What is Krokodil
ON THIS PAGE
Krokodil is a drug that appeared in Russia around 2002. It started showing up in Siberia and has spread throughout the country since then. While several drugs are quickly and harshly addictive and physically damaging, krokodil sets a new standard for fast destruction of mind, spirit and body. In 2013 reports of its use began cropping up in the U.S.
The medical name for the drug is desomorphine. It is made at home by acquiring codeine, sold over the counter for headaches, and cooking it with paint thinner, gasoline, hydrochloric acid, iodine and the red phosphorous from matchbox strike pads. The resulting liquid is injected into a vein. The high from this drug lasts 90 minutes to two hours, and it takes about a half-hour to make the drug. So a krokodil addict does little other than getting the ingredients and cook up the drug.
What You Need to Know
Download this booklet to get the facts about Prescription Drug Abuse.
DOWNLOAD NOWMigration from Heroin to Krokodil
Russia has a severe problem with heroin addiction, but when a heroin addict can no longer afford that drug, he can make up krokodil which has a stronger kick and costs about a tenth the price. But while the life expectancy of a Moscow heroin addict is four to seven years, the life expectancy of a krokodil addict is just a year or two.
At one meeting of drug enforcement officials, two regional governors reported that krokodil accounts for about half of all addictions and drug-related deaths in their regions. And in some other areas, krokodil has nearly replaced opiates as the drug of choice.
It is estimated that somewhere between a few hundred thousand and a million people are injecting this deadly drug. Between 2009 and 2011, the amount of krokodil seized by law enforcement increased 23-fold. In just the first three months of 2011, 65 million doses were seized.
Why is it Called Krokodil?
If You’ve Ever Thought of Using This Drug….
Krokodil gets its name from the fact that the caustic drug causes an addict’s skin to become green, scaly and bumpy like a crocodile’s. If the drug misses a vein and is injected into flesh, that flesh will develop abscesses. It is common for addicts to develop gangrene and require amputations. The flesh on some body parts affected by krokodil injections will rot off completely, leaving bare bone.
Withdrawal is savage, much worse than heroin. Heroin can cause sickness and pain for up to ten days but withdrawal from krokodil can result in a month of unbearable pain. Extremely strong tranquilizers are used during withdrawal so the addict does not pass out from the pain. Doctors dealing with addicts say that this is the strongest level of addiction and the hardest to cure. If a person does manage to get clean from krokodil, they may be left with permanent damage like a speech impediment, vacant gaze and erratic movements.
Manufacture of Krokodil and Methamphetamine
Use of these drugs illustrate the hopelessness of deep addiction
Both krokodil and methamphetamine are drugs that may be produced at home with an array of easily purchased chemicals. For krokodil, one must start with headache pills that are sold over the counter in Russia where this home-brewed drug has been addicting people for several years. For methamphetamine, one starts with cold medication and then adds several household, pool or shop chemicals. Cold tablets do not require a doctor’s prescription for their sale, but most states impose restrictions on their purchase, such as presenting identification before purchase or limiting the number of packs of pills one can buy.
The drugs can be cooked up at home without much trouble. Several years ago, a simpler method of cooking meth was developed that required only a two-liter soda bottle to mix the drug and let the chemicals simmer.
Krokodil can be cooked on a stove. It takes about a half-hour to manufacture a batch of this drug that has a similar kick to that of heroin. Since the high only lasts about 90 minutes and since one feels compelled to repeat the dosage throughout the day, a krokodil addict does not do much else than maintain his habit.
Both drugs are caustic and cause heavy damage to the body. Methamphetamine also causes mental deterioration to the point of delusions and paranoia. Meth users become gaunt and aged as the drug deplete the body of its robustness. Krokodil introduces damaging chemicals into one’s body that are so toxic they can cause muscles in an arm or leg to turn gangrenous.
Krokodil generally causes death from gangrene, infection or other side effects of drug use. While methamphetamine ages and damages a person, one’s lifespan as a meth addict is usually longer than the two years a krokodil addict may be expected to live.
These are two of the most addictive substances in the world. It can be very hard to break the grip of these drugs but with help, it is possible to get clean. At Narconon rehab centers around the world, many people have gotten clean after being addicted to harsh drugs like these. Even when they originally thought there was no hope at all.
Healthy methods of detoxification help a person’s body recover and that stabilizes a person mentally and spiritually. And since life skills are normally destroyed in a period of heavy addiction like this, the Narconon program provides life skills training plus the program itself is designed to give a person time to develop and practice using these essential skills. Each person must know how to deal with new challenges in life without resorting to drug use.
If someone you care about is struggling with an addiction they feel is hopeless, don’t you give up hope. Just contact Narconon today and find out how this program can provide a new, sober life.
) on our articles for the most up-to-date and accurate information.