Do you feel like you are alone in your cocaine addiction, plagued by cravings and controlled by your need for more?
Crack cocaine and powdered cocaine are both popular substances to use illicitly, and you are not alone. 1.65% of Floridians used cocaine from 2019-2020. Those people are from all walks of life: from the young to the old, and the unemployed to the company executives. Even if you want to stop using cocaine, the rest of the world doesn’t stop so you can seek treatment. At Tranquil Shores, we don’t want those responsibilities to stop you from overcoming your cocaine use disorder. That’s why we allow those in treatment with us to use their electronics while they work toward recovery.
Any type of cocaine can impact any individual. The different names for cocaine can be confusing, though. Is one more harmful than the other? Do they have different effects? Are they the same substance, just with different names?
Crack vs. cocaine: what are the similarities and differences?
What Is Crack Cocaine?
Crack cocaine is a type of cocaine that is in a solid, crystal-like form. It gets its name because it makes a “cracking” sound when it’s heated up. It’s then smoked, and produces effects immediately. Those effects fade within minutes, which often encourages those using crack to use more of it to extend the “high.” It’s a purer form of cocaine than powder cocaine, making that euphoria even stronger, and making the substance more appealing. The lower price makes crack even more popular.
Similarities Between Crack and Cocaine: Origins and Euphoria
Both crack and powdered cocaine have the same origins: the coca plant in South America. This plant was used by natives to treat pain and sickness, in addition to the pleasant feeling that came with it. It’s turned into the cocaine we know today through a series of chemical processes that allow for the extraction of powder.
Both substances are stimulants and influence people using them by creating a build-up of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. They produce the same euphoric “high,” and have the same immediate effects, such as high energy, happiness, alertness, dilated pupils, irritability, and paranoia.
There Are More Differences Between Crack and Cocaine Than You Think
Despite being the same substance at their core, crack and cocaine do have some differences:
Chemical Makeup
Crack and powdered cocaine are essentially the same substance with the same origin. However, crack is made to be more pure and potent than powdered cocaine by mixing it with baking soda and heating it. This creates its familiar rock-solid form, and removes most impurities.
Base vs. Salt Forms
Powdered cocaine is a salt that can dissolve in water. The body easily absorbs it in this form. Crack needs to be heated and smoked for effective absorption.
Purity Levels, Additives, and Cutting Agents
Powdered cocaine is easy to mix with other powdered substances, often without the knowledge of the person using it, to make it cheaper to make and sell. Common cutting agents include laundry detergent, laxatives, caffeine, baking soda, flour, or other drugs in powdered form. Some cutting agents won’t do too much harm, but others can clog arteries and cause serious health complications. Some dealers will mix cocaine with dangerous substances like fentanyl, which greatly increases the risk of overdose, especially when the person using cocaine isn’t even aware of its presence in their cocaine supply.
Crack, on the other hand, is harder to lace with other substances, though sometimes people manage to mix things like powdered milk or powdered sugar into it during the creation of crack’s rock form. It’s significantly purer overall than powdered cocaine, though, and more potent.
Method of Use
Powdered cocaine and crack are used differently.
The powdered form of cocaine can be dissolved in water, and then injected. People most often snort it or rub it on their gums, and sometimes smoke it, too.
Crack cocaine is usually smoked in a pipe, where the person using the substance can inhale it and feel its effects immediately.
Effects of Crack vs. Cocaine: Same Drug, Different Problems
Powdered cocaine and crack are both the same stimulant at their core, so they come with the same “high” and dangers. Using any type of cocaine can damage every system and organ in your body, especially if it’s used long-term. Repeated use of cocaine will eventually cause tolerance, the need to use more cocaine, and increase the risk of developing a cocaine use disorder or overdosing. The difference in effects depends mainly on the route of administration.
For example, people who inhale powdered cocaine are at risk for nose bleeds, chronic sinus infections, and loss of sense of smell. Inhaled cocaine also drips down the throat and into the stomach, causing an increased risk of stomach ulcers. Those who dissolve it in water and inject it run the risk of collapsed veins, and blood infections like HIV if they share needles with others.
People who smoke crack will have the most problems with their lungs, causing breathing issues and worsening asthma in anyone who has it. Respiratory infections are also more likely, and coughing is common.
Onset of Action and Half-Life
It typically takes longer to feel the effects of powdered cocaine, if only due to the way people use it. Rubbing cocaine on the gums or inhaling it causes a more gradual feeling of euphoria that doesn’t kick in right away. It typically lasts 45 minutes to an hour. If people dissolve powdered cocaine and inject it, they’ll feel the effects immediately, but the “high” will be gone within 10 minutes.
The same is true for crack. Because it’s typically smoked, it’s absorbed into the lungs and bloodstream immediately, making it a fast-acting, impactful drug. That impact also only lasts mere minutes. The feelings that come with cocaine use are typically stronger for those who smoke crack, so it tends to produce stronger cravings, too. The fast half-life often compels people to use more crack right away to extend the “high,” which comes with its own dangers.
Addiction and Dependency: Is Crack or Cocaine Worse?
Anyone using powdered cocaine or crack can develop a stimulant use disorder, as coined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Because of the intense, faster-passing “high” that comes with crack use, it’s more commonly the source of a stimulant use disorder than powdered cocaine is. That doesn’t make powdered cocaine any safer to use, and the route of administration matters. Those who smoke or inject powdered cocaine, for example, experience similar effects to those who smoke crack, and face the same risk of developing a stimulant use disorder.
Only a medical professional can diagnose a stimulant use disorder, but if you suspect you or a loved one have one, the DSM-5 uses the following diagnostic criteria:
- Using the stimulant in higher amounts and for longer than intended
- Trying and failing to stop stimulant use
- Spending a lot of time using and getting stimulants, and recovering from using them
- Cravings
- Neglecting responsibilities due to stimulant use
- Continuing stimulant use despite its negative impact on relationships
- Giving up previously important hobbies in exchange for stimulant use
- Using stimulants in physically dangerous situations
- Using stimulants despite health consequences
- Developing a tolerance or the stimulant
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not using the stimulant
Overdose Risk
There’s a possibility of overdose for both crack and powdered cocaine. The largest risk of overdose with powdered cocaine is due to other substances that may be mixed into the cocaine supply. Fentanyl, for example, is so dangerous that an amount equivalent to 10 grains of table salt can cause an overdose. Mixing substances, whether it’s street drugs, prescription medication, or alcohol, always increases overdose risk.
Because crack’s positive effects both kick in and fade fast, people are often more inclined to use more of it. The more of a substance someone uses, the higher the increase of overdose. Because of this, there is a higher rate of overdose in those using crack than those using powdered cocaine, especially independently of other substances.
Treating Crack or Cocaine Addiction in Pinellas County, FL
It’s never the wrong time to seek treatment for cocaine use, no matter the form. Cocaine use can impact health, relationships, responsibilities, and every facet of your life. The longer you use it, the more true that becomes.
Whether cocaine has consumed your life, you’ve recently begun to crave it consistently, or you’re worried about a loved one, there is help available for you. Cocaine addiction rehab will change your life.
No matter how long you’ve lived with a cocaine use disorder, Tranquil Shores can help. Through our variety of unique therapies, you’ll be able to find something that works for you and your recovery journey. We’ll walk beside you every step of the way. Call 727-391-7001 today for the peaceful and private treatment you deserve.
