• Cocaine is a powerful stimulant.

• The buzz creates a sense of well-being, making users feel alert and confident.

• The effects last roughly 30 minutes and users are often left craving more.

• The comedown leaves users feeling depressed, irritable and generally unwell.

• Users often take more to delay the comedown (tiredness and depression).

• The effects of smoking crack are similar to snorting cocaine, but more intense.

• The high lasts as little as 10 minutes. Because the high can be so intense, crack use can be difficult to control. Users often ‘chase’ the high by repeating the dose.