Crack Cocaine Addiction Treatment

Substance use in the United States includes various substances and affects all types of people. Having treatment options available for all issues is necessary to help people recover from addiction. Gateway Foundation offers multiple substance use disorder treatments, including treatment for crack cocaine addiction.

Crack cocaine use has severe effects on a person’s health. Accessing treatment for this substance use disorder is crucial to one’s health and safety. Treatment facilities can provide patients with adequate care and resources to help them reach sobriety and gain control over their lives.

Gateway Foundation explains the details of crack cocaine addiction treatment and how you can find the best crack cocaine rehab centers in Illinois. 

Signs and Symptoms of Crack Cocaine Addiction

Like all substance use disorders, there are various telling signs and symptoms of crack cocaine use. This dangerous substance can have noticeable changes to a person’s body and behavior. Many users exhibit warning signals that they may be suffering from crack cocaine addiction.

Signs of Addiction

Some of the signs to watch for to spot a crack cocaine use problem include:

• Substance paraphernalia: Individuals using crack cocaine will typically have various types of substance paraphernalia. The main items that people will use to smoke crack cocaine are metal or narrow glass pipes with round bulbs on one end. Sometimes, people will make homemade pipes with glass bottles, drink cans, plastic water bottles, asthma inhalers or lightbulbs.
• High energy levels: Crack cocaine is a stimulant, which can cause people who use the substance to feel bursts of energy. This level of energy is significantly more intense than usual. People may start to talk fast, seem on edge, have high anxiety, or act aggressively and erratically. The effects of crack cocaine last from five to 10 minutes, so that’s around how long people will exhibit this short burst of energy. 
• Appetite changes: Some users might begin losing weight quickly and refrain from eating, or they might have short windows of eating more food than usual. 

• Drowsiness or exhaustion: A common symptom of crack cocaine is fatigue after people come down from the high. After all of the effects subside, people may be completely exhausted and sleep most of the time between uses.
• Oral health issues: Crack cocaine can have serious effects on a person’s oral health. You may be able to tell if someone is using crack cocaine based on the state of their dental health. Some symptoms include bleeding mouth, tooth decay and gum recession. Crack cocaine has a significant impact on oral health because of the method of use.
• Withdrawal symptoms: A common symptom of crack cocaine use is withdrawal. Withdrawal happens when a person stops using crack cocaine and their body experiences pain, fatigue, weakness and more. Withdrawal symptoms are a common reason why people may be hesitant to seek out treatment. 
• Spending money: A person experiencing a crack cocaine addiction may start spending most of their money on the substance and paraphernalia.
• Poor hygiene: Someone with substance use disorder for crack cocaine may show signs of poor hygiene and grooming.
• Hallucinations: Crack cocaine can bring psychological symptoms to a person, such as hallucinations or other psychological problems. One of the common hallucinations that people who use crack cocaine may experience is “coke bugs,” or seeing bugs crawling on or under the skin.
• Wasting time: A person using crack cocaine may spend all of their time searching for, purchasing and using the substance. This time spent on crack cocaine can take away the necessary focus on family, work or school obligations. People may see a decline in their success at work or school or feel themselves distancing from their family or loved ones.

What Causes Crack Cocaine Addiction?

Understanding substance use disorder and how people can form an addiction to crack cocaine is complex. Researchers haven’t narrowed down one leading cause of addiction because numerous factors can lead people down paths of substance use.

Substance use disorder is far more involved than a lack of willpower or weakness. It’s a disease that impacts a person’s brain to become dependent on a substance and have difficulty stopping usage. Addiction makes quitting challenging, even for individuals who want to recover.

Substances like crack cocaine will impact the person’s reward circuit in the brain, causing an overwhelming amount of positive or euphoric feelings to encourage the person to continue drug use to repeat these feelings. More aspects that the reward system control is a person’s eating or social interactions. As a person continues to use crack cocaine, the reward system will respond less and cause the individual to use more of the drug to feel the same effects. 

