Crack is a form of cocaine which is smoked though a pipe often called a 'crack pipe'. According to the, crack cocaine is a form of cocaine, 'that has been neutralized with acid forming the powdered cocaine hydrochloride, and has then been formed into a smokable substance, through treatment with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate and water, followed by heat to remove the hydrochloride.' In layman's terms, crack is a hardened form of cocaine that results from the combining of cocaine and ammonia followed by later heat reduction of hydrochloride.

Since many of the crack addiction symptoms are also signs of certain mental illnesses, a trained health worker should gather a complete medical, family, and mental-health history, as well as a physical examination and medical tests to assess a patient.

Crack Cocaine Abuse According to for Teens, 1% of 8 th graders and almost 2% of 12 th graders have abused crack cocaine in their lifetime. While these numbers may not seem significant enough to warrant the worry of parents and caregivers, consider the dangerous effects of crack cocaine abuse which can include: • Increased heart rate • High blood pressure • Stroke • Heart attack • Psychosis • Damage to the reproductive system • Overdose • Convulsions • Seizures • Heart disease • Respiratory failure • Sudden death. Recognizing Crack Abuse People who abuse crack cocaine will often act erratically or out of place. It is very common for users to hallucinate and believe that they have bugs crawling on their skin or that there are people out to harm them. The auditory and tactile hallucinations that result when crack cocaine is abused can cause a user to show easily noticeable signs of drug use such as: • Picking at the skin when there's nothing there.

• Talking to 'people' who are not visibly in the room. • Acting irrationally or behaving oddly.

• Talking about things that are unrealistic or which have never happened. Because crack cocaine is smoked, many users will show the following physical signs of abuse: • Burns on the lips or fingers. • Soot or ash on the fingers. • Dilated pupils. • Restlessness and inability to sit still. • Heightened anxiety and paranoia.

• Coughing or signs or respiratory distress. • Scratchy or hoarse voice, as if the individual has been yelling. Signs and Symptoms of Crack Addiction Crack addiction is a serious problem that many people never find a way to beat. Modul8 Vj Software Crack more. Without treatment, crack addiction can lead to devastating consequences including disease, long-term health complications or even death. You may suffer from an addiction to crack cocaine if you show the following signs: • You think about crack cocaine daily. • You crave crack cocaine when you don't have it.

• You focus much of your time on finding or using crack cocaine. • You use crack cocaine despite problems that it has caused with your health, financially, legally or in relationships. • You smoke crack on a regular basis. • You smoke crack to cope with your emotions, to feel good, or just for fun.

• You feel like life really isn't that much fun (or any fun at all) without crack. • You feel sick when you don't have crack.

• Even before you run out of crack, you are thinking about what you will do to obtain more. • You use crack more frequently than you used to or than you intended to. Crack Withdrawal When an individual abruptly quits using crack cocaine, withdrawal symptoms such as depression, anxiety and irritability set in.

Symptoms of withdrawal can actually begin to appear within minutes after a user smokes crack as the high from this drug is very short-lived. Many crack cocaine smokers will repeatedly abuse the drug over and over again in an effort to prevent the 'come-down' that occurs.

This sudden crash that occurs when the drug is no longer used can include: • Major depression • Fatigue • Insomnia • Extreme irritability • Anger • Fear To thwart the symptoms of withdrawal, most crack users will seek alternative methods of obtaining the drug in order to keep the high going. Crack Addiction Treatment According to, 'because drug abuse and addiction have so many dimensions and disrupt so many aspects of an individual's life, treatment is not simple.' Effective methods of treatment recognize the premise that an addict will require more than just help overcoming the addiction.