DIP's, Drugs & Information.
The drugs on the street today that are involving criminal activity to fund are mainly heroin and crack cocaine.
A huge rise in drug-related crime is undermining the Government's attempts to crack down on lawlessness in Britain. The majority of UK citizens have never taken drugs. However, the use of drugs is widespread amongst young people and the average age of first drug use is dropping. Many people believe that drug use increases other forms of criminal activity such as gun crime, burglary and assaults. At present addicts are usually prescribed a synthetic substitute called methadone, which addicts often say is not strong enough or lacks the “rush” of heroin. Prescriptions are sold on the illicit market and addicts revert back to heroin. Everyone will have their own picture of what a drug addict is. It may be the image of the junkie shooting up heroin, and although this may represent one facet of drug addiction the vast majority of addicts do not conform to this stereotype. Addiction can affect anyone and there are many drugs, both legal (for example tranquillizers and sleeping tablets etc.) and illegal (cocaine, cannabis etc.) that people can become addicted to.
DIP's stands for Drug Intervention Programme!
“Not 'Drug Induced Psychosis' but it could lead to it!”
In nearly every city in the England and Wales these programmes have started to operate. They are run, much like the failing probation services DRR’s and DTTO’s, staffed mainly by the well educated lower/middle class clone! They sit in their alarmed interview rooms, pontificating down to their clients, with an authoritarian opinionated voice that shows no compassion whatsoever. Many don’t even create a mutual bond and trust! Their main target areas are the Class A Substance Mis-users who persistently offend to fund their habits. The plan is to get these offenders directly into treatment; which means substitute medication such as methadone maintenance programmes (MMPs). The belief is that once they are on this, they will no longer feel the need to go out robbing! Unfortunately methadone doesn't work like that, or any of the other man-made substances that the capitalist pharmaceutical companies churn out! Methadone is a cheaper alternative, rather than prescribing a heroin maintenance programme to come off heroin. Or better still building more residential rehabs across the country to meet the demand!
At present I am working for a DIP project in the UK. Many addicts I work with have hepatitis caught through injecting and sharing needles (works). However in people who have a liver that is damaged (by illnesses such as hepatitis B or C or by alcohol), the extra work coping with methadone can cause overdose or liver failure. The danger is greatest at the start of treatment, when the dose increases, or if the condition of the liver deteriorates further! It’s recognised that methadone with its toxic side effects are bad for the liver. With the increased amount of prescribing going, so called charitable organisations are dishing it out like some sort of business venture, opening project after project, in city after city. It's all going so fast that they are failing to monitor and give the correct amount of care to the client!
Then you have the prison leavers, who sometimes come out on naltrexone, they can't get no continuity of medication in the community, so they start using again. A prison stretch wasted in vain and the revolving door just keeps spinning around and around.
Methadone is now on the black market and is quite easy to buy on any city street. The sad fact is that as little as 10ml can kill a small child. An even sadder fact is there are an increasing number of methadone deaths to children each year. In the short time I have spent working for DIP; I have seen a few deaths by overdose, due to there not been enough continuity of care or the right help and advice given at the start of their dual addiction programme.
Sebutex is another ‘bastard of mankind’ drug for treatment of heroin addicts, many are resistant to this newish drug; most are so addicted to methadone they cannot imagine life with out it. It works as a blocker, so the risk of overdose is even greater! It is interesting to note Sebutex is also an opiate; yet again addiction is being treated with an addictive drug. When will they ever learn?
The British government received a report way back in 2004 that Heroin Maintenance Programs in Switzerland and Holland have significantly reduced drug-related crime and other social problems. Results proved that heroin prescription causes a strong and stable decrease in criminal involvement of most patients. Since then Heroin Maintenance Programs are underway in Canada, Denmark, Mexico and many more liberal minded ethical countries!
I thought, isn’t it ironic, that most of the pharmaceutical companies producing the bastard of mankind are Swiss; then they are the ones who have been using heroin maintenance programmes since 2000!
I have seen with my own eyes that methadone causes more problems for the user long term, many say it's harder to get off than actually heroin itself. Some have been on methadone for years because they haven’t received the encouragement, motivation and aftercare that’s been promised by the DIP’s or other prescribing agencies. Some will spend the rest of they're lives on it; many have died and will carry on dying, unless there is more choice, alternatives and monitoring put in place. I therefore can only question the policies of the home office and government, how its came to be in place and is still being pursued is beyond belief!
