Crack was a scourge throughout the eighties and nineties and while the problem still persists, there are addiction treatment programs and rehabs in Orange County to help those who have fallen victim to this dangerous drug. But, how did crack cocaine emerge? To get a better understanding of the differences between crack vs cocaine, we first need to examine its basic raw material: cocaine.
What Is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a white powder that comes from the leaves of the coca tree, indigenous to the Andean countries of South America, notably Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru.
Cocaine as we know it is a highly addictive drug that delivers a boost of energy along with increased alertness and attention. Cocaine directs elevated levels of dopamine to the areas of your brain controlling pleasure. This leads to increased alertness and a sense of energized euphoria known as a high.
As well as the typical powdered form, cocaine can also be made into a solid rock crystal – the crack cocaine we’ll be highlighting right below.
Users normally snort coke through a rolled-up bill or straw. Some rub it into the gums, while others inject it. Crack users smoke the drug in a glass pipe before inhaling the smoke deep into the lungs.
Now that we know what cocaine is what is the difference between crack vs. cocaine?
What Is Crack Cocaine?
Crack cocaine is a hard and mineral-like substance. Crack usually has an off-white appearance. It’s also known as rocks, light, stones, or freebase.
You make crack by mixing powdered cocaine with baking soda or ammonia. The mixture is heated until it forms rocks of crack.
These rocks are smoked in a glass pipe and the user inhales the smoke deep into the lungs.
Crack can also be injected, but this is much less common than smoking, also known as freebasing.
The drug is named for the cracking, popping sound it makes when heated.
The short-term effects of smoking crack include:
- Anxiety and paranoia
- Bizarre, erratic, or violent behavior
- Convulsions
- Dilated pupils
- Disturbed patterns of sleep
- Hallucinations
- Hyperexcitability
- Hyperstimulation
- Increased rate of breathing
- Irritability
- Loss of appetite
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased body temperature
- Increased heart rate
- Intense drug craving
- Intense euphoria
- Nausea
- Panic and psychosis
- Seizures
- Severe depression
- Sudden death
- Tactile hallucinations
The long-term effects of smoking crack include:
- Apathy
- Auditory or tactile hallucinations
- Delirium
- Disorientation
- High blood pressure leading to heart attacks or strokes
- Infectious diseases
- Infertility
- Irritability
- Liver, kidney, and lung damage
- Malnutrition and weight loss
- Mood disturbance
- Permanent damage to blood vessels in ears and brain
- Psychosis
- Reproductive damage
- Risky behavior
- Respiratory failure
- Severe chest pains
- Severe depression
- Severe tooth decay
- Sexual problems
- Tolerance
Crack Addiction Symptoms
Crack is seldom used by the uninitiated — that is a major difference between crack vs. cocaine.
Often, crack users graduate to the drug after first using cocaine. Others might have used meth or other synthetic drugs before chasing an even more intense high.
Once addiction sets in, crack users find themselves needing to come up with hundreds, even thousands, of dollars each week to finance their habit. At the same time, few crack users will be in the position to hold down a full-time job. As such, many crack users turn to crime as they need to buy rock after rock after rock.
If you suspect a loved one is using crack, there are three main areas in which to look to signs:
- Emotional signs
- Physiological signs
- Behavioral signs
Emotional signs
Crack interacts with the receptors in your brain and brings about neurological changes in a very short space of time. This inevitably leads to emotional and psychological changes you can spot in a loved one if they’re smoking crack.
Look for dramatic mood swings and chronic irritability. Exhibitions of paranoia also point to a problem with crack cocaine.
If a loved one is becoming addicted to crack, they will be emotionally disrupted by the experience. This will be very hard for them to conceal in interpersonal relationships with you and others.
If your friend or family member tries to stop using crack cocaine, you will also notice some marked emotional changes as they become restless, irritable, and depressed without that excess of dopamine flooding the brain.
