The Phases Of Crack Cocaine Withdrawal

Crack cocaine addiction is more common than many people believe. If you are addicted to this drug, then you may feel that combating your drug habit is impossible. However, with determination and support, you can stop allowing crack cocaine to rule your life. You will need to learn as much as you can about detoxing your body from this drug. Here are the 7 phases of crack cocaine withdrawal that you should be aware of:

Phase 1 - Panic

This stage occurs 1 - 3 hours after the last use. A person is focused on attaining money to buy more drugs. The addict will often do whatever necessary in order to attain the money such as sell items or even steal.

Phase 2 - Crash

During this stage, which occurs 3 - 24 hours after the last use, a person will hit rock bottom emotionally. Depression may set in and the person may regret spending money that has been spent. Suicide has a high instance of occurring during this stage.

Phase 3 - Honeymoon Stage

This stage occurs 1 - 5 days following last use. The person feels on top of the world and often believes they have beaten their addiction. Those in recovery often leave when they start to experience this phase, as they feel their addiction no longer exist.

Phase 4 - Cravings return

This stage occurs 5 - 14 days after the last use and the addict will experience a return of the drug craving with a vengeance. The cravings will often become so strong that the person has vivid dreams about attaining the crack.

Phase 5 - Emotional augmentation

This phase occurs 14 - 28 days after last use, up to 2 years. The addict overreacts to stressful situations. There could be a chemical imbalance in the brain due to lack of serotonin. There is a strong likelihood of relapse during this period.

Phase 6 - Covert cravings

Occurring 28 - 35 days after the last high, a person will experience low levels of cravings for the drugs. However, any discussion of events that causes the person to remember exactly how being high felt can cause the craving to grow.

Phase 7 - Cue conditioning

There are various triggers, such as financial issues, anger, joy, etc. which could trigger the person's cravings for the drug.

These 7 phases will be different for each person. If you are serious about getting off drugs, then you should not allow these phases to scare you, as it is provided strictly for informational purposes. You need to know what to expect if you're going to be successful at getting off crack cocaine. Follow us for more information and resources on drug abuse and treatment.