HEROIN
Illicit heroin comes in the form of a powder which may vary in color from white to dark brown because of impurities left from the manufacturing process or the presence of adulterants. The powder can be sniffed or dissolved in water and injected. It can also be smoked by mixing with tobacco or heating on tin foil and inhaling the fumes, or swallowed after being wrapped in paper.
Heroin in Various Forms
Although opium has been known and used as a sedative and intoxicant in some cultures for several thousand years, heroin is a relatively new substance. It was first synthesized from morphine in 1874 in Germany and given the name heroisch - meaning 'powerful'.
Heroin was not extensively used in medicine until around the beginning of this century. At that time it then received widespread acceptance from the medical profession as a sedative and anesthetic as shown by the poster at right. Physicians remained unaware of its potential for addiction.
When the dangers of heroin came to be appreciated many governments around the world took steps to control its manufacture and it came under very strict prescription controls.
Today heroin does not have many legitimate medical applications, as synthetic sedatives and anesthetics have replace the opium-based compounds that were used in the past.
Heroin on the streets is usually diluted with other substances - ranging from lactose to paracetemol. However, the amount by which the drug is 'cut' varies from purchase to purchase or day to day and so its purity in any particular locality can vary enormously - depending pretty much on the mood of the dealers. Many deaths have resulted from overdosing on a batch of unusually pure heroin.
A few years ago powders sold as illicit heroin only actually contained 1 to 10 percent of the drug. In recent years street supplies have become stronger and the UK national average purity of heroin is now around 40 percent, although it can range from 1 to 98 percent (hence the likelihood of accidental overdose).
Along with an increase in purity, the cost of heroin has fallen. A gram of the drug now costs around 60 Pounds Sterling on the street.
Until recently, most heroin users took the drug by injection - either into a vein, under the skin or into a muscle. This is the most practical and 'efficient' way to take impure heroin.
The availability of higher purity heroin has meant that more users can now snort or smoke the drug and still achieve the desired effect. Smoking and sniffing of heroin appears to be on the increase in the UK as of 1997/8.
Although this may seem like 'good' news, as sniffing or smoking heroin eliminates the health risks associated with injecting drugs, it has a downside. Many people may try heroin by sniffing or smoking it, who may not have tried the drug if they had to inject it.
Sniffing or smoking heroin is likely to be more appealing to new users because it eliminates both the fear of acquiring syringe-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, and the initial distaste regarding self-injection.
It would certainly be a cause for concern if the reduction in the cost of heroin and increase in its purity leads to the drug becoming more acceptable to young people.
What effect does it have?
All opiates tend to relax the user and kill pain to some degree. Heroin is the most powerful opiate and when it is injected, the user feels an immediate 'rush' of relaxation and well-being. Physical pain is completely removed - and so is emotional pain.
It can be hard for non-users to understand the attraction of drugs - particularly heroin - but a major reason why any individual may feel drawn to use heroin again after an initial experience is that it produces such a powerful sense of security and tranquility. It produces a state of mind where all cares and worries seem far removed. Nothing matters. Perhaps it's like being in the womb.
The best description this writer has ever found is:
"But with heroin, ahhh. You can just sit in a sewer all day and be soooo happy and feel soooo good"
("Junk" - Melvin Burgess, 1996 Penguin Books)
Of course, these pleasant sensations have nothing to do with reality. No matter how good a user may feel, the reality is the sewer - or whatever other situation exists - and this is usually quite unpleasant - hence the need to escape from it.
Side effects from heroin use - particularly for new users - include restlessness, nausea and vomiting. The user may go 'on the nod' or 'gouch out' - going back and forth from appearing fairly alert to almost falling asleep. The pupils of the eye are reduced to pinpricks. Tolerance
If heroin is used regularly over a period of time then a tolerance to the drug builds up. It makes no difference what method of taking heroin a person may employ - and regularly can mean using many times each day, or only two or three times each week.
Users have to take larger amounts of heroin in order to get the same effect as previously. Tolerance can build up quite quickly - over a matter of weeks - although it continues to increase as long as a user takes heroin regularly.
