Crack cocaine is a powerful and dangerous drug that can quickly harm both the mind and body. It’s known for causing intense highs, but also for leading to serious addiction and health problems.

Want to learn how crack cocaine affects someone’s life and how to find the right help to recover? Here’s everything you need to know about this drug.

What Is Crack Cocaine?

Pure cocaine is derived from extracts of the coca (Erythroxylum) bush. This plant primarily grows in South America, particularly in countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. For thousands of years, people in these areas chewed coca leaves to help with hunger and tiredness. Cocaine usually comes as a fine, white powder. People may snort it through their nose or mix it with water and inject it. 

Scientists found that it could numb the skin, so it was used as a painkiller for small surgeries. In the 1880s, a famed Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud, wrote papers indicating cocaine could help with problems like depression and addiction. After that, cocaine was sold legally in medicines and even in soft drinks for a while.

As more people started using cocaine, its dangers became clear. Laws and regulations have been passed to limit how cocaine can be brought in, made, sold, or owned. 

After that, cocaine use dropped. But in the 1970s, it became popular again, mostly among the rich and famous because it was expensive. In the 1980s, a cheaper form called “crack” cocaine appeared, mostly in poor neighborhoods in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami. This fast rise in crack use was called the “crack epidemic.” 

How Crack Is Made

Crack cocaine is a different form of the same drug. It’s made by cooking cocaine powder with water and baking soda. This turns it into small, hard crystals or “rocks.” These rocks are smoked, which makes the drug work very fast and feel very strong, but only for a short time. That’s one reason why it’s highly addictive.

Crack is usually smoked using a pipe, and it creates a quick, intense high. It’s cheaper than powdered cocaine, which made it more common in poorer neighborhoods in the past.

Crack is not just dangerous on its own. People often use it with other drugs like alcohol, marijuana, or heroin (a mix called a “speedball”), which can make the risks even worse.

People of all ages have used crack cocaine. According to a national survey, about 6.2 million people in the U.S. aged 12 and older have tried crack at least once. This includes 150,000 teens aged 12 to 17, and about 1 million young adults aged 18 to 25 who have also used the drug at least one time.¹

How Crack Cocaine Affects the Brain and Body

Even though there’s a large number of adults or students who use crack, it’s also more common among people who already use a lot of drugs. Many crack users also use other drugs like alcohol, marijuana, or heroin. These are called polydrug users, and they often have serious addiction problems.

See below to understand the short-term and long-term effects of crack cocaine on the mind and body. 

Short-Term Effects 

1. Quick Strong High

Crack causes an intense rush of pleasure within seconds of inhaling. It reaches the brain in 8 seconds and produces a “high” that usually lasts around 15 minutes.²

After that, users often crash into feelings of sadness, anxiety, or extreme tiredness, which leads to repeated use and strong cravings. 

2. Effects on Heart and Blood Vessels

Crack sharply raises heart rate, blood pressure, and heart contraction force, putting serious stress on the cardiovascular system. 

Users can also suffer sudden heart attacks, strokes, or even aortic dissection (tearing of the aorta), sometimes within hours of use, even in young, healthy people.³

3. Breathing and Lung Problems

Smoking crack can cause bronchospasm (tightening of airways) that leads to wheezing or asthma attacks, even in those without prior asthma.⁴ 

Other breathing symptoms include coughing up blood, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing, often called “crack lung” when seen in emergency medicine.⁵ 

4. Other Immediate Health Risks

Crack smoke inhalation has been shown in lab studies (rats) to damage DNA in multiple organs, including bone marrow and liver.⁶ 

Other quick-onset effects may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain due to reduced blood flow to organs, and liver injury or heat-related issues such as rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure with overdose.⁷ 

These short-term dangers not only feel bad but also can be life-threatening, especially with even one use. The rapid crash into misery leads many users to take more, fueling a vicious cycle of addiction

Long-Term Effects

1. Heart & Blood Vessel Damage

A study using heart MRIs on nearly 100 long-term cocaine users found that 71% showed signs of heart disease, even though many had no symptoms. They had thickened heart muscle, larger chambers, and weaker pumping (ejection fraction), all signs of hidden damage.⁸

In a long-term study from Canada, women with a history of cocaine use had a 1.5 times greater risk of being hospitalized for heart problems up to 30 years later. Risks included heart inflammation, valve issues, and blood clots.⁹

2. Lungs and Breathing

Animal studies show that repeated crack smoking can harm respiratory tissue: thinning nasal and airway lining, more mucus, small lung bleeding, and thicker lung blood vessels.¹⁰

A medical review of autopsies found that chronic cocaine users often had lung hemorrhage, scarring, inflammation, and edema, even when they died of unrelated causes.¹¹

3. Brain, DNA, and Mental Health

Crack cocaine use is linked to DNA damage in immune cells, which could raise risks of long-term illness or even cancer. ¹²

Long-term users also show brain changes on imaging: reduced gray matter in areas that control memory, decision-making, emotion, and self-control.¹³ People have described “mini-strokes” and white-matter damage even in young users.

