Crack Addiction Rehabilitation – Abolish Dependency

Posted by fabfeistyandfifty on January 27, 2012

While the lethal drug wars of the ’80s and ’90s have passed into legend, the need for crack rehab remains urgent. There are a million crack abusers each year and it is especially pernicious because a single use can make an addict of someone who thought they might be “just experimenting.” Unlike powder cocaine, crack is inexpensive and therefore a threat to a broad segment of humanity.

Source

Cocaine is derived from the cocoa leaf, indigenous to South America and imparting its stimulating effect when chewed. In this form, it’s about as strong as a good cup of coffee. However, the active ingredient in the leaf was identified and powder cocaine was first processed in the mid-19th Century. Its potency was ramped up again in the 1980s, when the drug industry’s chemists learned to process a smoking form of the drug without risking explosion.

Effects

The user smokes the drug and then feels its powerful effect in just eight to ten seconds. It creates a huge dopamine rush, bringing the characteristic intense feeling of elation. The user feels he or she has escaped all mundane problems. This feeling, however, is exceptionally short-lived, lasting only about ten minutes. The elation is followed by a significant crash, making the user almost desperate to return to the elation.

Responsibility Rejection

Tantalizingly, that feeling only takes a few dollars, so it’s never far away. The user quickly gets caught in a treadmill of going from hit to hit, with the greatest terror being the possibility of ever touching the ground. The drug becomes all the user cares about. Any earlier commitment, up to and including the family bond, loses all importance. Addicts have been known to sell off everything of value, to steal and borrow from others, or become prostitutes, rather than give up their high.

Physical Symptoms

Numerous physical afflictions join this deterioration of life. These include everything from seizures to strokes. Addicts are subject to auditory hallucinations. They might have trouble breathing and after a time, their lungs might collapse. The use of the drug also damages the heart and circulatory system. The heartbeat itself might grow irregular. Addicts are also subject to heart attracts.

Treatment

The first step in the addict’s treatment program is detoxification. The addict becomes a patient, treated as an inpatient in a facility, whether a hospital or some smaller, more dedicated center. It can take days for the patient to endure the entire withdrawal process. Propranolol can help the patient get through it but the patient will suffer loss of sleep, irritability, loss of appetite and of course, craving more of the drug. If seizures become a problem, the doctor will administer vigabatrin.

Psychological Help

The psychological and social problems the addict faces will typically be more of a problem than the physical challenges. Unless there’s real physical damage, the patient can receive outpatient counseling. Those with especially difficult recoveries are assigned to inpatient rehab under strict care. After successful medical drug addiction detox, they may receive therapy in a group home.

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