Physiological signs
Look out, too, for some of these common physiological signs that could point toward crack cocaine use:
- Appetite changes
- Dilated pupils
- Elevated heart rate
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Increased breathing rate
- Insomnia
- Nosebleeds
- Twitching of muscles
Withdrawing from crack cocaine triggers the opposite effects to those induced by the drug. Users who abstain will likely sleep for lengthy periods, exhibit extreme fatigue, shakiness, and tremors.
You might also notice burned fingers and blistered lips.
Behavioral signs
Most crack users will betray their drug use by the way they behave.
Look out for any of the following behavioral signs that could indicate crack cocaine abuse:
- Aggression
- Deteriorating interpersonal relationships
- Engaging in risky behaviors
- Failing to attend social appointments
- Focusing on crack use while forfeiting other responsibilities
- Intense discomfort if use is discontinued
- Not meeting obligations
- Volatile mood swings
As you can see, that’s quite a comprehensive laundry list of ill effects. Is crack really much worse than powdered cocaine, though?
Difference Between Crack and Cocaine
The effects experienced by crack users will vary according to the purity of the cocaine used to make it with.
Crack cocaine delivers similar effects to powdered cocaine, except they are even more intense. These include:
- Decreased appetite
- Dilated pupils
- Euphoria
- Heightened alertness
- Increased heart rate
- Intense cravings
The reason these effects are felt more quickly and intensely when cocaine is consumed in freebase form is because crack is rapidly absorbed by the membranes of your lungs. The drug then enters your bloodstream and brain in no more than 10 seconds. This intensity means the risk of overdose is heightened, with symptoms of crack overdoses including hyperventilation, rapid heartbeat, convulsions, and coma. Overdose can be fatal.
Using crack long-term will lead to pronounced mood changes, depression, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, paranoia, and hallucinations.
Developing a crack addiction is commonplace for users due to the highly addictive nature of the drug. This also means there are often severe withdrawal symptoms. These can include:
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Extreme fatigue
- Intense cravings
- Muscle pain
- Nausea
- Suicidal thoughts
There are also some key differences between crack vs. cocaine. The appearance of crack and powdered cocaine is different. Most powdered cocaine is white. Crack, by contrast, is usually found in rock form. While the rocks can be white, they are more commonly off-white, tan, or cream.
The two forms of cocaine are also used in different ways. Cocaine is usually snorted, while crack is usually smoked.
The nature of the high produced might be similar, but there are ways in which it’s markedly different, too. When you snort cocaine, the effects kick in after 1 to 5 minutes, peaking after about 20 minutes. Effects are fully dissipated within around 1 to 2 hours. Crack, by contrast, takes hold in less than a minute, peaks in just 5 minutes, with the effects gone after no more than 1 hour. Injecting cocaine delivers effects similar to smoking crack.
Although the chemical structure of powdered cocaine and crack cocaine are almost identical, the punishment for possessing or dealing crack cocaine is far greater than that of powdered cocaine. Up until 2010, there was a sentencing disparity of 100 to 1, meaning that possessing just 5g of crack led to a 5-year mandatory minimum, while the same sentence would not be triggered unless you were in possession of 500g of cocaine, a full pound.
Even after changes to the law in 2010, there remains a sentencing disparity of 18 to 1. Resultantly, even though most crack cocaine users are white, black people in low-income areas are more likely to be convicted of crack cocaine possession.
Crack Cocaine Addiction Treatment at Renaissance
Now that you have a better understanding of the differences between crack vs. cocaine, you may be wondering, is it possible to get help?
Recovering from crack addiction is possible, as long as you commit to the right treatment program, and you’re prepared for some challenging times on your road to a full recovery.
Due to the seriously addictive nature of the drug and the severity of withdrawal symptoms, most crack addicts benefit from detoxing in a controlled medical setting. This ensures that qualified medical staff is on hand around the clock to mitigate withdrawal symptoms, if necessary using prescription medication to lessen any discomfort. At a minimum, someone withdrawing from crack cocaine should do so in a controlled setting with help on hand.
