A pile of crack cocaine ‘rocks’

Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine.^[1] Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers.^[2][3] Crack appeared primarily in impoverished inner-city neighborhoods in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami in late 1984 and 1985.^[4] Its rise to popularity can be attributed to the discovery that baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO₃) was a low-cost and simple replacement for the diethyl ether used in preparation of free base cocaine. The name "crack" refers to the sound generated during its manufacture and when smoked.

Appearance and characteristics[link]

In purer forms, crack rocks appear as off-white nuggets with jagged edges,^[2] with a slightly higher density than candle wax. Purer forms of crack resemble a hard brittle plastic, in crystalline form^[2] (snaps when broken). A crack rock acts as a local anesthetic (see: cocaine), numbing the tongue or mouth only where directly placed. When smoked, crack can leave the tongue numb where the smoke enters the mouth.^{[citation needed]} Purer forms of crack will sink in water or melt at the edges when near a flame (crack vaporizes at 90 °C, 194 °F).^[1]

Crack cocaine as sold on the streets may be adulterated or "buffed" with white substances mimicking the appearance of cocaine to increase bulk. Use of toxic adulterants such as levamisole^[5] has been documented.^[3]

Chemistry[link]

Possible reagents and equipment needed to convert cocaine into crack

This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (August 2009)

Because of the dangers for manufacturers of using ether to produce pure freebase cocaine, producers began to omit the step of removing the freebase precipitate from the ammonia mixture. Typically, filtration processes are also omitted. The end result is that the cut, in addition to the ammonium salt (NH₄Cl), remains in the freebase cocaine after the mixture has evaporated. The "rock" that is thus formed also contains a small amount of water.^{[original research?]}

Crack being made in a spoon

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃, common baking soda) is a base used in preparation of crack, although other weak bases may substitute for it. The net reaction when using sodium bicarbonate is

Coc-H⁺Cl⁻ + NaHCO₃ → Coc + H₂O + CO₂ + NaCl

With Ammonium bicarbonate:

Coc-H⁺Cl⁻ + NH₄HCO₃ → Coc + NH₄Cl + CO₂ + H₂O

With Ammonium carbonate:

2(Coc-H⁺Cl⁻) + (NH₄)₂CO₃ → 2 Coc + 2 NH₄Cl + CO₂ + H₂O

Crack cocaine is usually purchased already in rock form,^[2] although it is not uncommon for some users to "wash up" or "cook" the cocaine into crack themselves. This process is done with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), water, and a spoon. Once mixed and heated, the bicarbonate breaks down into carbon dioxide and sodium carbonate, which then reacts with the hydrochloride of the cocaine molecule, leaving cocaine as an oily free base. Once separated from the hydrochloride, the cocaine alkaloid floats to the top of the now leftover liquid. It is at this point that the oil is picked up rapidly, usually with a pin or long thin object. This pulls the oil up and spins it, allowing air to set and dry the oil, and allows the user and/or maker to roll the oil into the rock-like shape.

Crack vaporizes near temperature 90 °C (194 °F),^[1] much lower than the cocaine hydrochloride melting point of 190 °C (374 °F).^[1] Whereas cocaine hydrochloride cannot be smoked (burns with no effect),^[1] crack cocaine when smoked allows for quick absorption into the blood stream, and reaches the brain in 8 seconds.^[1] Users obtain an intense high much more quickly in this way than with the normal method of insufflating^{[citation needed]} ("sniffing" or "snorting") powder cocaine. Crack cocaine can also be injected intravenously with the same effect as powder cocaine. However, whereas powder cocaine dissolves in water, crack must be dissolved in an acidic solution such as lemon juice or white vinegar.

Psychological effects[link]

Crack cocaine is a substance that affects the brain chemistry of the user: causing euphoria,^[6] supreme confidence,^[7] loss of appetite,^[6] insomnia,^[6] alertness,^[6] increased energy,^[6] a craving for more cocaine,^[7] and potential paranoia (ending after use).^[6][8] Its initial effect is to release a large amount of dopamine,^[2] a brain chemical inducing feelings of euphoria. The high usually lasts from 5–10 minutes,^[2][6] after which time dopamine levels in the brain plummet, leaving the user feeling depressed and low.^[2] When cocaine is dissolved and injected, the absorption into the bloodstream is at least as rapid as the absorption of the drug which occurs when crack cocaine is smoked,^[6] and similar euphoria may be experienced.

