Crack cocaine is among the most abused drugs in the world. There are very many people fighting crack cocaine globally using various addiction treatments. This is a form of cocaine that is meant to be smoked crack cocaine pictures portray a drug with the appearance of soap shavings. It is however hard and brittle in texture. This type of cocaine has an effect that is much stronger than when it is in its powder form as it is much more concentrated and it gets to the brain much faster.
As much as crack cocaine is much stronger, its high does not last long. This makes the users take multiple hits for the high to last longer. A condition that is unique to crack cocaine is tolerance. This is whereby the ability of the brain getting high due to the drugs subsides over time leading to the user requiring larger doses of the drug to get a high. This drug is quite addictive and first time users can even become dependant on them.
Crack cocaine is among the abused substances that have long been declared illegal and using the substance can lead to being arrested and eventually incarcerated. Worse still, this drug is very dangerous as it may cause a lot of harm to the user's health. This drug is known to cause irregular heartbeats, sleeping patterns that are disrupted, Hallucinations, respiratory infections, weight loss, seizures, headaches, malnourishment, heart attacks, respiratory failure, dizziness, restlessness, paranoia, sweating too much, lack of sexual drive, stroke and eventually death.
Crack cocaine is even much worse when being abused by pregnant women. This is due to the drug's ability to cause several birth defects that are serious including addiction of the substance in the newborn. Crack cocaine users lack judgment ability when they are high hence they tend to engage in very risky behaviors that may end up endangering them and other people around them. Such behaviors include driving while high, risky sexual behaviors and even sharing paraphernalia used in administering the drug. The user may also end up portraying some violent characteristics that may affect the people around him. It however usually takes a serious incident to have the user of crack cocaine to acknowledge the fact that he needs treatment.
Apart from the health complications that are associated to crack cocaine abuse, the user may also end up feeling depressed whenever he loses his high. It is common practice among users to take more doses to get rid of the depression. Anhedonia is also a condition that is common among the masses abusing this drug. This is a situation whereby the user loses his ability to feel any form of pleasure unless he uses the drug. Such conditions then mean that the user cannot enjoy life to his best as he is controlled by the drug. For this reason it is important for the user to find help in order to overcome this vice and the conditions that come with it including Anhedonia and depression.
Due to its addictive nature, crack cocaine tends to control the user's life completely an ends up pulling him down. It is important to know the signs that may help you know when someone is using crack cocaine for you to be able to help them get treatment. Among the signs to look out for to know that the user needs help include:
Using crack cocaine and alcohol both at the same time are usually in much more danger than people who use only one of the substances. This is due to the fact that crack cocaine and alcohol usually combine within the liver producing Cocaethylene which in turn increases not only the high but also the risk of death that is sudden.