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Crack And Cocaine –Is There Any Difference?

By: Perry Clayman

Although crack and cocaine are often used interchangeably, there are some minor differences between the two. But these differences don’t change the fact that both are addictive and can cause serious health problems to the user. However, addiction to both is treatable.

Cracking The Truth About Cocaine

Cocaine is a stimulant drug. Its scientific name is benzoylmethyl ecgonine. It is extracted from the leaves of the coca shrub, thus, the name cocaine. Cocaine is an addictive drug and can sometimes be found in medical facilities as it is used as a topical anaesthetic. It comes in various names and is oftentimes referred to as crack.

Crack is indeed cocaine but it has not been neutralised yet. Cocaine is neutralised by an acid to form the hydrochloride salt. When it is not yet neutralised it is in its rock form. This rock crystal is then heated to allow the vapour to come out. Cocaine in this form is called the crack because of the crackling sound that is produced when the rock crystal is heated.

Effects Of Crack And Cocaine

Both crack and cocaine are addictive and have loads of harmful effects on the health. Most crack and cocaine users are prone to acute cardiovascular problems. One of the most common is heart attack. Serious cases of crack and cocaine abuse can lead to stroke or even death.

Crack and cocaine are actually nervous system stimulants. They interfere with the process of dopamine. What is dopamine? It is a chemical that is responsible for sending messages related to pleasure and movement. This is the reason why the build up of dopamine causes the feeling of euphoric pleasure on the part of the user. But aside from this euphoric feeling, the user is also prone to uncomfortable feelings of restlessness, irritability, sleeplessness and anxiety.

The effect of crack and cocaine can last depending on the speed of absorption. The euphoric feeling can be felt immediately but the effect will be shorter. When the effect is felt later like 15 to 30 minutes after the smoking, the duration of the effect is usually longer.

When crack and cocaine are used in high doses and regularly, it can cause severe paranoid psychosis which causes the person to feel detached from reality and experience extreme hallucinations.

Crack and cocaine, although may have minor difference, are both destructive in nature. Use of these drugs for recreational purposes must be stopped. There are drug rehab centres that users can go to if they want to cut off from their crack and cocaine addiction.

Article Source: http://www.newagelivingarticles.com

Rehab Today (Perry Clayman Project) is a detox and addiction recovery clinic that caters to various forms of addiction like alcohol, drugs, gambling, cocaine, crack and more. This Rehab Today Detox centre provides detoxification and treatments that targets the root cause of Alcohol Problem, Drug Abuse, Gambling and more.

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