A typical response among users is to have another hit of the drug; however, the levels of dopamine in the brain take a long time to replenish themselves, and each hit taken in rapid succession leads to progressively less intense highs.^[2] However, a person might binge for 3 or more days without sleep, while partying with hits from the pipe.^[8]

Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia.^[6] This may result in a full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.^[6]

Stimulant drug abuse (particularly amphetamine and cocaine) can lead to delusional parasitosis (aka Ekbom's Syndrome: a mistaken belief they are infested with parasites).^[9] For example, excessive cocaine use can lead to formication, nicknamed "cocaine bugs" or "coke bugs," where the affected people believe they have, or feel, parasites crawling under their skin.^[9] (Similar delusions may also be associated with high fever or in connection with alcohol withdrawal, sometimes accompanied by visual hallucinations of insects.)^[9]

People experiencing these hallucinations might scratch themselves to the extent of serious skin damage and bleeding, especially when they are delirious.^[8][9]

Physiological effects[link]

Main physiological effects of Crack cocaine.

The short-term physiological effects of cocaine include^[6] constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Large amounts (several hundred milligrams or more) intensify the user's high, but may also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behavior.^[6] Large amounts can induce tremors, vertigo, muscle twitches, paranoia, or, with repeated doses, a toxic reaction closely resembling amphetamine poisoning.^[6] Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter.^[6] Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.

An appreciable tolerance to cocaine’s high may develop, with many addicts reporting that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first experience.^[6] Some users will frequently increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users might also become more sensitive (sensitization) to cocaine's anesthetic and convulsant effects, without increasing the dose taken: this increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after apparently low doses of cocaine.^[6]

Addiction[link]

Crack cocaine is popularly thought to be the most addictive form of cocaine,^[1] and one of the most addictive forms of any drug.^[1] However, this claim has been contested: Morgan and Zimmer wrote that available data indicated that "...smoking cocaine by itself does not increase markedly the likelihood of dependence.... The claim that cocaine is much more addictive when smoked must be reexamined."^[10] They argued that cocaine users who are already prone to abuse are most likely to "move toward a more efficient mode of ingestion" (that is, smoking).

The intense desire to recapture the initial high is what is so addictive for many users.^[2] On the other hand, Reinarman et al. wrote that the nature of crack addiction depends on the social context in which it is used and the psychological characteristics of users, pointing out that many heavy crack users go for days or weeks without using the drugs.^[11]

Health issues[link]

Smoking crack cocaine

Because crack also refers to non-pure (or fake) versions of rock cocaine,^[3] the health issues also include risks beyond smoking cocaine. However, crack usage is less dangerous than speedballing or "snowballing" (mixing cocaine with heroin), which can lead to more fatalities than either drug used on its own.

When large amounts of dopamine are released by crack consumption, it becomes easier for the brain to generate motivation for other activities. The activity also releases a large amount of adrenaline into the body, which tends to increase heart rate^[12] and blood pressure, leading to long-term cardiovascular problems. It is suggested by research that smoking crack or freebase cocaine has additional health issues beyond other methods of taking cocaine. Many of these issues relate specifically to the release of methylecgonidine, and the specific effect of methylecgonidine on the heart,^[12] lungs,^[13] and liver.^[14]

• Toxic adulterants: As noted previously, virtually any substance may have been added in order to expand the volume of a batch, or appear to be pure crack. Occasionally, highly toxic substances are used, with an indefinite range of corresponding short and long-term health risks. For example, if candle wax or macadamia are procured (as a form of fake crack) they will burn in a crack pipe producing a noxious smoke.

• Smoking problems: The task of introducing the drug into the body further presents a series of health risks. Crack cannot be snorted like regular cocaine, so smoking is the most common consumption method. Crack has a melting point of around 90 °C (194 °F),^[1] and the smoke does not remain potent for long. Therefore, crack pipes are generally very short, to minimise the time between evaporating and losing strength. This often causes cracked and blistered lips, colloquially "crack lip", from having a very hot pipe pressed against the lips. The use of "convenience store crack pipes"^[15] - glass tubes which originally contained small artificial roses - may also create this condition. These 4-inch (10-cm) pipes^[15] are not durable and will quickly develop breaks; users will typically continue to use the pipe even though it has been broken to a shorter length. The hot pipe might burn the lips, tongue, or fingers, especially when shared with other people quickly taking another hit from the already hot short pipe.