A person will continue to regularly use the substance while knowing the adverse effects of crack cocaine because the use impacts the brain to crave the substance. Addiction is a chronic condition, which means that individuals can relapse after they reach sobriety. While relapse can happen, treatment can still be successful with various programs and ongoing care.

What Factors Makes Someone More Susceptible to Addiction?

A single factor doesn’t determine someone’s likelihood of substance use disorder. This disease can impact any person regardless of gender, race, age, occupation or religion. A combination of factors can potentially lead to someone using drugs and developing an addiction, including:

• Genetics: Some individuals are genetically more likely to develop substance use disorder. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly half of a person’s risk for substance use is genetics. If someone has a parent or family member who has a history of addiction, they might be more likely to develop a substance addiction.
• Dual diagnosis: A person may have a mental health condition and substance use disorder simultaneously. Sometimes their mental health condition can come before the substance use, making this another factor that leads to a person developing an addiction. People may also turn to substances to reduce the symptoms of their mental health condition, leading to regular use of the substance and addiction. 
• Environment: The environment that a person grows up in may increase their chances of substance use disorder. This is especially prevalent for adolescents and children. Growing up without parental involvement may lead them to experiment with substances at a young age. Adolescents are also susceptible to peer pressure to fit in or make friends.
• Trauma: Individuals with a history of trauma or abuse may use substances like crack cocaine to deal with their emotions. 
• Method and drug choice: Some substances are more addictive than others, depending on their potency or use. Crack cocaine is more potent than many other substances, and with its quick onset of effects, the cycle of usage is fast. 

Long-Term Effects

As the use of crack cocaine continues, the euphoric feelings become more challenging to obtain, and the health effects become more pronounced. The long-term effects of crack cocaine range in severity and impact their entire body. A person’s tolerance builds up over time, and they will begin to consume more crack cocaine. The high amounts of crack cocaine they use can impact their ability to stop using on their own.

A person must seek out crack cocaine treatment as soon as possible to prevent the long-term effects of substance use. Some long-term effects can become permanent health issues or potentially be life-threatening. Learn more about the specific areas in the body that these long-term effects impact and how a crack cocaine addiction can take a major toll on a person’s wellbeing.

Cardiovascular Effects

The effects of crack cocaine can take a toll on a person’s heart health. Increased risk of cardiovascular health problems can come just after a few uses of crack cocaine. This dangerous stimulant can alter the function quality of a person’s heart and blood vessels.

The cardiovascular effects include:

• Hardening arteries: Crack cocaine use can cause the arteries and capillaries to harden. This condition isn’t noticeable right away, but it can cause heart disease and other heart issues in the long term.
• Inflammation of heart muscles: Crack cocaine can inflame the heart muscles. When inflammation continues over time, the muscles can begin to harden. This makes the process of pumping blood difficult and can lead to life-threatening cardiovascular problems like heart failure.
• Blood pressure: Crack cocaine use causes the heart to beat faster immediately. The substance also narrows the blood vessels and capillaries, putting more stress on the cardiovascular system. This combination increases blood pressure because the heart pumps harder to move blood throughout the constricted vessels and capillaries.
• Heart attacks: All of the negative effects that target the cardiovascular system can lead to a cocaine-induced heart attack. The heart attack risk significantly increases with high blood pressure, hardened capillaries and blood vessels, inflamed heart muscles and other problems. 

Brain Problems

Crack cocaine can cause brain damage even after minimal use. This brain damage can potentially lead to addiction and other long-term effects on brain health.

The most significant aspect of the brain that crack cocaine impacts is a person’s mental health. The most common effects that people experience are changes in their moods and emotions. Some of the changes a person can experience include:

• Restlessness
• Paranoia
• Depression
• Severe mood swings
• Auditory hallucinations
• Psychosis

Mental illness goes hand in hand with substance use as a co-occurring disorder. Treatment facilities like Gateway Foundation can offer specific programs that help treat both crack cocaine addiction and mental health conditions. We can help with conditions that developed because of the addiction and those that occurred beforehand. 

