Crack Withdrawal

The chemical cocaine hydrochloride is commonly known as crack. Some users chemically process cocaine in order to remove the hydrochloride. This process is called "freebasing" and makes the drug more potent. According to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, approximately 6.2 million (2.8 percent) Americans age 12 or older had tried crack at least once in their lifetime, 1.0 million (0.5 percent) used crack in the past year, and 406,000 (0.2 percent) reported use in the past month. Users who become addicted will "crave" more of the drug as soon as the intoxicating effects wear off, if they do not get their regular dose.

Crack is an extremely powerful drug. Crack addiction is inevitable; once an individual has tried crack they may be unable to predict or control the extent to which they will continue to use. Crack is probably the most addictive substance yet devised. Crack users need more and more crack to attain the same high and avoid the intense "crash" or depression that follows their high. They become physically and psychologically dependent on crack , which often is a result of only a few doses taken within a few days. This dependence on crack leads to crack addiction. To balance off the intense lows, crack users often use other drugs, such as alcohol, hash or marijuana in addition to crack.

Crack withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to:

• agitation
• depression
• intense craving for the drug
• extreme fatigue
• anxiety
• angry outbursts
• lack of motivation
• nausea/vomiting
• shaking
• irritability
• muscle pain
• disturbed sleep