Though both, Crack and Opioid, are drugs which may have dangerous results if consumed excessively still they are different from each other. One thing that is common in both drugs is that their abuse has ability to demolish the life of the users as they can even cause death in acute cases. However, it will be interesting to compare opioid and crack to find differences between their addiction levels. The information provided in this write up will help you to identify both drugs separately along with comparing Opioid vs Crack Addiction.

Before discussing Opioid vs Crack Addiction in detail, you must know what these terms are.

What is Opioid?

Opioid is a compound that has addictive properties like opium as it affects the users psychologically. Opioid is also used as medication, if consumed as directed by a qualified doctor. It is usually prescribed to control acute pain normally experienced after surgery. However, if the medication is not used correctly then it can be dangerous also. Heroin is one of the powerful forms of opioid which is destroying the future of youth all over the world since long.

Opioids are mainly derived from poppy plants. As medicine opioid is injected to travel through your blood to reduce pain by affecting the receptor cells of your brain. It reduces your feeling of pain with the help of the signals released by the cells of your brain.

The feature of the opioid of calming pain, as medication, can become dangerous when it is abused. Its higher dose can slow down your heart rate as well as breathing which can cause death in severe cases. People usually get addicted to opioid due to experiencing the feeling of pleasure it provides in moderate dose continuously for long time. This addiction becomes a kind of epidemic when experienced by many people.

The brain receptors get influenced by the effect of opioid when someone consumes it. This opens the flow of feel-good chemical found in the brain, dopamine, into the system of opioid users, in an unnatural manner. This makes them feel highly happy and excited for a short while. To continue this feeling, they often take several doses of opioid. During this high feeling the user also feels drowsiness.

In fact, opioid depresses the central nervous system of the users which in turn slows down its various activities including breathing and heartbeat. Their central nervous system stops working properly, when opioid is consumed excessively, due to slowing down of its working.

The way opioid affects the receptors of brain cells, it can change the brain of the user quickly which makes him addictive to it. People addictive to opioid usually become physically dependent on it and they become severely sick due to withdrawal symptoms, when they try to stop using it. In this way, opioid is not only an addictive drug but also destructive for the entire life of the users as it destroys their social, economic and cultural life forever.

What is Crack?

Crack is another addictive drug that is made by processing the combination of baking soda and cocaine. Its rock-like crystals are normally used in smoking. This drug delivers its high effect quickly, when it is smoked, but for a short time period. As it provides its effect within few seconds similarly its high effect subsides within few minutes. So, to experience its high for long time its users consume it in large amounts within a short period of time.

Crack makes people addicted to it very quickly due to various reasons. Its inexpensiveness is one of these reasons as it was used by poor’s in the urban areas as a relaxing drug since long. But with the increasing popularity of other addictive drugs like opioid in the urban areas, Crack expanded its effect in sub-urban and rural areas.

The effect of Crack is stimulating like that of cocaine. When someone consumes it then he experiences increase in blood pressure and heart rate with widely open pupils along with its euphoric high. Its user can also experience extreme loss in weight, twitching in muscles and insomnia along with loss of appetite. In this way, the addiction of Crack can roughly affect the body of its user as with time it damages the chemical structure of his brain. People taking Crack in large qualities may suffer from the health problems like anxiety, psychosis and paranoia along with stroke, toxicity and cardiac arrest.

Comparison of Opioid vs Crack Addiction

Now after getting a brief introduction with Opioid and Crack it will be easier to compare the level of their addiction.

On one hand, Opioid slows down the working of central nervous system of its user due to its depressant effect and on the other hand Crack energizes the users due to its stimulating effect. The user of opioid seems to become sluggish, slow, drowsy or disoriented whereas Crack user becomes energetic as it increases his heart rate as well as blood pressure. When an opioid user dies then he dies due to slow working of his respiratory system whereas crack user dies due to toxicity in his cardiac system. In many cases the symptoms of overdose of opioid can be reversed with some anecdote like Narcan etc. but the overdose of crack cannot be reversed back in any condition. Opioid is normally injected to the users whereas crack can be smoked only. The users of opioid must consume its next dose just after some time of taking the last dose whereas Crack users go for it when they experience the symptoms of irritability, psychosis or anxiety.

Conclusion

Thus, after going through Opioid vs Crack addiction provided in this write-up it can be concluded easily that both drugs are highly dangerous and addictive. They can even cause death in many cases. People should avoid both drugs as it is very difficult to recover from the damages caused by their abuse. Though, today it is possible due to the availability of professional treatment and detox programs still it is not advisable to consume them without the guidance of a health care provider, especially while using opioid.