Crack Cocaine Addiction Symptoms



Crack Cocaine Addiction Symptoms

Any use of crack cocaine is drug abuse and puts the user in jeopardy of rapidly developing addiction.

Most often crack cocaine is smoked and offers a short-lasting, but very intense high, as it causes a massive dopamine release in the brain.

This produces a euphoric feeling and the kind of high that crack addicts are constantly chasing.

This highly addictive drug is a processed version of the powder form of cocaine and is sold in small chunks, or rocks on the street.





Addictive in any form

Cocaine in any form is a powerful and addictive stimulant.

The powder form is most often snorted through the nose, but it can also be freebased and injected into a vein. When the powder is mixed with ammonia or baking soda, it turns into a chunk and the little pieces are broken off. It gets its name from the cracking sound it makes. Dopamine is a brain chemical that impacts the brain’s reward center. This chemical is also referred to as a neurotransmitter, and different drugs impact different neurotransmitters in the brain. The dopamine release gives the user a sense of euphoria, alertness and because crack cocaine is a stimulant, the user may become talkative and energetic. But the high does not last long and to keep high the user must keep using. Sometimes crack cocaine addicts will use repeatedly for long periods of time.

Won’t want to eat

Crack will act as an appetite suppressant, so during prolonged use the addict may not eat. One of the symptoms, therefore, of crack cocaine addiction is weight loss. It might be difficult to spot the symptoms of someone who is just beginning his/her journey with the drug, but the symptoms will quickly be apparent, as it does not take long for this drug to get in the way of every aspect of human life.

They always want to repeat the experience, so chasing the high becomes a way of life.

As the person slips into addiction, the intense cravings for the drug become apparent, so make sure they have a supply of the drug and probably have their dealer on speed dial.

Have to use the drug

The disease of addiction is characterized by the inability of the addict to choose whether or not they want to use the drug. Cracks addicts have no choice. They crave the drug, they must have it and nothing else matters this is addiction and it starts with Crack Cocaine Addiction Symptoms. One of the things to watch for is the person becoming focused on doing crack, even to the exclusion of family, friends, work and any other social contact.

Often causes you to lose everything

Sheila Raye Charles, the daughter of legendary musician Ray Charles, talks of how the drug caused her to loose everything important in life, her profession, her children, her freedom. She was so painfully addicted to this poison that she spent 21 years in prison, a virtual hell on earth as she faced the reality of the destructive force of crack cocaine.

Through the powerful hand of God and sheer determination to get treatment and live a healthy recovery lifestyle, Sheila Raye now crisscrosses the nation and shares her story.

Borrowing from one of her father’s hit songs, she sings new lyrics-- “Hit the road crack and don’t you come back no more, no more, no more, no more.” She lived all of the worst Crack Cocaine Addiction Symptoms.

Often have grandiose thoughts

Crack addicts may have grandiose thoughts when they are high and may talk incessantly. There might be some physical symptoms such as muscle twitches, dizziness, high blood pressure, dilated pupils, or you may notice psychological effects such as paranoia, restlessness and irritability. Crack cocaine can also cause a heart attack or seizures in some cases, these Crack Cocaine Addiction Symptoms must be understood before firs use. The coronary arteries around the heart get constricted and blood flow to the heart is interrupted.

Meanwhile, respiratory failure is also a possibility and crack cocaine users and addicts have died from the impact of this drug on their system. Crack Cocaine Addiction Symptoms are often deadly if unchecked.

Addicts may choose to snort the crack cocaine by crushing the rock down into a powder. This causes damage to the mucus membranes and cause the user to lose his/her sense of smell.

Often have runny nose

Cocaine addicts sometimes have a seemingly perpetual runny nose.

Eating crack cocaine can literally rot the intestines, causing gangrene. If the drug is injected, users risk hepatitis from dirty needles, or injections at the injection site. Family and friends know the user the best. You can spot changes in behavior, even little changes in their routine daily activities. They might lose interest in these activities, or turn away from social activities. As their disease progresses, they may hang with an entirely different crowd, those who use crack cocaine. These are sad Crack Cocaine Addiction Symptoms,

Hard to keep a job

Work performance is bound to slip and crack addicts usually cannot hold a job, be a parent, or interact in any meaningful way with their loved ones.

This addiction rips families apart. Left untreated, the addict will likely die because the disease has no feeling, no concern and no desire for the person to live.

The disease takes over everything.

The person will eventually have no friends, no family and no money, leaving them to a life on the street and a life of crime, all centered around getting crack.

Speak up!

Watch for the little signs and the sooner you speak up the better. Vigilant friends and family can save the life of a crack addict and help them avoid the devastation that the disease promises. Sheila Raye Charles is an example of a person who has overcome.

It was a long road back, but this talented singer and performer is first and foremost a health, happy and fulfilled human being again.

Addicts need treatment and it is necessary to work towards that end and not accept a tragic alternative. It's important to identify Crack Cocaine Addiction Symptoms early to avoid addiction if possible.


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