Quality of Life and Social Impact

It’s not just the effects on the brain and body. 

Surveys show that people who used crack have poorer general and emotional health, lower education levels, and weaker social support, even when researchers adjusted for poverty.¹⁴

Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms from crack cocaine can start just a few hours after the last use. The most intense symptoms usually last about 3 to 4 days, but some can continue for 3 to 4 weeks.

How long and how bad the symptoms are can be different for each person. One study found that impulse control didn’t improve even after 4 weeks without cocaine. Another study showed that people with more severe withdrawal symptoms were four times more likely to relapse than those with milder symptoms.¹⁶

Here’s what people often feel during crack withdrawal:

1. Strong Cravings

You may feel a powerful urge to use crack again. These cravings can come suddenly and feel hard to resist.

2. Extreme Tiredness

Many people feel very tired or have no energy. This is because the drug is used to give a false burst of energy, and now the body feels drained.

3. Depression

It’s common to feel very sad, hopeless, or even numb. Some people may also have thoughts of hurting themselves. This happens because crack messes with the brain’s “feel-good” chemicals.

4. Mood Swings and Irritability

You might feel angry, restless, or easily upset. Small things can feel overwhelming.

5. Anxiety and Nervousness

Some people feel very nervous, worried, or panicky without a clear reason.

6. Sleep Problems

You may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Some people sleep too much. Nightmares are also common during early withdrawal.

7. Hunger Changes

Crack reduces appetite, so when someone stops using it, they might feel very hungry. Others may not want to eat at all.

8. Physical Symptoms

While not as intense as other drug withdrawals, some people may feel:

• Headaches
  
• Muscle aches
  
• Shaking
  
• Nausea or stomach pain

Crack withdrawal can be mentally and emotionally intense. This is why many people relapse (use the drug again). Getting help from a doctor or support program makes a big difference.

Treatment and Recovery

Many people who struggle with crack addiction feel judged or ashamed. There’s a lot of stigma, especially because crack has long been linked with poverty, crime, and certain communities. This unfair judgment often keeps people from getting the help they need. 

Recovery starts with understanding and support. 

The first step is often detox, where the body clears out the drug. This can take a few days to a few weeks, depending on the person. 

After that, therapy and counseling play a big role in healing. People in recovery may learn how to handle cravings, avoid triggers, and rebuild relationships.

Many programs also offer group therapy, mental health support, and life skills training. For some, inpatient rehab (where you stay at a treatment center) works best. Others may benefit from outpatient programs, where they get treatment while still living at home.

What truly makes a difference is compassionate, evidence-based care from OceanRock Health and South Coast Counseling. We focus on healing the whole person, not just stopping the drug use, with science-backed treatments, and creating a safe space where people feel respected and supported. 

Sources:

1. CAMH. (n.d.). Cocaine. CAMH offers detailed information on cocaine addiction, symptoms, and recovery treatment.
2. URMC. (n.d.). Cocaine. University of Rochester Medical Center provides an overview of cocaine and its physical effects.
3. Vongpatanasin et al. (1999). Cocaine stimulates the cardiovascular system via a central mechanism. Circulation, 100(5), 497–502.
4. Zhou et al. (2019). Cocaine-induced bronchospasm mimicking asthma. Clinical Medicine & Research, 17(1–2), 34–36.
5. Dolapsakis & Katsandri (2019). Case study on crack lung. Lung India, 36(4), 370.
6. Moretti et al. (2016). Acute crack exposure damages DNA and organs in rats. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23(8), 8104–8112.
7. van (2000). Kidney damage from cocaine use. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 15(3), 299–301.
8. Maceira et al. (2014). Long-term heart damage seen on MRI in cocaine users. Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, 16(1), 26.
9. Ukah et al. (2022). Increased heart disease risk in women with cocaine history. The American Journal of Medicine, 135(8), 993–1000.e1.
10. Herculiani et al. (2009). Long-term crack exposure and lung pathology in mice. Toxicologic Pathology, 37(3), 324–332.
11. Bailey et al. (1994). Lung changes found in autopsies of cocaine abusers. Human Pathology, 25(2), 203–207.
12. Freitas et al. (2014). DNA damage in crack cocaine users. IJERPH, 11(10), 10003–10015.
13. Biological Psychiatry (2021). Long-term cocaine use alters brain structure and cognition. 89(4), 376–385.
14. Narvaez et al. (2015). Crack use linked to lower quality of life and functioning. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 37(3), 211–218.
15. StatPearls / PubMed (2024). Withdrawal Syndromes.
16. American Addiction Centers (2024). Cocaine Withdrawal Symptoms & Detox.