Cocaine is a stimulant and once it is in your system, sleep is not a priority. Crack users will usually binge for days without sleep.

Once again, cocaine is a stimulant and like the stimulant properties of a diet pill, a suppressed appetite is a side effect.

This is due to the loss of appetite and high amounts of energy expended during a binge.

When a crack addict is on a binge, they will usually not stop using until they run out of money or become totally exhausted. A binge can last for days.

This is usually a sign to look for if any of the other signs are apparent first. Once they start using, bank accounts dwindle.

When the money is gone or they do not have access to it, they will begin to find valuables to pawn or trade for crack.

A crack addict will lie about anything to anyone for any reason if he thinks he can get more crack as a result of the lie.

This may not be true for every crack addict, but for me, I could not look anyone in the eye when I was high.

Cocaine will induce psychotic behavior. Paranoia is the most common side effect and can be very frightening. Crack addicts will actually believe they see people in tress, in the air conditioner vents, etc.. I spent many nights looking out of the window every five seconds.

Crack cocaine has the effect of giving the user an "I don't care" attitude. Once one becomes addicted and especially when they are in active use, resposibility goes out the window. All the user cares about after taking that first hit, is getting the next hit. It doesn't matter what they may have been committed to before taking the hit, once crack is in the system, all they will care about is getting and using more crack. During my five years of use and after I lost my teaching license, I lost six part time jobs due to calling in sick or just not showing up because I was in the middle of a binge.