Crack Addiction in Arizona

What Is Crack Addiction in Arizona?

If you or a loved one are affected by crack addiction in Arizona, you should seek help as soon as possible.

This is the only way to avoid the dire consequences produced by the drug.

Effective treatment for your addiction makes it possible for you to stop using crack.

It also gives you the ability to steer clear of the drug as you build a substance-free future.

Crack is the common name for an addictive, pebble-like substance called base or freebase cocaine.

Illicit drug manufacturers make this substance by putting powered cocaine through a specific chemical process.

Crack is typically smoked, although some people may crush it and snort the resulting powder.

The drug gets its name from the sound it makes when it is smoked.

Crack is a notorious substance in modern-day America.

If you are addicted to it, you may feel trapped with no way out.

However, you do not need to stay caught in the cycle of addiction because the treatments available today provide you with a way out.

How Do You Get Addicted to Crack?

Why is crack addictive? The answer to this question lies in how the drug affects the chemical balance inside your brain. A network in your brain is called the mesolimbic dopamine system, otherwise known as the pleasure center. This system activates whenever you do something you find enjoyable. It does so by producing the chemical dopamine, which triggers pleasurable feelings.

When crack cocaine is in your body, it changes how your pleasure center works. Instead of producing relatively small amounts of pleasure, the system now produces an extreme form of pleasure called euphoria.

When you smoke crack, feelings of euphoria rapidly appear. However, these feelings do not last for long. This is a dangerous combination of factors. Why? Many crack users try to recreate a sense of euphoria as quickly as possible. This means smoking more of the drug.

That is significant because it can shorten the amount of time needed for you to get addicted. Addiction happens when you become physically and psychologically, dependent on the presence of crack in your system. At this point, your brain fully expects the chemical changes triggered by the drug. As a result, you take steps to fulfill this expectation and use more crack.

Unfortunately, crack does something else that makes it harder to stop once you are addicted. Namely, it reduces your ability to manage your day-to-day stress levels. If you try to stop using the drug, your stress-related feelings will have an unusually strong impact on you. To relieve these unpleasant feelings, many users smoke more crack as soon as they can. This pattern creates a reinforcing loop that increases the challenge of getting sober.

Symptoms of Crack Addiction in Arizona

Crack is a stimulant drug. If you are addicted to it, you have a condition known as a stimulant use disorder. This disorder has 11 possible symptoms. Some of these symptoms point to the presence of addiction. Others point to the presence of non-addicted abuse. The addiction-related symptoms of stimulant use disorder include:

• Not being able to limit how much crack you use or how often you use it
• Becoming more tolerant to the drug’s effects
• Making crack use a major or main part of your daily routine
• Developing strong cravings for the drug when not using it
• Keeping up a level of use that you know is causing you harm
• Going into withdrawal if your drug use stops or declines rapidly

How can you tell if you are experiencing crack withdrawal? Common symptoms of this state include:

• An unexplained drop in your energy levels
• Insomnia
• Excessive sleepiness
• Bouts of paranoia
• Feelings of depression
• A drop in the speed of your body’s reflexes
• A decline in mental speed
• Extreme cravings for more crack

Crack Addiction and Mental Health Problems

Under modern definitions, substance addiction is a chronic brain disease and a form of mental illness. Research shows that all forms of addiction are tied to a higher risk for separate mental illnesses. What does this mean? If you are addicted to crack, you have increased chances of also experiencing conditions such as:

• A depressive illness like major depression
• Schizophrenia or a related condition
• Any form of anxiety disorder
• Bipolar I disorder or other bipolar conditions
• Borderline personality disorder

Available Treatments for Crack Addiction

Halting Your Crack Use

There is no possibility of breaking your addiction to crack without ending your consumption of the drug. To do this with any reliability, you will need to enter a supervised detox program. This kind of program is vital for a few reasons.

First, it helps make sure that your general health is stable enough to proceed. A supervised medical detox also gives you the assistance you need to withstand the unpleasant symptoms of crack withdrawal. In addition, you will gain an important perspective on the need for follow-up drug treatment. In turn, this will help you prepare to enter treatment and take full advantage of what it offers.

Entering Active Treatment

Active crack rehab is crucial because it provides the skills you need to reach the most significant recovery milestones. These milestones include such things as:

• Learning why and how you fell into the cycle of addiction
• Taking responsibility for your outcomes during treatment
• Committing yourself to follow your addiction treatment plan
• Identifying the things you think and do that make crack use more likely
• Finding other ways of thinking and behaving that don’t encourage crack use
• Making use of the additional resources offered by self-help support groups

Drug rehab for crack problems helps you achieve your goals with behavioral therapy. The specific types of therapy you receive depend on your situation. The most typical options include:

• Community Reinforcement Approach — plus vouchers (CRA)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• 12-Step Facilitation
• Contingency Management
• The Matrix Model

Addressing Additional Mental Health Issues

If you are affected by crack addiction and an underlying mental illness, you have a dual diagnosis. To make progress in treatment, you will need more help than people only dealing with crack problems. This means that your program must combine addiction treatment with treatment for your specific mental illness. A common treatment used for this is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). However, you may receive other forms of help, as well.

Treatment Program Options for Crack Addiction in Arizona

What kinds of programs are available for your recovery? That depends largely on the extent of your addiction. As a rule, people severely affected by crack addiction enroll in inpatient programs. These around-the-clock programs provide the constant support needed to help you succeed. If you suffer from a less severe form of addiction, outpatient care may be an ideal treatment option for you.

Get the Help You Need for Crack Addiction in Arizona

Crack is freebase cocaine, a substance similar in most ways to powdered cocaine.

That similarity includes the ability to trigger addiction in the user.

Addiction to crack is a stimulant use disorder.

If you are addicted to crack, you face some serious challenges.

However, you are not in a hopeless situation.

Crack Rehab at Pathfinders recovery Center

With help from experienced addiction specialists at Pathfinders, you can get started on both your short- and long-term recovery.

That recovery begins in a detox program that helps you safely withdraw from crack and get the drug out of your system.

It continues in an active rehab program that helps you stabilize your sobriety and encourage you to remain drug-free.

To recover from severe symptoms of crack addiction, you will likely need inpatient treatment.

This treatment gives you 24/7 support throughout the rehab process.

To get help for crack addiction in Arizona, contact the specialists at Pathfinders today.

We provide the top-quality resources you need for a fighting chance at recovery.

That includes inpatient and outpatient services designed for your specific needs.