What is the Difference Between Cocaine and Crack Cocaine?

While cocaine first became popular in pop culture around the 1970’s, it is one of the oldest drugs in the world, as the leaves from the coca plant have been chewed for thousands of years. Originating in South America, the Erythroxylon coca plant was used as a stimulating medicinal product; elevating mood, aiding in digestion and suppressing appetite. The production of these plants were restricted mainly to areas where it was naturally grown, places like Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia, until the mid 19th century when American pharmaceutical companies began exploring the region. At first considered safe, the destructive and addictive qualities of the coca plant became apparent within 30 years of its introduction as a pharmaceutical product.

Cocaine is a central nervous system drug that is extremely addictive. Today, It is considered to be one of the top five most addictive drugs in the United States. According to a survey conducted in 2014 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there were an estimated 1.5 million Americans who had used cocaine within the last month. Furthermore, roughly around 913,000 people in the United States had met enough criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders for dependence or abuse of cocaine in any form.

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When talking about cocaine, there are a couple of terms that may be thrown around regarding the drug, such as cocaine and crack cocaine. While it is easy to lump the two together since they are almost molecularly identical, there are still a few differences that keep them from being the same.

Molecular Differences Between Crack and Cocaine

In its natural form, when it is extracted from the coca plant, cocaine is a hydrochloride salt. At first, the substance is refined into a paste and eventually pressed into a white powder. This substance is the powdered form of cocaine and is often snorted, mixed with a liquid then injected, or smoked. Crack cocaine, otherwise known as crack, is essentially the same substance but in a different form. The process of making crack cocaine involves mixing the white powder with a base, usually baking soda, and then boiling it with water. The baking soda is removed, along with the hydrochloride, during this process making the substance more concentrated as the psychoactive chemical of cocaine is the only thing left behind. Crack gets its name from the crackling noise it makes while being smoked. Cocaine and crack cocaine are both extremely dangerous as often times pure cocaine can be cut with other harmful substances, like laundry detergent or laxatives, in order to increase profits or to create the substance known as crack.

Other Differences Between Cocaine and Crack Cocaine

Aside from the slight change in their molecular structures, there are still a few key differences between cocaine and crack cocaine.

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Both cocaine and crack cocaine increase the amount of dopamine released in the brain, causing a rush of euphoria when abused. However, since crack is more potent, their side effects can differ from one another.

Side effects of Cocaine Can Include

Side Effects of Crack Cocaine Can Include

Since crack cocaine is more potent, there is an increased risk of overdose but both drugs can kill you when taking too much. Long term use of both substances can lead to life threatening conditions such as respiratory failure, infectious disease, fatal overdose, strokes, hallucinations, and addiction.

Anyone can become addicted to either of these substances, even after just one use. Cocaine use has long been glorified in movies and sold as the “rich man's drug”, making it appealing to any age, race, or demographic. Withdrawal symptoms can become severe when discontinuing use of any of these substances. If you, a loved one, or someone you know is a cocaine user and is unsure about whether or not they are addicted, or are becoming dependent, that is usually a good sign that some level of help is necessary. There is always a chance for recovery and you do not have to struggle alone. Reach out to us for help today to begin your journey on the road to a healthier and happier life.

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What Drugs Produce the Worst Withdrawal Symptoms?

Addiction is a disease of the brain marked by the inability to stop using drugs or alcohol despite the user having experienced severe negative consequences throughout their lives. Many addicts who are still struggling with an active addiction will stop at nothing to continue getting high and consequences like losing their job, problems with relationships, homelessness or extreme poverty are directly related to their substance abuse disorders. There are many reasons why addiction is considered a disease, one of them being that the habitual use of drugs and alcohol chemically alters the structure of the brain. Drugs and alcohol can change the way people handle stressful situations and it can impact the decision making process of a person suffering from this affliction.

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Drugs and alcohol work on the same part of the brain known as the reward center, causing an increase in the release of chemicals like dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for pleasurable feelings that can occur after naturally rewarding experiences like eating a good meal or having sex. Drugs and alcohol can induce these same pleasurable feelings but without the use of a natural reward. The repeated use of drugs and alcohol begins to create new pathways in the brain, causing the user to associate the response as a pleasurable experience, making the brain depend on the extra release of these chemicals. Once the addiction has taken hold, the users tolerance starts to increase as the body forms a chemical dependency, needing more and more of the same substance in order to achieve the same feeling.

