The chemical cocaine hydrochloride is commonly known as crack. Some users chemically process cocaine in order to eliminate the hydrochloride. This process is called “freebasing” and makes the drug more stronger. “Crack” is a solid form of freebased cocaine. It is named “crack” because it snaps and cracks when heated and smoked. Since crack is a prepared form of freebased cocaine, the user does not have to buy the equipment associated with freebasing. Crack is most often packaged in vials and sold in small quantities, usually 300-500mg or enough for two to three inhalations.

Cocaine was regarded as a status drug in the year 1970s for the reason that cocaine was pricey. The beginnings of inexpensive crack increased the convenience of this substance, and crack has become the drug of choice for many drug users, especially for inner-city disadvantaged youth. This has been the beginnings of the growing crack addiction. Crack’s convenience, ease of concealment, wide availability, and low cost has increased its use. The reality that crack is smoked rather than injected has contributed to its popularity.

Moreover, drug addiction is not only occurring to people on the streets. It is a common fact that celebrities have their “shining moments” when it comes to substance abuse. They may look pleasant and very much happy in front of cameras, but their deepest secrets are yet to be revealed. A number of celebrities have already been into rehabilitation to fight their crack addiction, heroin, or even alcohol addiction.

Drew Barrymore was one of the very early celebrity known that spearheaded headlines because of her wild child antics. At the age of nine, Drew was already smoking cigarettes. She was an alcoholic at 11, a marijuana smoker by 12, and a cocaine addict by 13. She went to rehab twice and even attempted suicide when she was 14. Right now, that is all in the past. Her wild child days behind her, Barrymore has grown into a sober, responsible and productive woman. Aside from starring in a slew of hits, she has also become a producer, forming the production company Flower Films with friend and partner Nancy Juvonen in 1995. Her company is responsible for hits like Charlie’s Angels and 50 First Dates. Quite a turnaround for a woman with a childhood as messed up as hers.

In the controversial Oprah-Winfrey-was-a-drug-addict tale, there are two known sides. On one hand, there’s the unforgettable TV moment in the 90s when she tearfully told in her own talk show that she had smoked crack cocaine while in her 20s, but never said anything about an addiction to the drug or anything else. On the other hand, there’s the more recent allegation made in a tell-all book by a previous boyfriend that Oprah was in fact, a habitual cocaine user in the 80s, and was in fact under the influence during her show tapings.

Right now, we can clearly see that Oprah Winfrey has triumphed over the use of cocaine. As of September 2008, Forbes has predicted Oprah to acquire wealth worth over $2.7 billion. CNN and Time Magazine dubbed her “arguably the world’s most powerful woman”. She is quite the success story, sordid drug past or not.

Anyone of all walks of life could be a victim of crack addiction. Life is tremendously unpredictable. One time we are having a good laugh with friends living the good life, the next time we know, we are shaking and craving for a drug we never thought we couldn’t seem to live without. People may be aware of the effects of drugs if abused, yet they still give in to curiosity, probably, or to pressure and thus end up living miserably. However, there is still hope for every addict in this world. Life doesn’t end in addiction. It ends when one gives up.

The word cocaine is seen as synonymous to the word addiction. Cocaine gives the impression of negativity to people, either emotionally or ideally. This substance is known to be easily abused and thus, users eventually become dependent to it and the cycle goes on and on. Like any other drugs, cocaine addiction destroys one’s life. It changes the individual in many ways, his perspectives, his motives, perception, and behaviors.

Cocaine is a powerful and extremely addictive drug. It came from the coca bush leaves. There are two primary forms of cocaine. The first one is the. It is used for snorting up the nose. The second is freebase, better known as crack cocaine.This is used for smoking. A small percentage of cocaine addiction is done intravenously. When cocaine is snorted, the cocaine powder gets inhaled up into the nose where it is readily absorbed into the bloodstream. Dopamine gets released when cocaine reaches the brain which stimulates feelings of pleasure. The crack cocaine, commonly called as “crack” is the name for the smokable form of cocaine. Crack is the street name given to the type of cocaine that has been processed into a smokable drug. Smoking crack cocaine propels large quantities of the drug to the lungs, producing an quick and powerful euphoric feeling. The rush is usually very strong, but does not last very long. The rocks of crack cocaine are ignited in a crack pipe and the resulting vapors get deeply inhaled.

Dosage for pleasure reasons crates an individual who will sooner or later turned into a cocaine addict. With frequent use, the person becomes tolerant with the drug and then becomes dependent with it. The person seemed to be yearning for the drug every now and then. Cocaine addiction is characterized as continuously craving for the drug in spite of the negative costs of cocaine to the person’s body and mind. The physical signs of cocaine abuse can vary, depending on the person. For one, cocaine acts as an appetite suppressant so cocaine abusers often aren’t hungry and end up losing considerable amounts of weight.

With cocaine addiction, the person’s life becomes controlled by the drug. Cocaine addicts are normally not interested with ordinary activities because they only focus on obtaining and taking the drug. Thus, people around these addicts are affected because they act together every day. Cocaine dependence often involves not only compelling cocaine use but also a wide range of dysfunctional behaviors. This can frequently get in the way with normal functioning in the family, workplace and community. Cocaine addiction also can put people at higher risk for a wide variety of other illnesses. These illnesses can be brought on by the addiction type behaviorswhich includes poor living and health habits that often come with the lifestyle of an addict and the toxic effects of the cocaine itself.

Medical studies have focused their attention to one drug that could have possibly treat cocaine addiction. The compound GBR 12909 was initially tested as a potential antidepressant. With GBR 12909, the patients’ cocaine-seeking attitudes were eliminated within a few hours without disturbing food-seeking behavior. Studies have shown that both GBR 12909 and cocaine inhibit the action of a protein called the dopamine transporter. By inhibiting the transporter, both GBR 12909 and cocaine elevate the levels of the pleasure-inducing chemical messenger dopamine outside the nerve cells, a process that increases and prolongs dopamine’s pleasurable effects. However, GBR 12909 acts more gradually and pumps up dopamine levels less than does cocaine. By attaching to the dopamine transporter, GBR 12909 also stops cocaine from binding there. GBR 12909′s chemical attractiveness for the transporter is 500 times that of cocaine, so it binds to the transporter and stays there for a long time. While it’s sitting on the transporter, cocaine has no access to the transporter, so the cocaine can no longer act to bring on euphoria. The therapy using GBR 12909 should be prolonged so that the medication to have time to transport the dopamine transporter levels back to where they were before the patient started taking cocaine. The breakthrough in the discovery of GBR 12909 could be a gateway to help cocaine addiction victims in dealing with the problem they are so afraid to face.

Cocaine addiction is quite a hard condition. One should seek medical attention.