The 7 Stages of Crack Cocaine Use
posted: June 12, 2007 | category: substance abuse
tags: crack cocaine
Image: US DEA0 to 7 Stages of Crack Cocaine Use and Withdrawal Pattern
0) Currently using: Auditory hallucinations, hypertensive, hyper vigilant. During usage a person may think they hear sirens, cars pulling up outside, music, people talking, etc. Some people will experience tactile hallucinations such as skin crawling or seeing bugs on their skin. They will be extremely alert to the point of paranoia — perhaps suspicious of any movement around the area where they are using. It is common to hide out in the area where use is occurring and refuse to answer the door.
1) Panic stage: 1-3 hours after last use. During this phase money for more is the prime concern. In this phase a person may look for something around their house to sell or pawn or may consider where they may beg, borrow or steal something to sell for cocaine. Looking for lint on the rug hoping something has fallen is common at this point. In this acute withdrawal period, people have been known to try to rob crowded public places (mall stores, convenience stores, fast food restaurants) to obtain goods to sell or money for more crack. The withdrawal is so intense and craving so high that the person has little ability to think or reason logically.
2) Crash Stage: 3-24 hours after last use. Depression; remorse (suicidal); brain is in desperate need of rest but the chemicals (serotonin) necessary for sleep have been depleted and it is difficult, at first, to sleep. In this phase one wonders why they spent all their paycheck, used funds that did not belong to them, pawned valuable household items for less than actual value, stole from persons they truly care about, etc. Often, under the influence of cocaine-induced depression, one makes promises to never do it again in this phase and believes it. Highest risk for suicide is during this period.
3) Honeymoon Stage: 1-5 days after last use. Characterized by feeling very good. The craving is not noticeable or is easily manageable during this phase. The drug effects seem to be wearing off and one is starting to regain confidence in their ability to handle the addiction. During this phase it is common to hear a person say, “I don’t even think about it, I’m not going to have any problem with it. I do not even want it anymore.” A delusive way of thinking that ignores their past cycles and paves the way for the next binge. The chemical messengers of the brain (serotonin/dopamine) necessary to enjoy crack are still depleted and behind this lack of interest in crack. This is a dangerous stage as it is easy to think there is not a problem and therefore, why worry about it? People let down their guard during this phase and commonly use defense mechanisms, e.g., rationalizing and minimizing, to convince themselves this time they are cured and so have no need of further support or treatment. There is a high risk for people in treatment to leave during this phase as they no longer feel, or are aware of, the physical and emotional affects of the original crisis.
4) Return of Craving: 5-14 days after last use. Tremendous upsurge of acute drug hunger, depression, anger. The body has produced enough serotonin/dopamine for the person to want to use more cocaine but not enough to affect stability of mood and emotions. During this phase one may experience vivid dreams, fantasies, and acute drug hunger. Thoughts may cycle around using until a person feels like giving in to the obsession to use. Defense mechanisms (rationalization, intellectualization, denial, minimizing) begin to make a strong comeback after being knocked down by the original crisis.
5) Emotional Augmentation: 14-28 days start - up to 1-2 years. Over-response to the normal stress and events of everyday life. At the top of the mood swing one is unusually happy and at the bottom one is unusually sad. The state of making mountains out of molehills. This is related to biochemical responses induced by strong emotions that stimulate areas where mood and mind altering drugs act on the brain. The body is now seriously undertaking the repairs of areas damaged by drug use and is replacing important chemicals needed to regulate mood and emotions. As a result, one is slightly off balance chemically without being consciously aware of it. There there is a strong need for accurate feedback on one’s behavior from an objective support group. (Recommend AA or NA or another type recovery support group.) This cannot be stressed too highly for long term success in recovery. Also, low impact exercise - walking, jogging, bicycling, low impact aerobics - and a well-balanced diet will shorten this phase and reduce the severity of the symptoms. Irritability, depression, anxiety, mood swings, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, short attention span, nightmares, insomnia, fatigue, and headaches are some of the normal recovery symptoms of the emotional augmentation stage.