When an addict is unable to maintain the same level of usage or tries to quit using drugs or alcohol altogether, they may begin to suffer from what are known as withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms occur when a person who routinely abuses drugs or alcohol suddenly stops. Since drugs and alcohol suppress some of the chemicals naturally produced in the brain while increasing the release of others, there is often a surge of emotions and physical symptoms when the body is no longer receiving the chemical that has now altered its structure. The first stage of withdrawal is known as the acute stage where most of the physical symptoms occur, usually lasting around a few weeks. The second stage of withdrawal is known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS), since the brain's structure is slowly returning to normal, this is where most of the emotional and psychological dependence symptoms occur.

Due to the dependency on these chemicals, withdrawal symptoms can become very severe, and a medical detox is often required. Most drugs have some withdrawal symptoms associated with them once the user has become addicted but some are more dangerous than others.

Alcohol

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Alcohol can cause severe withdrawal symptoms for both men and women.

Alcohol has a depressive effect on the system, slowing down brain function and changing the way nerves send messages back and forth. When a body becomes adjusted to having alcohol in its system, it has to fight even harder in order to maintain a wakened state. When the user stops drinking alcohol,  the body remains in this heightened state, therefore creating the withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can include;

Delirium tremens (DT) are more severe withdrawal symptoms that will affect about 5% of people when withdrawing from alcohol, these include delusions and hallucinations. The worst of these symptoms will occur around 12 hours after taking the last drink while seizures can last for around 2 days. Some of these medical conditions can even cause death while attempting to detox from alcohol.

Heroin

Heroin is a highly addictive opiod that is converted to morphine in the body when used. Heroin, or other opioids like fentanyl or oxycodone, are difficult drugs to quit as the withdrawal symptoms often cause the user to become violently ill, most addicts continue getting high in order to avoid getting sick. Some of the symptoms associated with heroin withdrawal include;

Symptoms from heroin withdrawal can begin anywhere from 6-12 hours of quitting and can last for about a week. Death has been known to occur during detox from heroin or other opioids when other medical issues are present.

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Methamphetamines

Methamphetamines, meth, or crystal meth is a drug with powerful stimulating effects. The effects of meth wear off quickly, causing the user to need more in order to stay high. With increased tolerance, comes withdrawal symptoms, as the body begins to depend on these substances. Symptoms of withdrawal from meth can include;

When a person stops using meth, there is often a “crash” associated with coming down. This can begin around 1-2 days after the person has stopped using and typically reaches its peak around 5 days. Depression is also a trademark of methamphetamine withdrawal.

Quitting “cold turkey” (quitting drugs or alcohol suddenly with no medical or professional help) can be very dangerous. The addiction to drugs or alcohol has chemically altered the way the brain operates and can have very serious side effects when a person suddenly stops using them. Since addiction is a disease with many symptoms, affecting each person in a unique way, it is always suggested that anyone who has formed a chemical dependency to drugs or alcohol seek professional help in order to determine whether a medical detox is necessary.

An addiction treatment center with a medical detox program will allow the user to safely manage and alleviate the heavy detox symptoms that may be experienced when first quitting drugs or alcohol. Many who have tried quitting “cold turkey” on their own have had little to no success as they are improperly managing their symptoms. The purpose of a medical detox is to get the person safely through the acute withdrawal stage, where most of the physical symptoms occur. Maintaining sobriety long term in the post-acute withdrawal stage will require ongoing effort as the psychological symptoms, like depression and learning how to cope without the use of drugs or alcohol, begin to surface. Many inpatient and outpatient drug rehabilitation programs offer the essential tools and education needed in order to lead a life of sobriety.

