One of the most recent and least expensive methods of using cocaine is in a form known on the street as 'rock' or 'crack'. Crack is highly addictive and fast becoming the most popular form of the drug. While cocaine powder is snorted or injected, crack is usually smoked, which tends to produce a more intense, though short-lived, high. Smoking the drug requires less cocaine to achieve the desired effect, and gets users high much faster than snorting or injecting. Because the drug is absorbed almost instantaneously through the surface of the lungs, crack smokers often experience a 'rush' or 'high' in as few as seven to ten seconds after it's inhaled. However, this can be extremely dangerous, and crack users are three times more likely than cocaine users to suffer brain seizures. In addition, smoking crack increases the risk of emphysema (em-fa-SEEM-a) and heart attack. Though crack addiction is widespread and dangerous, help is available. Many hospitals have addiction programs, and thousands of independent drug abuse programs can be found throughout the country. For more information about crack, consult a local health care provider.
