Cocaine & Crack Info, Signs, Effects & Help for Teens & Youths

Cocaine and crack

Cocaine and crack facts

Street names

Coke, charlie, gear, banger, snow, crack, rock, bones, stones, freebase.

How it affects you

It’s is a powerful stimulant which speeds up your central nervous system.
Your heart rate and blood pressure increase and your pupils get bigger.
It makes you feel really powerful, as though can do anything, and gives you more energy and awareness.
The effects of crack are even more intense than coke and you get a much quicker hit, but the effects last for only a short time.

Is it legal?

No. It’s a Class A drug.
If you’re caught with it you could get up to seven years in jail and a big fine.
If you’re caught supplying or producing it you could get life imprisonment and an even bigger fine.

Risks, signs and symptoms

You can very easily get hooked – developing a real craving for it and feel rough when it wears off.
It can cause death, mainly from heart failure or internal bleeding.
Regular crack users will almost certainly get breathing problems, because of damage to their lungs.
If you snort cocaine regularly you can end up with a perforated septum – the wall between your nostrils.
Even if you use cocaine only occasionally you could suffer from disrupted sleep patterns, appetite loss, fatigue, restlessness, anxiety and paranoia.
It destroys some of the chemicals in your brain that control your mood, which can make you depressed and even suicidal.
It increases adrenaline and this can cause restlessness, extreme paranoia and aggression.
Mixing it with alcohol increases the risk of heart and liver damage.

How you can reduce the risks

The only way to fully reduce the risks from cocaine and crack is simply not to take them.
Don’t mix cocaine or crack with other substances.
If you feel frightened, mentally disturbed, violent or aggressive you should try to reduce your use and seek medical help.
You should sleep and eat well after you have used it.
Users are more likely to have unsafe sex, so always carry condoms if there is a chance you may have sex.
If you have a heart condition, you should always avoid stimulants like cocaine.
Don’t share any drug equipment, such as needles, as you could pick up dangerous infections.