If a person is abstinent from heroin for a time, their tolerance to the drug decreases. If they should use heroin again in the same amounts as previously, an overdose could easily occur. Risks to physical health
One of the most obvious risks of taking heroin is that of overdose. This can occur whatever method is used to take the drug, although intravenous injection is most dangerous in this respect as the whole dose is delivered directly into the blood system.
Heroin is a Central Nervous System depressant and when it's taken vital functions such as higher brain activity, breathing and heart rate are inhibited - or slowed down. If a large dose is taken - or the heroin is exceptionally pure - the user may become comatose and the skin feel cold and clammy. Breathing becomes shallow and intermittent and death may occur.
Other physical health risks related to heroin use are associated with the means of taking the drug. Users who inject heroin might often employ contaminated needles or syringes. This can lead to severe blood infection and damage the heart.
In case anyone thinks this is a joke, it's how this writers best friend died. He (my mate Keith) got septicaemia from an unsterile needle. This damaged the valves of his heart and he nearly died shortly after. He had to have operations to put in plastic heart valves and a pacemaker. He lived for a few years after that but then his heart gave out.
That's reality.
Injecting heroin - or any drug - in situations where shared needles are used, perhaps accidently, leaves the users open to infection from the HIV virus that causes AIDS. Hepatitis B or C, both of which are serious infections, can be spread in this way and are common among intravenous heroin users.
Another immediate physical danger associated with heroin use exists if the drug is combined with other substances. Other depressant drugs, such as alcohol, benzodiazepines and barbiturates are particularly dangerous as they are all CNS depressants. As heroin is also a powerfull CNS depressant, the combined effect of mixing these drugs can depress breathing or heart rate to such an extent as to cause respiratory failure or heart failure. Dependence
Physical and psychological dependence upon heroin is likely to occur, especially if a person uses a lot of the drug or even uses it occasionally over a long period of time. The method of taking heroin makes no difference here - a person who sniffs or smokes heroin can become dependent on the drug just as easily as a person who injects it.
Heroin use can result in a powerful physical addiction.
Coming off the drug can be very difficult because withdrawal symptoms - although lasting for only a few days - are fairly severe. Abstinence can bring on symptoms such as chronic diarrhoea, muscle cramps, vomiting, insomnia, sweating, anxiety, and tremors. The prospect of going through such a painfull withdrawal puts many heroin users off the idea of trying to stop using the drug.
Once the physical withdrawal is over, a craving for the drug may still persist for a long time and relapses are common. Generally speaking, a heroin user who wishes to stop using the drug completely needs a strong support network to help him or her overcome the craving for the drug.
Social consequences
It costs a lot of money to maintain a regular intake of heroin. Many regular users resort to crime of one kind or another to fund their drug use. This has serious implications for our society as the social costs of drug-related crime are enormous. An estimate of the size of the problem was provided in research by the UK Home Office in 1997, which found that 20 percent of all people arrested in Britain were on heroin.
Effect on pregnant women
Researchers estimate that nearly half of the women who are dependent on heroin suffer anaemia, heart disease, diabetes, pneumonia or hepatitis during pregnancy and childbirth. They have more spontaneous abortions, breech deliveries, caesarean sections, premature births and stillbirths.
Infants born to these women often have heroin withdrawal symptoms which may last several weeks or months. Many of these babies die.
Legal consequences
Heroin is a Class A drug. It is illegal to supply or possess it. Penalties are high.
(Drugs similar to heroin, such as morphine, opium, methadone, dipapanone and pethidine are also Class A drugs. Codeine and dihydrocodeine (DF118) are Class B drugs unless they are prepared for injection when they become Class A drugs.)
Harm Minimisation
Shooting up will mess you up!
- The best advice is Don't use heroin at all! If you want to give up seek help from your GP, local needle exchange or Drug Intervention Programme that should be running in your area. They will ask about your offending and if you are at risk of offending or already involved in the criminal justice system, you maybe rapid prescribed with substitute medication. Remember to tell them that you are currently offending by using a Class A Drug! What substitute will depend on your current usage, a urine sample or swab test for opiates and the individual doctor who prescribes. In many cases they prescribe methadone! As this is the least expensive as far as the government is concerned. Unless you get the right support and aftercare, it can be a long haul, as you first have to stabilize on the methadone.