6) Covert Cravings: 28-35 days. Secrets and bad judgments characterize this phase. Craving is not as strong on a regular basis but one may have periodic strong cravings and not want to admit it for various reasons. Thinking it is a sign of weakness, poor moral character, that they are not working a good program, that they simply should not be having cravings. Generally, the cravings are of a low level, e.g. euphoric recall (glorifying war stories), vivid dreams that trigger cravings upon awakening, or just general mild drug hunger. Without someone to talk with concerning these normal protracted withdrawal symptoms, they can evolve into high level cravings, e.g. acute drug hunger, drug seeking behavior, obsession and on to compulsion. Again the need for a support system is strongly recommended.
7) Cue Conditioning: 35 days upward. Cue conditioning - referred to as triggers - could be money, anger, disappointment, music, a film, or extreme joy. Anything strongly associated with using could cue/trigger a craving. The strength of these cue cravings will diminish in time but continue on for years although becoming few and far between. They can catch a person off guard and evolve into higher level cravings. Again, a long term support plan for sobriety AA/NA or recovery support group is recommended to alleviate these natural manifestations.
It is a normal part of recovery to have strong cravings due to acute withdrawal 3-7 days and then continued cravings at a lower level well into protracted withdrawal 6 months-2 years. Time and severity of protracted withdrawal depend upon type, amount, and frequency of drug used. Again, a program of good nutrition and low impact exercise can alleviate these normal recovery symptoms.
Please note that behavioral symptoms: compulsion, obsession, loss of control over time, place, amount used and continued use despite adverse consequences are secondary symptoms of the disease process. With continued treatment of the disease with abstinence and a good support system, these behavioral symptoms will diminish to normal discussions over time.
The above information was provided to a friend of a friend of mine in 2000 while he was in detox for crack cocaine addiction, and she recently emailed me a copy when she learned I was going to write about crack and homelessness. Thanks, friend. 
>> See also, “What You Need To Hear About Crack Cocaine”
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27 Responses to “The 7 Stages of Crack Cocaine Use”
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crack is a very bad thing and you might end up on the new york corner with a sign that tell people that you need more money so you can buy more crack. also you can become a crackhead and live in the corner with no food or money and no home. your home would be a big card board box for the rest of your life.
A lot of the crack addicts I know don’t even have a box. Crack is whack.
Everything stated here is very true…I was clean for just over 1 year from Crack and have been only trying since June06′ staying in a recovery Home then Halfway houses and was so wrapped up in everything I had to do to figh the battle (Support groups, Church, Meetings, Working PT)..But now that I moved out of the halfway house at the beginning of May 08′ I tell ya’ the cravings have been driving me nuts i don’t even have to think of Crack they come and I know whats up with my body…N E way I have had a few rocks over the last 2 weeks and its weird because I have gone a few days already again and it feelsl ike I never did them……But I know deep inside when I get paid next week that Half my cheque is probably gonna go up in smoke ……To let you all know ITs not easy but it can be done…I’m fightin it so can u…AMEN!!
This is all so true. I have a boyfriend, 18, going through the 3rd day off it right now. He has been explaining how he feels constantly, and it sounds just like this!! Since he can’t afford any rehab, and I can’t pay for it, I have been having him just stay with me literally 24/7 for a few weeks. I am up right now at 1am, not sleeping, so i can make sure he is okay and nothing happens, while he rests. It’s a horrible horrible drug. It willl possess you. Best of luck to anyone trying to quit. You can do it…just keep trying!
God bless you. I’m praying for you both right now.
Im 21 and have been smoking crack for over 3 years. It has literally ruined EVERYTHING around me-my job,true friends my health credibility. Its no wonder why people struggle with it and why its so hard to stop bcuz honostly speakin it delivers an intense and pleasurable rush TEMPORARILY but u SUFFER IN THE LONGRUN IN MORE WAYS U CAN IMAGINE
My husband has been changing , mood swings , anger………… some of his crew have ben on crack and he has fired them……….. his eyes look sullen and settled more and more , his teethe are changing……….. He thinks I am crazy to wonder but I doubt he would admit it if he were ……Which I beleiev he is ………. Its like when he want s to get out to use i,I become the instant enemy. Heused to be so kind and patient now anything sets him off….oh dear what will become of us.