• Pure or large doses: Because the quality of crack can vary greatly, some people might smoke larger amounts of diluted crack, unaware that a similar hit of a new batch of purer crack could cause an overdose: triggering heart problems or rendering the user unconscious.

• Pathogens on pipes: When pipes are shared, unless users rotate and push the pipe to the burnt, sterilized end, any bacteria or viruses from the previous user's mouth can be transferred: tuberculosis can be spread by saliva. In terms of harm reduction, mouth pieces (lengths of tubing added to the end of the glass pipe) should be used and not shared.

• Pathogens in needles/spoons: When crack is cooked down, as in a spoon with vinegar or lemon juice, for injecting with a syringe, diseases can be spread. Blood-borne disease such as HIV can be passed through a shared needle (or shared spoon if the needle is emptied into the spoon). From a harm reduction perspective, clean injection equipment should always be used and never shared. Ascorbic acid is safer for use than vinegar.

As a comparison, studies have shown that long-term insufflation (snorting) of cocaine in powder form can, after extensive use, destroy tissues in the nasal cavity,^[16] and has been known to create deviated septa, potentially collapsing the nose.^[16]

• Addiction is widely considered a health issue. Many governments have made access to clean equipment and education regarding safer practices difficult, as the use of cocaine is illegal.

Crack lung[link]

Crack lung is an acute injury to the lungs due to heavy crack-cocaine smoking. Crack-cocaine smoke constricts blood vessels in the lungs and prevents oxygen and blood from circulating. Extreme crack-cocaine abuse results in scarring and permanent damage, i.e. crack lung.^[17] Symptoms of crack lung include fever, cough, difficulty breathing and severe chest pain. These typically occur within 48 hours of heavy crack-cocaine smoking.^[17]

On radiographic imaging of the chest there is often hyperinflation, increased vascular markings, tree-in-bud sign, and the appearance of a "not quite normal chest radiograph". These findings are not specific to crack cocaine abuse however can support a diagnosis in the face of a high index of suspicion.

Effects in pregnancy and nursing[link]

"Crack baby" is a term for a child born to a mother who used crack cocaine during her pregnancy. The notion that cocaine use during pregnancy poses a threat to the fetus is now widely discredited.^[18] Studies show that prenatal cocaine exposure (independent of other effects such as, for example, alcohol, tobacco, or physical environment) has no appreciable effect on childhood growth and development.^[19] However, the official opinion of the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the United States warns about health risks while cautioning against stereotyping:

Many recall that "crack babies," or babies born to mothers who used crack cocaine while pregnant, were at one time written off by many as a lost generation. They were predicted to suffer from severe, irreversible damage, including reduced intelligence and social skills. It was later found that this was a gross exaggeration. However, the fact that most of these children appear normal should not be overinterpreted as indicating that there is no cause for concern. Using sophisticated technologies, scientists are now finding that exposure to cocaine during fetal development may lead to subtle, yet significant, later deficits in some children, including deficits in some aspects of cognitive performance, information-processing, and attention to tasks—abilities that are important for success in school.^[20]

Some people previously believed that crack cocaine caused infant death as SIDS, but when investigators began looking at the incidence of SIDS in the children of women who used crack cocaine, they found it to be no higher than in children of women who smoked cigarettes.^[21]

There are also warnings about the threat of breastfeeding: "It is likely that cocaine will reach the baby through breast milk." The March of Dimes advises the following regarding cocaine use during pregnancy:

Cocaine use during pregnancy can affect a pregnant woman and her unborn baby in many ways. During the early months of pregnancy, it may increase the risk of miscarriage. Later in pregnancy, it can trigger preterm labor (labor that occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or cause the baby to grow poorly. As a result, cocaine-exposed babies are more likely than unexposed babies to be born with low birthweight (less than 5.5 lb/2.5 kg). Low-birthweight babies are 20 times more likely to die in their first month of life than normal-weight babies, and face an increased risk of lifelong disabilities such as mental retardation and cerebral palsy. Cocaine-exposed babies also tend to have smaller heads, which generally reflect smaller brains. Some studies suggest that cocaine-exposed babies are at increased risk of birth defects, including urinary-tract defects and, possibly, heart defects. Cocaine also may cause an unborn baby to have a stroke, irreversible brain damage, or a heart attack.^[22]

