This leads to scratches and bruises, which, combined with poor hygiene, can cause infections.Ĭrack is especially potent because the vapor inhaled is usually pure cocaine. Users often experience delusions with a feeling of bugs or insects crawling on their skin. The dopamine levels take longer to go back to normal, making the person seek more substance to feel good. After which, dopamine levels drop and create a low feeling, sometimes even depression. In the brain, crack increases dopamine release and reduces its reabsorption via dopamine transporters by blocking them. The mode of consumption of a drug plays a key role in its addiction. On the contrary, snorted powdered cocaine takes minutes to reach the brain. Since it is smoked, it enters the lungs, where it comes into immediate contact with the blood and can reach the brain within seconds. In some cases, it can even cause addiction after the first use. How Addictive Is Crack?Ĭrack is highly addictive. The penalties for the possession of both substances are different. Crack is smoked instead of snorted like powdered cocaine. It has a lower melting point than cocaine and makes a crackling sound when heated hence the name “crack”. Upon cooling, it is broken into smaller pieces. When powdered cocaine is mixed with water and other substances, like bicarbonate of sodium, it forms a solution that is boiled to form a solid. Due to it being a mix of cocaine and other substances, it tends to be both highly dangerous and addictive. It comes in crystalline “rocks”, typically smoked through a pipe to achieve the desired effects. Rock cocaine is a derivative of the substance cocaine, which has been cut during the process of making the drug. These fuels rock cocaine binges, which in turn fuels a fast and powerful crack addiction. When smoked, as rock cocaine usually is, the high is felt almost immediately, but the effects the user is seeking tend to end within 10 minutes. What Is Crack?Ĭrack cocaine is a stimulant drug that produces euphoric effects while speeding up mental processes and increasing energy. Quitting the drug causes crack withdrawal, which requires medical assistance and support. This method of using the substance multiplies the risks, making overdose likely. Due to its extremely short half-life, users of rock cocaine are driven to binge on the drug, taking various doses, often increasing amounts, in a brief period. Crack cocaine, also called rock cocaine, is a very dangerous drug, with users reporting intense cravings to use it and crack addiction after their first time taking it.