People who use crack cocaine can quickly spiral into addiction. Crack cocaine is highly addictive, and even using crack a few times can rapidly develop into compulsive use. Treating crack addiction takes a team of mental health and addiction professionals, but it is possible, and you can recover.
Understanding Crack Addiction
Crack cocaine is one of the most potent stimulant drugs known in the world today. Crack cocaine affects the brain in the same way that powdered cocaine does. However, by being ingested through the lungs, its effects hit the bloodstream and brain much faster. This rapid onset of effects is associated with a much higher risk of addiction and carries greater physical consequences.
Crack Addiction Symptoms
Crack cocaine addiction has a host of harmful consequences, both in the short term and the long term. The short-term consequences of smoking crack cocaine are a direct result of the drug’s powerful stimulant effects, while the long-term effects are consequences of crack’s effects on the brain and body.
Short-Term Consequences of Crack Addiction
The short-term side effects of crack addiction can occur rapidly and create drastic physical and psychological symptoms. This includes negative consequences such as:
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Insomnia
- Intense drug cravings
- Racing heart rate
Using a large quantity of crack cocaine can lead to a cocaine overdose. When a person overdoses on cocaine, their central nervous system becomes dangerously overactive. They can experience a heart attack or stroke as a result of excessive drug use.
Long-Term Crack Addiction Consequences
The physical effects of crack cocaine can cause serious damage to the body. Crack cocaine puts intense strain on the heart, liver, and kidneys and interferes with the body’s ability to heal itself. Furthermore, using crack cocaine repeatedly can lead to new or worsening mental health disorders. The long-term consequences of crack addiction include:
- Heart disease
- Severe weight loss and malnutrition
- Respiratory failure
- Addiction
- Tooth decay or loss
- Mood disturbances
- Depression
- Psychosis
While many of these symptoms can be relieved with crack cocaine addiction treatment, it’s important to take steps toward recovery as soon as possible to give yourself the time necessary to heal and recover.
Crack Withdrawal Symptoms
One final consequence stands in the way of people attempting to break free from crack addiction. After using crack cocaine for just a few days or weeks, people can experience severe crack withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop.
Crack withdrawal symptoms include:
- Extreme exhaustion
- Anxiety
- Severe depression
- Intense drug cravings
- Sudden mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating
In order to treat crack cocaine addiction, people first need to be able to overcome these withdrawal symptoms so that they can focus on the intensive work of crack addiction treatment.
Crack Addiction Treatment
Effectively treating crack addiction is a multi-stage process with several different levels of care, a host of mental health and addiction professionals, and several evidence-based strategies to help people maintain their sobriety for years to come.
Crack Detox
Medical detox is the first stage of treating crack addiction. At a medical detox center, professionals focus on helping people overcome the psychological and physical symptoms of crack withdrawal. Certain medications and treatments can make the withdrawal process much easier, reduce intense cravings, and help people prepare for the next stages of addiction treatment.
In addition, a crack detox can help screen people for co-occurring mental health symptoms that could interfere with their recovery if left untreated.
Many people using crack have co-occurring disorders, such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD — whether they know it or not. Discovering and treating these disorders can help prevent relapse and increase the quality of life for people entering crack addiction treatment.
Rehab for Crack Addiction
While crack detox is an important first step, it must be followed by intensive addiction treatment in order to produce a lasting recovery. At Jewel City Treatment Center, crack addiction rehab is available in several different levels of care, including:
Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP):
A PHP is the most intensive form of outpatient treatment available. Clients attend crack cocaine addiction treatment several days a week, for several hours at a time. Partial hospitalization programs are well suited to people who have severe drug use problems but still want to continue living at home or in supportive recovery housing.
Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP)
Intensive outpatient programs are a step down from PHPs. They include all the same therapies and treatments but in a more relaxed format. People in an IOP crack cocaine addiction treatment program attend several days a week for just a few hours at a time. This gives them the tools they need to recover while still letting them live productive lives in their communities.
Dual-Diagnosis Treatment
While not necessarily a level of care, dual-diagnosis treatment is an important component of Jewel City Treatment Center’s crack cocaine addiction treatment model. Dual-diagnosis treatment treats substance use and mental health disorders simultaneously so that people can achieve holistic recovery.
At all levels of crack cocaine treatment, people struggling with drug abuse attend several therapies and treatments that have been proven to reduce relapse and promote abstinence. This includes cognitive-behavioral therapy, individual therapy, group therapy, relapse prevention programs, medication-assisted treatment, and much more.
The goal of treatment is not only to teach people the coping skills and techniques needed to overcome crack cocaine addiction but also to help them learn how to enjoy their new lives in recovery. By showing people how to build a life that aligns with their goals, Jewel City Treatment Center opens the door for lifelong recovery and a greater sense of holistic well-being.
Start Treatment at Jewel City Treatment Center
Jewel City Treatment Center has the tools, experience, and compassion necessary to treat cocaine addiction and help people build healthier lives in recovery. We know how difficult it can seem to overcome crack cocaine use, but you don’t have to do it alone. From the moment you reach out to our team, we’ll be there to support you every step of the way in your recovery from drug addiction.
To get started with effective crack cocaine treatment, reach out to our team by filling out our confidential online contact form.