Legal status[link]

Canada[link]

As a Schedule I substance, crack is not differentiated from cocaine and other coca products in the Criminal Code of Canada. However, the court may weigh the socio-economic factors of crack usage in sentencing. As a guideline, Schedule I drugs carry a maximum 7 year prison sentence for possession for an indictable offense, up to life imprisonment for trafficking and production. A summary conviction on possession carries a $1000–$2000 fine and/or 6 months to a year imprisonment.

United States[link]

Cocaine is listed as a Schedule I drug in the United Nations 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, making it illegal for non-state-sanctioned production, manufacture, export, import, distribution, trade, use and possession.^[23][24]

In the United States cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act since it has high abuse potential but also carries a medicinal purpose.^[25][26] Under the DEA listing of schedule I substances, crack is not considered separate from cocaine since they are essentially the same drug compound in different forms.

There has been some controversy over the disproportionate sentences mandated by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for crack cocaine (versus powder cocaine) since 1986. Whereas there was a 5-year minimum sentence for trafficking 500g of powdered cocaine, the same sentence could be imposed for mere possession of 5 grams of crack cocaine, a 100:1 ratio. There is no mandatory minimum sentence for mere possession of powder cocaine.^{[27][Need quotation to verify]} The United States Sentencing Commission long recommended that this disparity be rectified and existing sentences reduced.^[28] Some claim that this disparity amounts to institutional racism, as crack cocaine is more common in inner-city black communities, and powder cocaine in white suburban communities.^[29][30] The Supreme Court ruled in Kimbrough v. United States (2007) that the Guidelines for cocaine are advisory only, and that a judge may consider the disparity between the Guidelines' treatment of crack and powder cocaine offenses when sentencing a defendant. The Fair Sentencing Act reduced the disparity between United States federal criminal penalties for crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses from a 100:1 ratio to an 18:1 ratio (based on the number of grams of cocaine in possession) and eliminated the five-year mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack cocaine, among other provisions.^[31]

Europe[link]

In the United Kingdom crack is a Class A drug. In the Netherlands it is a List 1 drug of the Opium Law.

See also[link]

• CIA and Contras cocaine trafficking in the US
• Cocaine paste ("paco")
• Crack epidemic
• Oxi, a similar drug made from cocaine paste
• Related numbing (analgesic) medicines: proparacaine, tetracaine, lidocaine, procaine, hexylcaine, bupivacaine, benoxinate, mepivacaine, prilocaine, etidocaine, benzocaine, chloroprocaine, propoxycaine, dyclonine, dibucaine, and pramoxine.
• Substance abuse
• War on Drugs

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Cooper, Edith Fairman, The emergence of crack cocaine abuse, Nova Publishers, 2002

External links[link]

Look up crack cocaine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Crack cocaine

• Frank Parlato's interview with two 19-year old crack dealers
• (US) Why is crack cocaine so hard to stop using?
• Crackpot Ideas - July/August 1995 issue of Mother Jones.
• US: The Myth of the 'Crack Baby'
• The rising peril of crack cocaine (UK)
• Top Medical Doctors and Scientists Urge Major Media Outlets to Stop Perpetuating "Crack Baby" Myth - a petition.

Steve-O
Steve-O in August 2011
Born	Stephen Gilchrist Glover (1974-06-13) June 13, 1974 (age 38) London, England
Occupation	Stunt performer, radio personality
Years active	1999–present

Steve-O (born Stephen Gilchrist Glover; June 13, 1974) is an English-born American stunt performer and television personality. His entertainment career is mostly centered around his performance stunts on the American TV series, Jackass, and accompanying movies.

