Crack use can destroy an addict’s life. It’s not uncommon for addicts to lose relationships, jobs and their health due to their dependency on the drug. There is a significant toll taken on the health of an addict abusing crack cocaine; in fact, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, heavy use addicts have a lifespan of only about five years from the date the excessive use began.

With crack cocaine abuse, there are some health effects that are only present on a temporary basis; they are reversed when crack use stops. However, there are other health effects that are lasting and the only way to prevent them is to avoid using crack or to get an early intervention. It is estimated that as many as 75 percent of those who use crack were addicted after their first use: this means that early intervention and crack addiction treatment is never too early.

If you would like to find a crack addiction treatment center near you, call us today. We can help you get the addiction treatment you need.

Short-Term Crack Addiction Health Risks

Short-term health effects of using crack may begin immediately upon abusing the drug. These symptoms are not typically severe and rarely fatal, but they can still be disruptive and harmful to the health of the addict. If you or someone you love is using crack on a regular basis, you can expect them to have issues like:

• Sore throats (if they smoke the drug)
• Abscesses and/ or infections (if they dissolve and inject crack)
• High blood pressure and body temperature
• Frantic, paranoid attitude
• Quick to anger or irritability

These short-term health effects can signify to those who are close to the addict that crack addiction is becoming a serious issue that requires treatment. In this way, short-term crack addiction health effects can ultimately be positive in that they are the catalyst for a crack intervention that helps the addict get the necessary help to recover.

Long-Term Crack Addiction Health Risks

It is estimated that about 15,000 Americans die every year due to drug complications from cocaine and crack cocaine. The long-term health effects contribute greatly to the death toll. These long-term effects of crack use do not necessarily subside when drug use does, but it is possible to experience health benefits for chronic illnesses (no matter how they started) when crack addiction treatment is sought.

Those who live with crack addiction for the long-term may experience health risks including heart problems or heart failure, stroke or cardiac arrest, respiratory disorders, kidney and liver problems – to name a few. Coma, seizures, and death are not uncommon among those who refuse treatment for crack addiction. Avoid these health risks by getting crack addiction help today.

How Drug Treatment Helps Crack Addiction Health Effects

Even those who cannot reverse their health issues during crack addiction treatment will experience the benefit of not worsening the situation through continued use. Overdose and the death of others due to crack use obviously disappear the second crack addicts stop using, and those who are living with a co-occurring disorder like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and others will find that it is easier to get effective treatment for these problems without crack addiction.

Contact us today to learn more about the crack detox and crack addiction treatment programs near you.