One of the least understood aspects of crack addiction is that users are often terrified of stillness. When the pipe is put down, the silence arrives. And with the silence comes the shame.
By afternoon, the user has usually secured a small amount. But the high lasts ten minutes. The next five hours are a blur of "chasing the dragon." They are busy:
The phrase "busy with crack" has seen a resurgence in meme culture and urban commentary. You might see it in tweets like: "Haven't heard from Dave in 3 days. He said he was busy with crack."
Being is a defense mechanism. As long as the user is busy—cooking the powder into rocks, holding the lighter, exhaling the smoke—they do not have to think. They do not have to feel. The drug provides a "busyness" that masquerades as purpose.
One of the least understood aspects of crack addiction is that users are often terrified of stillness. When the pipe is put down, the silence arrives. And with the silence comes the shame.
By afternoon, the user has usually secured a small amount. But the high lasts ten minutes. The next five hours are a blur of "chasing the dragon." They are busy:
The phrase "busy with crack" has seen a resurgence in meme culture and urban commentary. You might see it in tweets like: "Haven't heard from Dave in 3 days. He said he was busy with crack."
Being is a defense mechanism. As long as the user is busy—cooking the powder into rocks, holding the lighter, exhaling the smoke—they do not have to think. They do not have to feel. The drug provides a "busyness" that masquerades as purpose.