- If you have to use heroin, smoke it instead of injecting. (Muscle-popping, skin-popping and missing the vein are particularly dangerous);
- Don't share needles, syringes, cookers, spoons or other 'works' with other drug users, if you do, you run the risk catching blood born viruses, such as hepatitis and HIV.
- Use clean works for each injection. Do not re-use needles as their get blunt and can damage veins permanently. Use a local needle exchange, where you can dispose of your used needles and get help with coming off heroin.
- Cleanliness is important: prepare in a clean place and carefully wash hands and skin first, before injecting.
- Alternate injecting sites each time, this will prevent abscesses and needle damage.
- If you get swelling, redness, or pain where you have injected yourself, or pus collects under the skin, you should get a doctor to check it out immediately, especially if the infection seems different to others you may have had in the past.
CRACK
Crack addiction is one of society's greatest problems today. Individuals addicted to crack will do almost anything to get the drug. It has penetrated all levels of our society; rich, poor, and everyone in between. Family members connected to individuals with a crack addiction live in chaos and confusion, not understanding the underlying mechanics of crack addiction.
What is crack?
The chemical cocaine hydrochloride is commonly known as crack. Some users chemically process cocaine in order to remove the hydrochloride. This process is called "freebasing" and makes the drug more potent. "Crack" is a solid form of freebased cocaine. It is called "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 or be exposed to the explosive chemicals associated with freebasing. Crack is most often packaged in vials or plastic bags and sold in small quantities, usually 300-500mg or enough for two to three inhalations.
In the 1970s cocaine was expensive and considered a "status" drug. The introduction of inexpensive crack increased the accessibility of this substance, and crack has become the drug of choice for many drug users, especially for inner-city disadvantaged youth. Crack's convenience, ease of concealment, wide availability, and low cost has increased its use. The fact that crack is smoked rather than snorted or injected (ingestion methods associated with the stigma of being a "junkie") has contributed to its popularity.
One gram of pure powder cocaine will convert to approximately 0.89 grams of crack. The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that crack rocks are between 75 and 90 percent pure cocaine.
What is the difference between crack and cocaine?
Crack is made from cocaine in a process called freebasing, in which cocaine powder is cooked with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to create rocks, chips, or chunks that can be smoked. The term crack refers to the crackling sound that is heard when the mixture is smoked. Crack is usually smoked in a pipe. Because it's smoked, crack cocaine effects are felt more quickly and they are more intense than those of powder cocaine. However, the effects of smoked crack are shorter lived than the effects of snorted powder cocaine.
Cocaine is produced as a white chunky powder. It is sold most often in aluminium foil, plastic or paper packets, or small vials. Cocaine is usually chopped into a fine powder with a razor blade on a small mirror or some other hard surface, arranged into small rows called "lines," then quickly inhaled (or "snorted") through the nose with a short straw or rolled up paper money. It can also be injected into the blood stream.
How is crack used?
The same way that freebase is used, namely, by placing the substance in a glass pipe (or hash pipe) with a fine mesh screen under it, then heating it and inhaling the vapours. The vapours of the crack are absorbed through the lungs, into the bloodstream, and transported to the brain within 10-15 seconds. One inhalation will produce a degree of intoxication usually lasting 10-15 minutes.
Why is crack such a dangerous drug?
Crack is inhaled and rapidly absorbed through the lungs, into the blood, and carried swiftly to the brain. The chances of overdosing and poisoning leading to coma, convulsions, and death are greatly increased. Crack's rapid rush - 5 to 7 minutes of intense pleasure - quickly subsides, leading to depression that needs to be relieved by more crack. This cycle enhances the chances of addiction and dependency. Because of the brief high, users are constantly thinking about, and devising ways to get more crack. Psychologically, the drug reduces concentration, ambition, drive, and increases confusion and irritability, wreaking havoc on users' professional and personal lives. Habitual use may lead to cocaine psychosis causing, paranoia, hallucinations, and a condition known as formication, in which insects or snakes are perceived to be crawling under the skin. The paranoia and depression can instigate violent and suicidal behaviour. The side effects of adulterants increase cocaine's risks. The drug is often cut with one or more of any number of other substances, such as the cheaper drugs procaine, lidocaine, and benzocaine, and substances that pose no serious risks, such as sugars (mannitol and sucrose), or starches. However, when quinine or amphetamines are added, the potential for serious side effects increases dramatically.
What is crack addiction?
Once an individual has tried crack, they may be unable to predict or control the extent to which they will continue to use. Crack is probably the most addictive substance that has been devised so far. Crack addicts must have more and more crack to sustain their high and avoid the intense "crash" or depression that follows their binges. They become physically and psychologically dependent on crack, which is often a result of only few doses of the drug taken within a few days. This dependence can lead to addiction.
All to often, the process of crack addiction goes something like this: The "soon to be addict" takes their first hit. Upon inhalation of this powerful drug, the users body instantly begins the addiction process. The individual's mental and emotional being is soon to follow, but for now just their body suffers from the initial stages of crack addiction. After the first few times using the drug, their mind slowly starts the addiction process. This grows stronger and stronger until, mentally, the addict believes that they cannot live without the drug. They now are entangled in a full fledged crack addiction. Shortly after this occurs, crack takes complete control over their emotions.
Once the individual's emotions have been overridden by cocaine, they no longer feel normal without being intoxicated. When this occurs they feel the need to use more crack just to feel normal. In order to get high they have to take an immense amount of the drug. Their crack addiction has infiltrated all areas of their life. They can no longer function physically, emotionally, or mentally without crack. This cycle of addiction continues until the individual either quits using or dies.
The above process of crack addiction demonstrates the potential power of this insidious drug. Even though death lurks around the corner, individuals with an addiction to crack continue to use with no regard for their life or anyone else's.
How does crack produce its effects?
Crack works on the automatic nervous system. The automatic nervous system controls the sympathetic system which speeds everything up such as heart rate and breathing. The autonomic nervous system also controls the para-sympathetic system which does the exact opposite (slows things down). This explains why people become hyper when the smoke crack. Crack works by causing the brains neuro transmitters to release all the dopamine at once (dopamine is a chemical in the brain which releases feelings of pleasure). When we laugh, a slight amount of dopamine is released and this makes you feel good. After this dopamine has been released, crack can block the re-uptake of the dopamine in some cases. If this happens, the person will now make it a mission to get any sort of pleasure.
How does crack effect the brain?
The use of crack alters the processes of the brain by causing a change in the way neurons in the brain communicate. Nerve cells, called neurons, communicate with each other by supplying the brain with chemicals called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters allow information in the form of electrical impulses to be passed through the body. This process works by neurotransmitters attaching themselves to certain areas in the brain. One of the neurotransmitters affected by crack is called dopamine. Dopamine is released by neurons in the part of the brain that controls feelings of pleasure and well-being. This area is in the limbic system of the brain. Normally, once dopamine has transferred to a nerve cell's receptors and caused a reaction in a cell, it is transferred back to the neuron that released it.
Crack cocaine causes damage to this system and blocks the process of transfer. Dopamine then builds up in the gap synapse between neurons. As a result, for crack cocaine users, dopamine keeps affecting a nerve cell after it should have stopped. That's why someone who uses crack cocaine feels an extra sense of euphoria and pleasure. Although crack cocaine may bring on intense feelings of pleasure while it is being used, crack cocaine can damage the ability to feel pleasure in the long run. Research suggests that long-term crack cocaine use may reduce the amount of dopamine or the number of dopamine receptors in the brain. When this happens, nerve cells must have crack cocaine to communicate properly. Without crack cocaine, the brain can't send enough dopamine to the receptors to create a feeling of pleasure.
When are the effects felt from smoking crack?
Facilitated by the large surface area of the lungs' air sacs, cocaine administered by inhalation is absorbed almost immediately into the bloodstream. It takes only 19 seconds to reach the brain. However, only 30 to 60 percent of the available dose is absorbed due to incomplete inhalation of the cocaine-laden fumes and variations in the heating temperature. Crack smokers achieve maximum physiological effects approximately two minutes after inhalation. Maximum psychotropic effects are attained approximately one minute after inhalation. Similar to intravenous administration, the physiological and psychotropic effects of inhaled cocaine are sustained for approximately 30 minutes after peak effects are attained.
What are the short term effects of crack?
The short term effects of crack can be felt upon the users initial hit. The individual begins to feel the effects of crack immediately. The user experiences an increase in energy, body temperature, mental alertness, heart rate, constricted blood vessels, as well as a decrease in appetite. These temporary effects of crack are as short lived as the users high. Because crack is smoked, causing it to travel through the blood up to the brain much faster than cocaine which is snorted, the user experiences these short term effects more intensely. The duration and intensity of these short term effects of crack are based on the amount of crack that is used.