Early life[link]

Steve-O was born in London, England.^[1] His mother, Donna Gay (née Wauthier), was Canadian, and his father, Richard Glover, was American.^[2] His paternal grandfather was English and his maternal step-grandfather was voice-over announcer Wayne Howell.^[3] His family was based in England for many years due to his father's presidency of the South American division of Pepsi-Cola. During his childhood he lived in a number of countries, including Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, and Uganda, where he spent two years before returning to the United States.^[4]

His first hometown in the United States was Darien, Connecticut, at the age of four. He moved to Miami two years later. When he was nine his family returned to London where Steve-O attended the American School in London in St. John's Wood for four years of school. As a child, he was an avid Mötley Crüe fan. In 1987, Motley was playing at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada where his family was living in at the time. He phoned every hotel within and outside the vicinity until he found the name that the band usually checked in under, manager Doc McGhee. He did not speak to Doc, but rather his brother Scott, but McGhee was so impressed with the resolve of Steve O to meet Motley that he brought him out for their show, let him meet them, and hang with them backstage, as told in Tommy Lee's autobiography.^[5]

He attended the University of Miami but dropped out after one year due to poor grades and acts of disobedience in school. He then attended and graduated from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1997.^[6] After graduation he was not selected to join the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, but worked as a clown in a circus at the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop flea market. He filmed his stunts, including his clown performances, throughout this period.^[4]

Career[link]

Jackass and tours (2000-2003)[link]

While performing in the flea market circus, Steve-O began sending videos of himself to Big Brother Magazine editor and future Jackass director Jeff Tremaine. Tremaine recruited Steve-O for MTV's television series Jackass, which became an instant hit.^[7] From this popularity, MTV decided to release four movies and one more to come based on the series: Jackass: The Movie (2002), Jackass Number Two (2006), direct-home release Jackass 2.5 (2007), Jackass 3D (2010), and Jackass 3.5. Both Jackass: The Movie and Jackass Number Two became box office hits. In 2001, he released Don't Try This at Home on DVD, which contained material MTV censored.^[8] It went on to sell 140,000 copies.^[9] He toured promoting the DVD doing stunts, which was filmed and released as Don't Try This at Home Volume 2: The Tour^[10]

On July 31, 2002, Steve-O was arrested on obscenity and assault charges for stapling his scrotum to his leg, and for being a principal to a second-degree battery, during a performance at a nightclub in Houma, Louisiana on July 11, 2002.^[11][12][13] After several delays, in March 2003 Steve-O made a deal with Louisiana prosecutors placing him on supervised probation for one year, requiring him to make a charitable donation of $5,000 to a shelter for battered women and children and forbidding him from ever performing in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana again.^[14]

In 2003, Steve-O toured Europe with Bam Margera, a friend of his. On May 22, 2003 Steve-O was arrested and jailed while in Sweden due to footage of himself swallowing a condom containing cannabis to get it past authorities while flying on a plane. He then regurgitated it live on stage, which he showed in his DVD Steve-O: Out on Bail (aka Don't Try This At Home - The Steve-O Video Vol. 3: Out on Bail) (2003). Steve-O reached a deal with the Swedish prosecutors and was released on May 27, 2003 after paying a 45,000 kronor (about 6,700 USD) fine. As part of the plea bargain Steve-O admitted to possessing one ecstasy tablet and five grams of marijuana, although he claimed he had no knowledge of where the ecstasy came from.^[15] The Swedish arrest was included in the third installment of the DVD series titled Steve-O: Out on Bail. Two months later on July 19, 2003, Steve-O was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct for urinating on potato chips in public during a Lollapalooza tour concert in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Steve-O claimed he was kicked off the tour by Lollapalooza producers because of the incident.^[16]

After Jackass (2004-2007)[link]

After the Jackass show ended, he co-starred with Chris Pontius on MTV's Wildboyz, which lasted four seasons until 2006. The two performed stunts and acts with animals, often putting themselves in situations for which they were not trained.

In mid 2005, he launched his own shoe company called Sneaux Shoes.^[17] Television commercials promoting the shoe company include such acts as Steve-O jumping into garbage, getting his foot bitten by an alligator (simulated) and drinking rotten milk. His slogan is "They're darn good shoes."