I binged for 15 months straight, everyday all day, slept for a few hours every 4 days or so. When I was using I pictured hitting my bottom would be a release, like death. At that moment if I knew life would go on and wrote a list of all the things I would like to have…deserve to have, it would have been short. Life is sweet now and I have much more than I thought possible. Don’t give up!!
I am making a website about the effects of crack in my school for my class. May I have permission to use the pictures on this website for my website.
Many Thanks.
which pictures? the crack picture is from the US DEA, as i noted. i don’t own it, so i can’t give permission for you to use it. are there other pictures you’re interested in? will you please email me via my contact form? thanks!
I’m 29 years old, I haven’t smoked any crack for almost a year now, I never went to rehab or detox, or any other program. In the last 4 months I have been having dreams so vivid and realistic I can taste the smoke, when I wake up (usually right after I exhale the smoke) I wonder if it was a dream, I even think about taking a look around my house to see if there is any around, sometimes even considering calling a dealer.
So far there has been mo relapse, as I am now married live in a new city where I know very few people and have a 6 month old child, the other night I had 4 seperate dreams…….each dream a continuation of the last, each one watching myself load a pipe, light, and inhale, and ending with me waking up during the exhale.
Why does this happen? Is a year not suitable enough time to overcome an addiction to crack? Is a year not suitable enough time to cleanse my body and mind of crack addiction? Has excessive substance abuse in the past left my brain/mind so damaged? Will this go away? I’m feeling troubled about this and I am having problems finding the answers………any insight?
What I know from science tells me that after a year, your brain is well on its way to healing. However, it’s possible that you do have some level of brain damage, depending upon on how long you used and how much. But honestly, and this is me talking now, not science, it really sounds more to me like a spiritual attack. I think that the enemy, and I do mean Satan, the enemy of our souls, is trying desperately to drag you back to a place that you got victory over. He’s not happy about it, and he wants to see you back in bondage.
Have you gotten any counseling? It sound as if crack is not the immediate problem for you right now. The dreams you’re having are symptomatic of a larger struggle in your life. Is there a counselor, a pastor, a friend at your church, a family member that you can go to and talk about these dreams? Have you prayed about it? Do you have a Bible? Read Psalms. Let God speak to you. Let Him comfort you. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? if not, that’s the beginning of the answer. The Holy Spirit is a defense against the enemy — as is the Word of God planted in you. That’s how Jesus answered Satan when He was tempted. He quoted Scripture. Learn it. Know it. Speak it out loud.
Print this Psalm and post it over the bed where you sleep. Read it out loud before you lay down each night, as a prayer to the LORD and a reminder to the enemy that you are protected by God:
The enemy always returns to try to wound us again in the places where he knows we are weak and vulnerable. But you have an advocate, a bodyguard, a defender, a redeemer, who is Christ the LORD. You do not have to fear. The battle is the LORD’s.
Amen. Peace to you. My friend Deb and I are praying for you.
Hey Mark Anthony. I’m a 34 year old man who has gone almost a year as well.
You are not alone in the dream thing. Your dreams sound identicle to mine.
What I noticed is that they will start to dissipate with time. Just don’t USE!! I used to have them quite frequently. In the dreams I was led to a room where a faceless person would share with me. I can remember thinking that my truck had been stolen and that I was stuck in the room. Then I would do a hit and immediatly wake up. The dream would be so vivid that when I would wake I would almost feel like I actually smoked for a split second. This sucks and you’re NOT the only one. I’ve used crack only about 5 times total in the last two years and zero times in the last 10 months.
My life has really done a 180 degree turn. I’m very happy and grateful for every day I don’t use. I’m so busy running my small business I don’t have much time to think about the drug anymore. Tonight for some reason..I felt like seeing who else was out there. I hope what I’ve said is helpful to you.
