Freebasing is a process of removing the salt from a drug and breaking it down into its base or “free” form for smoking or vaporizing rather than injecting or swallowing. It is most commonly associated with cocaine, but other drugs can also be freebased.
What Does Freebasing Mean?
Most drugs that you are likely to encounter in the powder form have salt in them. In the case of cocaine, this is cocaine hydrochloride. That form dissolves in water, so it can be snorted or injected, but it breaks down rather than vaporizing when heated, which is what would need to happen in order to inhale it. The base form of cocaine has had the acid removed from it and can be heated to vapor without being broken down in the process.
The fact that it is smoked means that the effects are almost immediate, coming within ten seconds or less, compared to several minutes with snorting and longer still with swallowing. The high is stronger, but it also ends much quicker, leaving the user with a worse crash.
Why Freebasing Is So Dangerous
- Immediate cardiovascular risks. A quick and powerful high puts your heart under much more pressure than a gradual dose would. Irregular heartbeats, heart attacks, strokes, or seizures could occur, even in people with no history of heart disease.
- Development of addiction. The sudden intensity followed by an equally sudden crash encourages more frequent use in a shorter period to recapture that feeling.
- Lung damage. Long-term freebasing can lead to a persistent cough, shortness of breath, and even coughing up blood. It can also cause crack lung, a severe inflammation of the lungs, requiring hospitalization.
- Burns. Burns on the face, hands, and upper torso are common among people who freebase, because of the flammable materials and open flame involved. Inhalation burns can also damage the throat and voice box.
- Stimulant psychosis. This condition, which is characterized by paranoia and delusions, is very dangerous and requires professional care. This is why addiction treatment and mental health support are so important.
Signs That Someone You Love Might Be Using
- Going missing for hours or days at a time, suddenly or intermittently
- Being constantly tired or sleeping for days at a time
- Selling possessions, sudden debts, or spending sprees
- Suddenly secretive about a particular location, object, or activity
- Unhealthy weight loss and a lack of interest in food
- Burns, blisters, or sores on the fingers, thumbs, or face
- A persistent cough, a hoarse voice, or shortness of breath
- Paranoia, hallucination, delusions, or sudden accusations
If more than one of these things has happened over the course of a few days, it is time to address the situation.
Recognizing an Overdose
If someone is suspected to have overdosed, because the person is displaying any of the following signs of overdose, emergency services should be contacted immediately:
- Chest pain
- Seizures
- Labored breathing or dangerously high temperature
- Severe agitation or confusion
- An irregular or dangerously high pulse
- Loss of consciousness or unresponsiveness
While waiting for emergency services, the victim should be kept cool, comfortable, and still. If the person is unconscious but breathing, they should be placed on their side.
It is also important to note that fentanyl is becoming prevalent as a cutting agent, and someone who is unaware of it might easily overdose on a contaminated dose. The signs of an opioid overdose are dangerously slow or ceased breathing and blue lips. If naloxone is available, it should be administered, as it can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose without harming someone who has not taken opioids. In any case, emergency services should be alerted.
Getting Help in Orange County
There is no FDA-approved medication to help with cocaine addiction. Instead, a combination of therapeutic treatments across the continuum of care is utilized. Covenant Hills Treatment Center in San Juan Capistrano has been helping local residents and visitors work through addiction for over thirty years. They offer residential inpatient treatment, faith-based recovery, and a traditional addiction recovery approach.
Whether someone is struggling with their own addiction or a family member has discovered drug paraphernalia and has been unable to sleep since, the best thing to do is to contact Covenant Hills or call 800-662-2873.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is freebasing the same as crack?
Crack is a form of cocaine that has been freebased, but they are not the same thing. They are similar in that they are both smoked and found in their free base form, but cocaine powder has to be separated from its salt and acid with a solvent, whereas crack is made by a simpler process that leaves residue behind and is typically less pure. They are essentially the same drug from a medical standpoint.
What does crack cocaine look like?
It usually comes in small irregular crumbs or chunks that mostly resemble off-white, pale-yellow, or light-brown candle wax or soap.
How long does crack cocaine stay in your system?
It depends on a number of factors. Cocaine itself clears quickly and is generally detectable for about twenty-four hours, but its metabolites can be found in a urine test for two to four days after isolated use and up to a week after heavy use.
Is cocaine withdrawal dangerous?
It is not as dangerous as withdrawal from something like alcohol or benzodiazepines, but the crash is very severe, and many people report feeling suicidal or extremely, unbearably tired and depressed. If that is where you are right now, call or text 988. It is also why it is so important to go through withdrawal with the help of medical professionals.