Crack cocaine use can also create physical changes in the brain. Since cocaine use impacts the cardiovascular system, those effects can cause problems in the brain like:
 

• Headaches from restricted blood flow caused by damage to the arteries and veins
• Seizures or seizure disorders from prolonged crack cocaine use 
• Blood clots, which can potentially cause a stroke
• Dying neurons because of reduced glucose metabolism levels

Lung Problems

The primary use of crack cocaine is smoking. Smoking of any substance can damage the lungs and an array of issues, but the effects of crack cocaine can cause significant problems with the respiratory system.

When a person smokes crack cocaine, numerous changes in the lungs start happening quickly, like:
 

• Blood vessels constrict in the lungs.
• Oxygen has trouble entering the bloodstream because of damage to alveolar walls.
• Capillaries break down and limit the amount of oxygen traveling throughout the body.

These changes cause a person to have a higher risk of getting various lung illnesses like tuberculosis or pneumonia. People who use this substance also experience a condition known as “crack lung.” Some of the symptoms of this condition include:

• Coughing and wheezing
• Chest pain
• Increased body temperature
• Fever
• Shortness of breath
• Black sputum

Kidney Damage

Crack cocaine can cause kidney failure and other complications with continual use. The substance’s effect on other areas — like the cardiovascular system — impacts blood flow, which can also cause issues with the kidneys.

Gastrointestinal Problems

The body’s gastrointestinal organs can suffer from repeated crack cocaine use. Ulcers can form as the pH level shifts from the cocaine, or the large intestine can experience inflammation, leading to serious digestive issues or death.

Weakened Immune System

With substance use disorder, a person’s health can begin to decline, and their immune system can weaken overall. Combining a weak immune system with a riskier lifestyle can introduce more illnesses. 

The Process of Treating A Crack Cocaine Addiction

The treatment process that patients experience at Gateway Foundation for their crack cocaine addiction will follow a similar outline. Individual treatment plans will differ based on the severity of their addiction and their life schedules.

Withdrawal Management

Patients typically don’t show physical symptoms on withdrawal with cocaine, but mental withdrawal is challenging in the first stage of treatment. The cycle of using the substance becomes so routine, and patients will crave the effects of the substance. 

Withdrawal Management can help patients handle the first couple of days without the substance. After withdrawal, they can dive into all of the other treatment programs that will help them through recovery. 

Inpatient Treatment

Residential inpatient treatment is an excellent option when patients need 24/7 supervision and immediate access to medical care. Patients who need additional support getting through recovery can benefit from the immersive experience of residential treatment for crack cocaine addiction. Individuals will benefit from the comfort knowing they have access to mental health professionals and medical care whenever they need it during recovery.

Partial Hospitalization Programs

For those who need structure in their treatment plan but have a stable support system at home, partial hospitalization programs can be a great option for recovery. Partial hospitalization programs have a similar schedule to work or school — the patient is at the treatment facility for most of their day, then returns home for the night. Patients can recover from a crack cocaine addiction without having to give up the comfort of their home or being away from their support system. 

Outpatient Treatment

Participating in outpatient treatment provides patients with the opportunity to pursue recovery without having to put their life on the backburner. Patients can still attend work, school and other obligations while going through treatments. Many individuals appreciate outpatient therapy because they still receive support, and it allows them to have flexibility with their treatment schedule. 

Intensive Outpatient Treatment

Similar to outpatient treatment, intensive outpatient treatment provides patients with the opportunity to continue their obligations while making recovery a priority. These programs require patients to attend more treatment programs throughout the week to continue fighting hard to progress through recovery. 

Sober Living Programs

Stepping into the world after treatment can happen too soon for some patients, so sober living programs are available to help ease the transition. Sober living homes can provide patients with a structure living situation after treatment, keep them safe, reduce stress and provide privacy to ease back into society on their own.