Good luck and take care my friend.
my boyfriend has been off it for almost a year now and he has took it 3 times and keeps phoning the dealer for it. will he ever come off it?
i’ve been clean 7 yrs as of this past may 24,2008 i still think about it from time to time and have cravings in thought also but not often…all of a sudden the past 3 days have been constant hell to keep from being stupid and ruining what i have accomplished…i’m proud of this but wish it would all go away once and for all…however i do notice when i get really angry, stressed ..etc if flares more often..i’ve been writing a book on the demons of crack and my story…any thoughts?
I’m the spouse of a CH. He’s been using for 6 months…he has always suffered a hereditary addiction problem–before this with alcohol. I even left him a year ago for his alcoholism being out of control. Eventually he got it together and we’ve been trying to reconcile. About 8 months ago he started again but about once a month instead of every 3 days. Six months ago he got drunk one night and tried this and now he’s hooked. This is a good Christian man, an extremely intelligent man with a Master’s Degree and a decent paying job who has steadily been going downhill in the last few months. He has gotten to the point that he can’t make it more than 2 days. He’s tried so hard to quit…he has alienated the people that tolerated him doing it in their homes because he doesn’t do it here with us..he’s ashamed and doesn’t want our kids to know, and he knows I wouldn’t allow it. He’s even made an appointment for a substance abuse counselor for tomorrow, so he seems serious about quitting. He’s missed 4 days of work claiming to be sick (that would be 6 days of being sick total in his employers eyes cuz it was over a weekend)–which seems unrealistic to me. He’s blowing through money left and right and I’m scared that without his income because he’s sure to get fired, that we will not financially make it on just my salary if I allow him to blow it all. He has money in his savings account that I have access to…he left tonight in the middle of the night. He text me to say that he tried to wake me, but I’ve been so exhausted with worry I didn’t even wake up. Everyday I pray for his safety…I feel guilty that I’ve been enabling him by allowing him to come home in between his binges. I’m trying hard to be strong for my kids…and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’d like to take the money out so he doesn’t have access…but I’m afraid he will become violent as in the past between binges his anger has flared and been close to intolerable. I’ve even mentioned my intent to him in the past few weeks when he’s had moments of lucidity and he was not opposed. The more I read about what people will do to get it when they run out of money the more I wonder what he’d actually lower himself to doing to get more of his fix. I am self employed out of my home and am worried if he shows up in a rage what he might do in front of my clients. Logically I know I have to take care of our kids…but I’m scared…I have not told my family…they have been so supportive of us reconciling and I worried them so much before that their health started to deteriorate because of it. I feel like I’m in a black hole dealing with this by myself…his family has resigned themself to the fact that when he wants help they will be there for him and he feels they really don’t care. I keep trying to remind myself that God will only put us through what He knows we can handle and that He is there with every step I make. My spouse is the love of my life, my true love, and my soulmate…I pray for his safety… for his sanity and strength to get through. Pouring my heart out in this message I turn to others in hope that they will share their words of advice and pray for our safety. Thank you for listening.
Phoenix-rising from the ashes…
From doing street outreach, I know a lot of people who are addicted to crack. I know people in all stages of addiction. And I have seen people stop and stay clean for years, but sadly, it seems to be the exception.
Someone close to me is now back in active addiction, and I’ve had to separate myself from that person, because of the negative behaviors and the dangers associated with it. Like you, Phoenix, I’m praying for the person’s safety. And I’m praying right now for you and your family, and for your husband.
I really believe that prayer is vital. The folks I know who’ve gotten clean and stayed clean are focusing on God. When you take something out of your life, you have to replace it with something else. Crack addiction is huge and overwhelming. But it is tiny in comparison to the God of the universe. Nothing is beyond Him.
Phoenix, I must tell you that I related to your story in many ways. Although my ex-boyfriend and I only lived together and had no children together. And, yes, you can believe they will do anything to get crack. I’ve had to kick my boyfriend out many times this past year and kept taking him back when he would come off a binge. He became used to this pattern. His addiction has gotten worse over the last 8 months.