If you or someone you know are struggling with managing their drug cravings and the withdrawal symptoms associated with the addiction, we are here for you. Even if  you or your loved one are just looking for a place to start, then we are here to help steer you down the right path! Give us a call anytime. We are here for you 24/7:

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Drug Trafficking in Texas: Being Aware of How to Get Help

Drug use has long been a problem in the United States and someone who wants to abuse them typically has little to no problem with finding them. Recently, we have seen a spike in opioid overdose deaths, this can be linked to the prescription painkiller epidemic and the illegal manufacturing and sale of fentanyl, a high strength opioid used to cut heroin that is roughly 80-100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl is used by drug cartels to increase profits, with little to no care about who might be consuming these drugs containing the highly potent substance. In the year of 2015 alone, there was a 50 percent increase in the number of people found guilty for trafficking drugs related to heroin. With drug abuse still on the rise, drug detection agencies have increased their efforts to crack down on drug trafficking. Unfortunately though, drug cartels operate like a business, and when one trade line is cut off they will always find new and ingenious ways of avoiding law detection.

Drug trafficking is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and sale of substances that are subject to drug prohibition laws such as marijauna, cocaine, methamphetamines, and heroin. For example, someone who is found manufacturing methamphetamines in his basement and later caught selling it to people on the street is also guilty of drug trafficking. Drug trafficking extends to any part of the illegal manufacturing process or distribution and sale of drugs that have been determined illegal and unsafe for the population by governing officials and law enforcement agencies.

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Types of Drugs Being Trafficked

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has found that Mexican drug cartels are still the biggest threat to America when it comes to the illegal manufacture or delivery of these harmful substances. Mexican drug cartels control a major share of the smuggling and distribution of drugs within the United States. According to the DEA’s drug threat assessment, there are six main Mexican drug cartels that are contributing to this growing problem in the United States. They are known as the Sinaloa, Jalisco New Generation, Jaurez, Gulf, Los Zetas, and the Beltran-Leyva Organization. The DEA has discovered that the areas mainly affected by the illegal drug trade are ones that lie closer to the Mexican border.

 

Top Districts in the US for Drug Trafficking

  1. Western District of Texas
  2. Southern District of Texas
  3. District of Arizona
  4. Southern District of California
  5. District of New Mexico

Due to its close proximity with Mexico, the state of Texas is the most heavily affected region. These Mexican drug cartels smuggle their drugs across the border and begin distributing them throughout the state. Interestingly enough though, marijuana is the drug with the highest conviction rate in Texas, due to the influx of Mexican weed that is coming across the border. Texas is also has the fourth highest rate per capita for drug trafficking sentences with an average sentence lasting around 77 months (about 6 ½ years).

In response to this growing crisis, Texas government officials enacted what is known today as the Texas Controlled Substances Act. It defines drug trafficking as the manufacturing or delivery of controlled substances. In the state of Texas, being convicted for trafficking drugs is a felony and considered a very serious crime.

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Texas Controlled Substances Act

In Texas, you can commit three different actions that will be treated as a drug trafficking criminal offense.

  1. Transporting- When an individual knowingly transports drugs in a vehicle from one location to another. Any physical movement of drugs from one place to another is considered transporting.
  2. Distribution-  When an individual knowingly distributes drugs from one person to another. Transferring drugs in any way to another individual is considered distribution, so if someone is selling drugs out of their apartment they can and will be prosecuted for drug trafficking.
  3. Possessing with Intent to Distribute- When an individual knowingly possesses drugs with the intent to distribute them to at least one other person. So if someone is found with a stash of drugs and has not yet distributed them, but had every intention to do so, this is also considered drug trafficking.

Under the Texas Controlled Substances Act, there are 5 different penalty groups for the severity of the crime based upon the amount of drugs found.

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Drug trafficking is taken very seriously in states like Texas as the problem is more apparent. Knowing what to look for can help law enforcement agencies keep the streets safer for yourself and others. Some things to pay attention to are:

A new tenant willing to pay months in advance with cash

These are just a few of the indicators that someone could be taking part in drug trafficking near you. If you suspect someone of trafficking drugs, do not handle the situation on your own as they can be highly dangerous. If you see something, say something, get help by calling your local law enforcement. No tip is ever considered to be too minor.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a dependency on drugs,

please call us today and get help from a rehabilitation specialist.

888-249-2191