The short term effects of crack include but are not limited to:
- Magnification of pleasure, euphoria
- Alertness and in some cases - hyper-alertness
- Increased and sometimes a grandiose sense of well being
- Decreased anxiety
- Lower social inhibitions: more sociable and talkative
- Heightened energy, self-esteem, sexuality and emotions aroused by interpersonal experiences
- Appetite loss; weight loss
The long term effects of crack affect the user physically, mentally, and emotionally. An individual's long term effects from crack vary from person to person depending on their length and intensity of abuse. In general, the long term effects of crack include restlessness, mood change, irritability, auditory hallucinations, extreme paranoia, and eventually and rather quickly, addiction.
The long term effects of crack include but are not limited to:
- Extreme euphoria - "mental orgasm"
- Uninhibited
- Impaired judgment
- Grandiosity
- Impulsivity
- Hyper sexuality
- Hyper vigilance
- Compulsivity
- Extreme psychomotor activation/agitation
- Anxiety; irritability; argumentative
- Transient panic
- Paranoia
- Terror of impending death
- Poor reality testing; delusions
- Extreme weight loss
- Chronic sore throat
- Hoarseness
- Shortness of breath
- Bronchitis
- Lung cancer
- Emphysema and other lung damage
- Respiratory problems such as congestion of the lungs, wheezing, and spitting up black phlegm
- Burning of the lips, tongue, and throat
- Slowed digestion
- Weight loss
- High incidence of dependence
- Blood vessel constriction
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Brain seizures that can result in suffocation
- Dilated pupils
- Sweating
- Rise in blood sugar levels and body temperature
- Disability from drug-induced health problems
- Suppressed desire for food, sex, friends, family, and social contacts
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Death
Below is a list of side effects due to crack addiction:
- Changes in blood pressure, heart rates, and breathing rates
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Anxiety
- Convulsions
- Insomnia
- Loss of appetite leading to malnutrition and weight loss
- Cold sweats
- Swelling and bleeding of mucous membranes
- Restlessness and anxiety
- Damage to nasal cavities
- Damage to lungs
- Possible heart attacks, strokes, or convulsions
When people mix crack and alcohol consumption, they are compounding the danger each drug poses, and unknowingly forming a complex chemical experiment within their bodies. NIDA-funded researchers have found that the human liver combines crack and alcohol to manufacture a third substance called cocaethylene that intensifies crack's euphoric effects, while possibly increasing the risk of sudden death. Sudden death takes place when the users' body chemistry is imbalanced to the slightest degree. This releases toxic chemicals into their body creating a reaction within the individual resulting in cardiac arrest. This negative reaction to crack's toxic chemicals is the cause of "sudden death".
What are the symptoms of a crack overdose?
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of crack usage is the high risk of overdose. Since crack is more potent than street cocaine, it enters the bloodstream more quickly and in higher concentrations. This is particularly risky since smoking the drug makes it difficult to estimate dosage. The most frequent overdose that people experience from smoking crack cocaine is mild and is felt as a very rapid heart beat and hyperventilation. These reactions are often accompanied by a feeling of impending death. Although most people survive, several thousand are killed by overdosing on crack every year. All forms of cocaine and crack cocaine use have been linked with heart failure in users. This also includes otherwise healthy users.
What complications are associated with smoking crack during pregnancy?
Crack and Pregnancy:
- increased incidence of still births
- increased incidence of miscarriages
- premature (often fatal) labour and delivery
- in males, the cocaine in crack may attach to the sperm causing damage to the cells of the foetus.
- babies exposed to cocaine experience painful and life threatening withdrawal, are irritable, have poor ability to regulate their own body temperature and blood sugar and are at increased risk of having seizures.
Effects of Crack on the Foetus:
- seizures or strokes
- cerebral palsy
- mental retardation
- vision and hearing impairments
- urinary tract abnormalities
What are the symptoms of crack withdrawal?
Crack withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to:
- agitation
- depression
- intense craving for the drug
- extreme fatigue
- anxiety
- angry outbursts
- lack of motivation
- nausea/vomiting
- shaking
- irritability
- muscle pain
- disturbed sleep