large amounts of crack cocaine use the effects are bit more severe. The effects of large amounts of crack cocaine use are:
- Bizarre and erratic behavior
- Violent behavior
- Vertigo
- Muscle twitches
- Paranoia
- Amphetamine poisoning
Sometimes crack cocaine use can lead to restlessness, irritability and anxiety. In rare instances, crack cocaine use can lead to sudden death after the first use or even unexpectedly right after. Crack cocaine related deaths are often the result of the user going into cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Crack cocaine use also can quickly lead to the development of a tolerance to the drug. A tolerance to crack cocaine means the user has to seek more of the drug in order to achieve the same high. Some crack cocaine users will use more and more to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects of it. Because of the tolerance that is easily built to crack cocaine use it can also easily lead to addiction. Crack cocaine in fact is one of the most addictive forms of cocaine. The intense desire to recapture that first high is what causes crack cocaine users to continue using the drug over and over again despite the consequences.