While the lethal drug wars of the ’80s and ’90s have passed into legend, the need for crack cocaine treatment program remains urgent. There are a million crack abusers each year and it is especially pernicious because a single use can make an addict of someone who thought they might be “just experimenting.” Unlike powder cocaine, crack is inexpensive and therefore a threat to a broad segment of humanity.
Source
The ultimate source of all forms of cocaine is the humble cocoa leaf of South America. The Indians chewed the leaf as a stimulant, as mild to them as coffee might be to us. It was processed into cocaine in 1959 and has been sniffed by its users since then. It remained primarily a plaything of wealthier people till the 1980s. Then drug dealers discovered how to make cocaine into a crystalline form to be ingested through smoking without risking fire or explosions in the process.
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
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 first step in the addict’s treatment program is detoxification. The addict becomes a patient, treated as an inpatient in a facility, whether a hospital or some smaller, more dedicated center. It can take days for the patient to endure the entire withdrawal process. Propranolol can help the patient get through it but the patient will suffer loss of sleep, irritability, loss of appetite and of course, craving more of the drug. If seizures become a problem, the doctor will administer vigabatrin.
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.
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