Are you concerned about someone you love who is addicted to crack? This drug doesn’t produce a physical dependency like heroin. Instead, users develop a psychological need to keep using the drug. It’s possible for someone to feel so euphoric the first time they use crack that they want to recreate that first high by continuing to use it. They don’t realize that the first “hit” is the best one they will ever have and that they will never be able to get that experience again. It doesn’t stop an addict from continuing to chase it, though.
Crack Addicts and Bingeing
Many people who use crack aren’t constantly using the drug. Their addiction goes through wave-like periods when they are behaving normally. During this time, you may be lulled into a false sense of security that your loved one is finally going to stop using the drug or that one of the many promises he or she has made to stop on his or her own is going to work. It won’t.
The next phase is bingeing. Your addicted loved one will disappear and get high for several days. He or she may fall off the radar after:
Receiving a pay check (if he or she is holding down a job)
Getting a gift of money for a birthday or other special occasion
Receiving cash from a friend or family member
Borrowing money from someone
Selling household items
Stealing from friends and family
Stealing from strangers to support his or her habit
The binge will continue as long as there is money available to get high. When does a crack addict stop his binge? When the money runs out, the addict will come home and crash for a couple of days.
Raising the Bottom for a Crack Addict
Waiting it out for a crack addict to hit “rock bottom” is not the best choice in this situation. This is a life-threatening illness that needs to be treated very seriously. Your loved one is struggling and can’t make good choices, but that doesn’t mean you can’t step in to help by raising the bottom right now.
No family expects that they will be faced with this type of situation. We understand that it’s stressful for everyone involved. Contact Family First Intervention today to find out more about how a crack intervention can help your loved one move out of the cycle of addiction and become accountable for his or her actions by getting treatment.
At Family First Intervention, we help families just like you. We provide support with drug and alcohol intervention strategies to get people struggling with addiction the treatment they so desperately need. Your family does not need to suffer for one more day. Call now to get expert help.
Mike Loverde
As a Certified Intervention Professional (CIP), member of NAATP, NAADAC, and accredited by the Pennsylvania Certification Board, Mike Loverde knows first-hand what it’s like to live life with addiction. By overcoming it, he had a calling to work with others who struggle with drug and alcohol addictions—the people who use and the families who feel helpless watching them decay.
With thousands of interventions across the United States done and many more to come, Loverde continues to own the intervention space, since 2005, by working with medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and others who need expert assistance for their patients who need intervention. To further his impact on behavioral health and maximize intervention effectiveness, Loverde is near completion of a Masters in Addiction Studies (MHS) accreditation, as well as a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor (LISAC), and is committed to attaining the designation of a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
Follow Me:
