Is Cocaine Addictive?
Cocaine addiction is frequently misunderstood. Cocaine users may develop a psychological dependence, (that is to say that they may become dependent upon the positive feelings that use of the drug engenders), but attempting to stop use will not bring about feelings of physical illness (as may be experienced in heroin withdrawal). However, in practical terms, withdrawal from severe levels of use may be so problematic in terms of depression that it makes no sense to differentiate between physical and psychological dependence.
As has been argued elsewhere, dependence is not simply a property of a drug, it is a relationship and, therefore, in considering the question of dependence we also need to be aware that some individuals may be more vulnerable to this (for all sorts of reasons - social, psychological etc.), while other users can go through periods of heavy or moderate use without developing a dependency.
Does Crack drive users to commit crime?
Such ideas are another version of the drugs cause crime belief. It has been argued elsewhere that whilst a small but significant proportion of drug users do have problems of dependency (including some ‘crack‘ users) that may require hundreds of pounds per week to finance - some of which is acquired through criminal activities - many of these people will have been involved in crime before using drugs. It is, therefore, not as simple as ‘crack’ or other drugs causing or driving users to commit crime. The belief that drugs can cause users to do all sorts of questionable things is a common thread in the history of how drugs and users have been represented and is primarily rooted in the exaggerated ‘power’ that drugs have consistently been believed to hold over users.
Is Crack instantly and inevitably addictive?
It is frequently believed that the use of certain drugs will bring about instant and / or inevitable addiction within users. During the late 80’s and early 90’s, ‘crack’ cocaine was regarded in this way by many (heroin has also been portrayed in this manner). Some portrayals in the media at that time reflected the belief that ‘one try’ was all it would take to bring about addiction. This, however, is simply not true. Research has consistently shown that many of those who use ‘crack’ do so on an irregular basis - which hardly reflects the archetypal pattern of addicted use. The reality is that it may take months of use before a user reaches a state of dependent use.
Does Crack make people violent?
It is unlikely that drugs (even drugs such as crack cocaine or PCP (Angel Dust) actually make people violent. It is usually the case that those committing violent acts under the influence of drugs have pre-drug use violent histories. Drug use is therefore, not a sufficient cause to explain violence. It is more likely that those with a predisposition towards violence seek out particular drugs that compliment (and that they believe compliment) aggressive behavior.
Much of crack’s reputation for violence is derived from the chaotic and relatively violent crack markets of the early 1980s in the US. Even within this context violence has shrunk as the market has matured.
While chronic cocaine use can lead to sleep deprivation, which in turn may make some individuals more likely to be aggressive or paranoid, this is not causal in any simple sense as it does not occur in all users that experience sleep deprivation. As has been argued elsewhere, whether the individual tends to be aggressive per se is an important consideration. As already stated drug use alone is not a sufficient cause to explain violence.
If you or someone you know needs help regarding cocaine abuse, please give us a call 1-800-993-3869. We can help you find a cocaine addiction center or drug rehab. If you need more information about cocaine addiction, visit www.recoveryconnection.org.
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