Cocaine was once thought to be non-addicting and safe for recreational use.Cocaine, it was said, is a rich man's drug. The first lie came to light long ago when recreational use became chronic use, and led to overdose deaths. Today, thousands of "recreational" users have lost everything they hold dear to their cocaine addiction. True, the cost for one gram of cocaine flake still ranges from $70 to $100 per gram, but now there is "CRACK or ROCK," a cheap and incredibly addicting form of cocaine.

FACT: The name "crack" was used predominantly on the East Coast of the United States. On the West Coast same form of cocaine is called rock. You may remember the famous assault by the Los Angeles Police Department using a motorized battering ram to force entry into a heavily fortified "Rock House," a few years ago. Crack or rock, it is the same deadly addicting substance . . . cocaine.

FACT: Crack cocaine is smoked in a pipe or bong. The abuser puts an extremely small amount of the drug on top of a piece of scrubbing pad that is inside a pipe or "bong." A flame, usually from a lighted piece of gauze is placed over the crack and the abuser inhales the drug. Sometimes, in upper class circles, a butane torch is used to light the crack cocaine. The high is intense, but short lived. Depending on the purity of the drug, euphoria lasts approximately twenty minutes. Once the user starts to come down, he or she is physically and psychologically compelled to use again to prevent the severe depression associated with the physical and emotional symptoms of withdrawal from smoking crack cocaine.

FACT: The sellers of cocaine needed to find another marketing method in order to increase their ill-gotten profits. Enter crack cocaine. The process for making the drug is much like making custard. Anyone with a stove, water, glass vials, and pots can make crack cocaine. Once made, the crack cocaine is cut into quarter, half, three-quarter pieces. They sell for $20 to $25 for a quarter, $50 and up for halves to three-quarters. A full button usually sells for between $70 to $100. There are smaller "chips" weighing a fraction of one gram that sell for $5 to $10 for each minute piece. You can immediately see the profitability of dealing crack cocaine. The frightening fact is that anyone, including elementary age school kids can now afford to buy and use cocaine.

FACT: You cannot ignore the signs displayed by a crack cocaine abuser. First, there is a radical mood change. Everything once important is cast aside. This includes relationships, sports, school, and jobs. The crack cocaine user lives for one thing, to use again. The stuff associated with crack cocaine use includes a pipe of some sort. It could be a crudely fashioned metal tube bent into a semi circle to an elaborate glass bong. Papers folded into carrying pouches. Burned gauze attached to metal holders.

FACT: The best way to describe the appearance of crack is that it resembles a baby's tooth. There is a slight yellow colored cast to it. Crack is usually sold in small one inch by one-inch plastic self-sealing envelopes. On the East Coast, crack is sold in tiny glass vials with rubber stoppers for tops.

FACT: There is help for the crack user. Recovery from crack addiction is difficult, painful, and time consuming. A crack addict often has to be medically supervised during detoxification. A support group and a new way of living is a must and available to those who desire to break the crack addiction.If you suspect one you know is using crack, save their life. Call us at the ASAP Family Treatment of Chemical Dependency. Our extensive experience in treating all types of substance abuse addictions can assist in saving the life of the person you love.