Cocaine is not one of the substances that people come to us for as a primary presenting problem these days. That wasn’t true just a few years ago. Drugs seem to come in and out of vogue, and right now opioids and alcohol seem to be the most common drugs of use for people coming to Jeremy Frank Associates.  Cocaine use can cause a lot of anxiety and seems to exacerbate other drug use in many individuals. It is expensive and associates with increased risk for impulsive behaviors. Most people who use cocaine problematically eventually wish they weren’t using it as much but it can be a lot harder to stop than people think.

Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction (PDF File – Feel free to reprint) – This NIDA research report on cocaine abuse and addiction is part of the National Institute of Drug Abuse’s Research Report Series, in which it details short and long term effects of  cocaine abuse, treatment, and more.

Cocaine – The National Institutes of Health’s overview of crack/cocaine abuse.

How Crack Cocaine Works

An article by Discovery Health explains the makings of crack, its effects on the body and a synopsis of  law enforcement and health officials efforts to to curb its spread.

Support Groups – 12 Step

Cocaine Anonymous

Cocaine Anonymous is a group that is open to all persons who share a desire to stop using cocaine, “crack” cocaine, as well as all other mind-altering substances. The primary concern of C.A. is with the personal recovery and continued sobriety of individual drug addicts who turn to their fellowship for help.

Personal Accounts

“Me and My Girls” (Carr, David, The New York Times Magazine, 7/20/08)

Culture reporter and the media columnist for

The New York Times culture and media columnist recounts harrowing times discusses when he was deep in the throes of his addiction and how the birth of his young daughters shaped and impacted  him and helped with turning his life around.

“Tale of a Life, Unabridged” (Lee, Denny, The New York Times, 05/28/10)

An inside look at Bill Clegg, a literary agent, and his rise and fall to crack addiction.  He also has written a book about his experience titled “Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man.”

“‘Crack Was My Friend,’ Ex-Addict Says” (Martin, David S., Cnn.com, 04/17/09)

Pregnant with her third child, this article depicts Felicia Anderson as a crack addict, her experience viewing an ultrasound which later changed the direction of her life.  She sought treatment through Mothers Making a Change, a program designed especially for pregnant women and women with young children.