However, after this last time when he took my truck for over a month and wouldn’t bring it back, I had to issue a warrant for his arrest and cut all ties with him, as I was afraid he would ruin my life, as well as his own. He was stopped by police for running a stop sign and while checking his license, he fled, wrecked my truck, and ran on foot. My truck was totalled.
Just two days ago, he was arrested for robbery in the third degree. Over the past two months, because of his overwhelming crack addiction, he has three charges pending: unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest and now robbery. It’s terrible.
You must get your husband in treatment as quickly as possible. It will probably only get worse. Once they’re hooked, they became a different person, they feel no emotion or remorse…only getting the drug becomes the most important thing of the day…the next day..and the next. Money burns up in smoke, literally. And it’s dangerous for your husband to be out there getting it because once his drug buddies/friends no longer want to be around him, he will deal with the dealer directly…this can be dangerous not only to him but you and your family.
You said you were scared…well, you should be. You have so much to lose. You have these children and depend on your husband’s income. Once my boyfriend became hooked, he quit his job, and I had to pick up the pieces financially. It was hard.
I was an enabler in so many ways. But I stopped because it was only helping him to continue his drug use. You must stop being an enabler. I know this is hard because he’s your husband and you love him. I just hope as you said in your comments that he did go to the counselor. He needs inpatient treatment and mental health counseling immediately. Don’t wait.
I love someone who likely, despite words, cannot love me back - not in the way I perceive love. But I understand - or hope I do. It will be ok. It is ok. It is what it is. I accept it with tears.
I’ve seen a former friends’ life go down the tubes since she’s been smoking for the last 3 years. She has lost custody of her 7y/o son to Social Services, she has sex with dealers and her “sugar daddies” to get her crack fix since she cant work (due to many arrest warrants which she is still running form 2 years later) and hasn’t had a job in those 2 years. I am sick of trying to help her. I have now cut her out of my life cuz she got me into it and now I am struggling to get rid of the urge to smoke altogether. I have a bad feeling the only time she will stop is when she dies from it. I don’t want to be the one to find her obituary in the paper one morning…it’s sad but true. I have my own son and his future with me to worry about now and thats it. BTW, Rehab doesn’t cost a thing if you go through the Narcotics Anonymous program in your area (in response to a previous commment). You don’t need money to get clean, just good people in NA with the same goal to support eachother. Good luck to me and everyone trying to quit! Blessed Be!
i know a 17 yr old who is using and is depressd and thinkn bowt ending their life and also has many of the other symptoms described above. they say they dnt wana quit because it numbs the pain. what do you suggest i do to help them and make them realise that they should quit?
God isn’t going to do anything for you cause he isn’t there, if you used drugs take fucking respnosibility that you did it, not god. Oh and I just love this page’s propaganda, great work!
Spaghetti monster bless you all!
All stages you describe are correct. I’m 44 and have been fighting this demon for 4 years. It took my business,my family,my friends,my former life. It consumes your thoughts,corrupts your morals,taking you to depths you would never imagine you would go. Believe the hype, this drug is evil,you sell your soul for a momentary high,and mortgage your future with an apathy that will surprise all who know you. Never ever touch this crap, it is the real deal
KM, you get it. I feel so bad for you. I hope you will be able to get off crack. You are right. It is the REAL DEAL!! The REAL DEAL that will take you into the black hole. There are two directions left to go if you stay hooked…death or jail. Good luck to you…
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Thank You Renee for your kind words. I now realize that everyday I must affirm to myself that I have an addictive personality,and I can never delude myself into thinking that I can casually use, as it will always lead to a return to binging. Life is good today,I didn’t use and I will continue to make sure that it will be good tomorrow only through this realization. Thanks again for your comments
KM, I hope you had a good week…a good day…a good hour. For it’s tiny baby steps to success. Stay Strong. Phoenix, I think about you and wonder how you are. Did your husband get counseling and treatment? Are you all still in the cycle of drug abuse? I hope you and your family are ok.