Substance Abuse Programs - Crack Abuse
Crack is cocaine in solid or crystal form. Cocaine is mixed with baking soda and heated until it results in the formation of a crystal or "rock". This crystal is then shattered into pieces sold on the street as smokable doses.
The substance is heated usually in a glass pipe and the inhaled vapors deliver a powerful gbphoric effect within seconds.
Crack Facts:
* Chemically processed into rock-like chunks, about the size of peas.
* Combined with ammonia or baking soda and may contain various impurities.
* Is smoked in a pipe.
* Takes about 10 seconds to have an effect.
* Has a "high" that lasts less than 10 minutes.
* Is not expensive by the dose.
* US MANDATORY MINIMUM prison sentence for possession = 5 years for one-fifth of an ounce (5 g.)Its use peaked in the mid-nineties and appears to have fallen off considerably. A small percentage of teenagers in attendance in middle and high schools report at least one use in their experience. Incidence of crack use was significantly higher in low- income areas among teenagers during the nineties. Crack's appeal is based on its ease of preparation, relatively low cost, and general availability.
Teenagers who are suffering from crack addiction will lose interest in school and their pre-addiction social activities as obtaining and using the drug becomes central in their motivation.
The effects of crack include a rapid addictiveness. With prolonged use, there is a loss of appetite and extreme drops in body weight. A gaunt skeletal appearance in youngsters is often the first symptom parents will notice.
Parents must investigate the possibility of crack use when they observe other changes which include:
- Excessive irritability
- Loss of interest in formerly valued activities
- States of hyperactivity
- Aggressiveness
- Rapid mood cycling
- Significant expenditures of money in the absence of purchases
- Possible theft of cash and valuables from the home
Parents are advised to take immediate action and enlist the help of local community drug abuse programs. Rapid intervention in crack addiction situations is mandatory as protracted use inevitably results in numerous illegal activities aimed at obtaining the drug. Judgment and self control are greatly impaired under the influence of crack and serious accidents, violence and legal complications frequently occur.
Withdrawal from crack can be uncomfortable and in some cases, dangerous. It should be medically supervised and carefully monitored. Following withdrawal drug counseling and complete abstinence are mandatory.
Crack is detectable in urine samples for two to four days. If crack use is established the teenager needs to provide frequent urine samples under supervision
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