Crack Addiction Symptoms

Crack is a type of cocaine, sold in white, yellow or pink rock-shaped chunks. During the 1980s crack became popular because it provided a cheap, potent, and fast-acting high. The smoked drug is extremely addictive, especially since its high only lasts five to ten minutes. This means people using crack, smoke many doses in a short period, with this use quickly leading to crack addiction symptoms.

Signs of Crack Abuse

Because crack is so powerfully addictive, few people use it without becoming addicted. Crack addiction symptoms are both physical and psychological, while the drug’s effects cause significant physical and mental damage.

Crack addiction symptoms begin with the telltale signs of the drug’s abuse. You know someone you love is abusing crack because they experience an extremely euphoric high immediately upon smoking it. Many people become more energetic or awake. These effects wear off quickly, leading to a crash of agitation, restlessness, paranoia, and irritability.

Crack Addiction Symptoms

Physical signs of crack addiction include dilated pupils, sleeplessness, fast heart rate, high blood pressure, low appetite and weight loss. Other crack addiction symptoms include muscle twitching and nosebleeds.

Psychological and behavioral signs of crack addiction include aggressive behavior, mood swings, hallucinations, paranoia, drug seeking, inability to quit despite knowing the drug causes problems and a strong focus on the drug, above all else. Other problems crack addiction causes include financial, legal, and relationship problems.

Tolerance and Withdrawal

You can tell your loved one suffers addiction when they engage in risky behaviors or cause problems to keep getting and using crack.

Building tolerance is another sign of crack abuse. Tolerance means their body becomes used to the drug and needs more of it to feel the same high. This condition leads people using crack to risk overdose with every use. Tolerance is also the first sign that addiction is imminent or has already taken hold.

With a crack cocaine addiction comes less rational or logical behavior. The drug use makes maintaining a relationship extremely difficult. Addiction also means you suffer the ill effects of withdrawal when you don’t use your drug or try to quit crack. Signs of crack withdrawal include intense depression, anxiety, stress, worry, irritability, agitation, and intense cravings for the drug.

Treatment for Crack Addiction Symptoms

The only healthy way out of crack addiction begins with detox and crack addiction treatment. You need both of these programs for lasting recovery to take hold. In detox, you go through physical and psychological withdrawal from crack, including all of its symptoms. Withdrawal and detox are very difficult without professional help.

One of the first questions people ask when seeking treatment is the drug detox timeline. For crack, detox usually takes about a week for the acute symptoms. Some effects of crack use linger for months or even years. The key to experiencing fewer long-term effects lies in getting treatment as early in addiction as possible.

Florida Crack Addiction Treatment

In Jacksonville, Beaches Recovery provides crack, drug, and alcohol addiction treatment. For a real chance of lifelong sobriety, you need professional support, guidance, therapy, and education. Of course, your journey to crack addiction recovery begins in detox. Beaches Recovery meets all of these needs in programs that include:

• Primary care and extended care
• Residential drug rehab
• Intensive outpatient program
• Partial hospitalization program
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Aftercare

At Beaches Recovery, evidence-based practices and therapies play a major role in lasting recovery. These therapies include CBT, DBT, EMDR and other behavioral counseling, group therapy, family therapy, holistic methods, experiential therapies and anger management. At Beaches Recovery you learn why you picked up the crack pipe, in the first place. You also gain insights into your addiction issues and learn relapse prevention skills you need for your recovery to stick.

If you or someone you love suffer crack, drug or alcohol addiction, call Beaches Recovery now at 866.605.0532. Your recovery begins with accredited treatment right here. So start that recovery by calling now.