Cocaine and Crack Rehabilitation
What is cocaine?
Pure cocaine was first extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylon
coca bush, which grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia, in the mid-19th
century. In the early 1900s, it became the main stimulant drug
used in most of the tonics/elixirs that were developed to treat
a wide variety of illnesses. Today, cocaine is a Schedule II drug,
meaning that it has high potential for abuse, but can be administered
by a doctor for legitimate medical uses, such as a local anesthetic
for some eye, ear, and throat surgeries.
There are basically two chemical forms of cocaine: the hydrochloride
salt and the "freebase." The hydrochloride salt, or
powdered form of cocaine, dissolves in water and, when abused,
can be taken intravenously (by vein) or intranasally (in the nose).
Freebase refers to a compound that has not been neutralized by
an acid to make the hydrochloride salt. The freebase form of cocaine
is smokable.
What is crack?
Crack is the street name given to the freebase form of cocaine
that has been processed from the powdered cocaine hydrochloride
form to a smokable substance. The term "crack" refers
to the crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked. Crack
cocaine is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking
soda) and water, and heated to remove the hydrochloride.
Because crack is smoked, the user experiences a high in less
than 10 seconds. This rather immediate and euphoric effect is
one of the reasons that crack became enormously popular in the
mid 1980s. Another reason is that crack is inexpensive both to
produce and to buy.
What rehabilitation methods are effective for cocaine and crack addiction?
There has been an enormous increase in the number of people seeking
treatment for crack and cocaine addiction during the 1980s and
1990s. Treatment providers in most areas of the country, except
in the West and Southwest, report that crack and cocaine are the
most commonly cited drug of abuse among their clients. The majority
of individuals seeking treatment smoke crack, and are likely to
be poly-drug users, or users of more than one substance. The widespread
abuse of cocaine has stimulated extensive efforts to develop addiction
rehabilitation programs for this type of drug abuse. Cocaine and
crack abuse and addiction involve biological changes in the brain
as well as a myriad of social, familial, and environmental factors.
Therefore, treatment of cocaine addiction is complex, and must
address a variety of problems. Like any good treatment plan, cocaine
and crack treatment strategies need to assess the psychobiological,
social, and pharmacological aspects of the patient's drug abuse.
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