Crack cocaine is a volatile, highly addictive drug. It is usually smoked through a glass or metal pipe and can have a person hooked after just one use. Some addicts say it is like experiencing a "full body orgasm" but the feeling is fleeting, lasting only a few seconds.

Crack is a varied form of powdered cocaine. In the 60's, 70's and early 80's, addicts found that smoking cocaine in a base form or "free-basing" was a more intense, satisfying high than snorting. Free-base cocaine is a far more pure form of cocaine than average powdered cocaine. It is processed with water and ether to remove all impurities which yields a more powerful product. It is then smoked through a glass pipe. It is a dangerous process and sometimes causes the cocaine or the ether container to catch fire and explode.

About 10% of the time addiction is recognized as the cause of the problem that brought the patient into the health care system. A cut on your head probably won't kill you. A broken bone probably won't kill you. An ulcer probably won't kill you. But alcoholism will kill you if you allow it to continue.

The comedian, Richard Pryor, was on a free-basing binge in the early 80's when he was hospitalized for burns after an ether explosion. The fire completely covered him in flames and the doctors gave him a one to three chance of surviving. He did survive and his mishap is probably the most famous example of free-basing accidents. Throughout the years, many people have died processing free-base cocaine.

As the early1980's rolled in, on its heels came a new drug called crack. Crack is more crude form of free-base cocaine. Leaving the impurities in, crack is a culmination of most everything that free-base cocaine isn't. It is "safer" to produce and smoke. But this doesn't make it any less lethal.

Drug abuse is the third leading cause of death in this country. Most people who are chemically dependent die of it, very few make it into treatment. Of those who do make it into their first treatment, most will achieve a stable program of recovery. You either abstain from drugs and alcohol or you die.

Crack addiction is similar to free-base addiction, the user will try to get the drug by any means possible and continue to smoke it until close to death. It is an all encompassing addiction that holds no regard for its user or those affiliated with them. One "hit" off a glass pipe filled with crack can get anyone addicted. There is no such thing as a "casual crack smoker" and no one is immune from its addictive grips.

Someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol almost always take drugs or drinks alcohol without thinking of the negative consequences, such as financial issues, legal problems, relationship difficulties, poor health, and performance issues at work or at school.

Crack is usually smoked through a glass pipe or metal tubing. Car and radio antennas are used frequently. In many convenience stores, little flowers in glass tubes are sold. You may have seen them. These are made specifically for smoking crack. Pieces of metal wool like brillo-pad or chore-boy pads are stuffed in one end of the pipe. The metal wool serves as a filter and collector, holding the crack rock in place while catching any residual. This way, every bit of the crack rock is smoked. When a pipe is "pushed", the metal wool is pushed from one end of the pipe to the other, catching any remaining crack residue inside the pipe. A crack pipe may be burnt from both sides and is sometimes cracked or broken. A crack user may have burnt fingertips or lips from smoking a hot pipe.

According to substance abuse research, most residential drug abuse rehabilitation programs begin with a thorough assessment of the person's drug taking circumstance.  Then the person gets involved in educational, counseling, and clinical activities that have been developed to facilitate the individual's healing process and help him or her attain coping skills needed to live in society without taking drugs.

Crack is absolutely lethal, causing horrible damage to the body and mind. The intensity of the addiction is well known. If you know someone who is smoking crack, try to get them help as soon as possible. A crack addict may die before they are ready to give up the drug. They will use any means possible to continue their addiction. Unlike other drugs, a crack user's "rock bottom" is usually far lower than other drug users. But crack addicts can and do recover. It happens all the time so there is hope for you or the addict close to you. But waste no time in getting help. There may not be another chance.

Chemically dependent adolescents gradually change their peer group to include drinking and drug using friends. They begin to use chemicals to block out the pain. They longer use for the euphoric effect. They drink to escape pain. Blackouts and drinking alone are strong indicators of chemical dependency in the adolescent population.