Crack Cocaine

Crack Cocaine

What is “Crack Cocaine”?

Crack Cocaine is an illegal variant of cocaine typically described as a small rock or crystal. Crack Cocaine is made by “cooking” regular cocaine before being smoked. Crack Cocaine is sometimes smoked alongside other substances.

Just like regular Cocaine, Crack Cocaine has qualities that can result in dependency. Long-term dependencies can often lead to a higher risk of harm. Crack Cocaine is often described as giving a short yet strong burst of dopamine that the brain often finds itself craving repeatedly afterwards.

The effects of Crack Cocaine

Crack Cocaine has similar effects to regular Cocaine, although social stigma can often be worse for those using Crack Cocaine rather than regular Cocaine. Here are a few physical and mental effects from Crack Cocaine:

• irritability,
• headaches,
• anxiety,
• volatile behaviour,
• dilated pupils,
• euphoria,
• decreased appetite,
• worsened mental health,
• depression,
• paranoia,
• abdominal pain,
• respiratory distress,
• cardiovascular issues,
• overdose,
• and more…

As stated previously, there are also social and economic impacts from the use of Crack Cocaine. This includes, but isn’t limited to:

• relationship strain,
• financial instability,
• legal difficulties,
• and more…

It has been observed that frequent use of Crack Cocaine can leave the body vulnerable to other physical and mental conditions. This includes conditions such as HIV/AIDS, pneumonia and more.

Mitigating The Risks

Whilst there are always risks associated with taking a substance, there are a few things that can be done to mitigate it, along with some things to avoid.

If you are taking Crack Cocaine, try to do some of the following:

• ensure a safe environment – somewhere without environmental hazards or untrusted individuals.
• let someone know that you’re taking Cocaine – you should have someone looking out for you.
• start low, go slow – test the waters before you dive in headfirst.
• try to limit your cocaine-use with alcohol consumption or other substance use – no more than a pint an hour of alcohol is usually a good measure to go by, although everyone is different. If you can, try to avoid other substances all together.
• use new equipment – no one wants a disease from dirty or old equipment.
• crush the crack rock into smaller chunks before smoking with a clean pipe or fresh foil.

Barnsley Recovery Steps

Barnsley Recovery Steps is a free, confidential service supporting people in Barnsley affected by alcohol and other drugs. This includes Crack Cocaine and many others. Our information can be found below:

Email:

brs.referrals@waythrough.org.uk

Phone:

01226 779066

Address:

McLintocks Building,
Summer Lane,
Barnsley,
S70 6BX

Referral Form:

Click HERE To Register With Our Referral Form.