On March 27, 2006, he and Jackass co-star Chris Pontius visited The Dean Blundell Show, a morning show on Toronto radio station CFNY (102.1 The Edge), to promote their "Don't Try This At Home" tour. He urinated on the floor and performed a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience. Hosts Dean Blundell, Jason Barr, and Todd Shapiro were suspended for the week following the appearance, after many complaints.^[18] In April 2006, Steve-O later sued manager Nick Dunlap and attorney Jason Berk, accusing them of lying to him to fund their lavish lifestyles.^[19]

On July 18, 2006, Steve-O became a late contestant on the British reality show Love Island broadcast on ITV from Fiji in an effort to boost ratings. Despite stating he had stopped drinking, he asked for beer while on the show. On July 19, 2006 he abruptly left Love Island because he was not allowed the beer and chocolate which he had requested.^[20]

In November 2006, he went on a drug binge after being misdiagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a serious heart condition.^[21] He was later examined by heart specialists who concluded he was in good health.^[21]

In 2007, Steve-O starred in his own television show called Dr. Steve-O on the USA Network. In the show, he helped make his guests cool and "de-wussify" them. That same year he appeared in Jackass 2.5, which mainly consisted of material that did not appear in the second Jackass movie. Additionally, he appeared with some Jackass alumni in National Lampoon's TV: The Movie.

On February 5, 2008, he appeared on The Howard Stern Show with Howard Stern, Robin Quivers and Artie Lange on Sirius Satellite radio to promote his upcoming rap album Hard As a Rock. Another mix-CD released by Steve-O is called The Dumbest Asshole In Hip Hop.^[22]

Psychiatric problems and rehab (2008)[link]

On February 23, 2008 Steve-O joined the rest of the Jackass crew for the Jackass MTV 24 Hour Takeover, which promoted JackassWorld.com. He participated in several stunts, and even debuted his rap music video, to which for the first time in years, Mike Judge brought back the duo of Beavis and Butt-head to criticize. Later, during the live broadcast Steve-O was kicked out of MTV studios on the request of executives for his behavior and intoxication.^[23] Eventually, he was allowed back in the MTV Studios.

On March 9, 2008, after receiving an e-mail from Steve-O that suggested his possible suicide, Steve-O's friends, including co-star Johnny Knoxville, became concerned he was a danger to himself and consulted with physician Dr. Drew Pinsky, who told them to get Steve-O to a hospital immediately. Steve-O was placed on a 72 hour psychiatric hold which was later lengthened to 14 days due to an alleged suicide attempt.^[24] In a mass e-mail addressed to his friends, Steve-O expressed that he previously had thought of his drug use and bipolarity as a "good thing," but that he now realizes that his drug use was apparently hurting those he loved most.^[25]

He also appeared in WWE with Chris Pontius.

On June 4, 2008, Steve-O pleaded guilty to felony possession of cocaine. He avoided jail by the successful completion of his treatment program.^[26] In July, after 115 days of sobriety, Steve-O announced he was "back in the loony bin".^[27] He returned to the mental institution, he said, because "I've had horrible mood swings and severe depression. My brain is fucked up from using so much cocaine, ketamine, PCP, nitrous oxide, and all sorts of other drugs."^[28]

Post-rehab, Jackass reprised and comedy tours (2009-2012)[link]

In March 2009, Steve-O was on the 8th season of Dancing with the Stars, paired with Lacey Schwimmer. After the first week, he complained of pinched nerves and back spasms and did not compete in the second week after injuring his back further by falling on his microphone pack during dress rehearsal. The judges based their scores on his performance at the dress rehearsal.^[29] He was eventually eliminated in the sixth week of the competition.

On May 3, 2009, MTV premiered a documentary titled Steve-O: Demise and Rise about how his life was affected by the use of drugs and alcohol.^[23] The show featured home-made video footage of Steve using drugs and vandalizing his apartment. In an August 2009 interview with Johnny Knoxville for The Times-Picayune, Knoxville on the topic of Steve-O's recovery and rehabilitation said "He's taking to sobriety like he took to drugs and alcohol, I'm very proud of him. I think we'll see him doing some stuff here really soon. As a matter of fact, I know we are."^[30] And later stated "Something's coming. We're pretty excited ... I think it'll be a big year next year, but I don't want to talk about it yet."^[30]

Steve-O later told Comedy Digital Radio station Barry that he's never seen the MTV documentary, "When I saw the footage of myself doing drugs I felt like I could see them, I could taste them. It made me crave them and as embarrassing as that footage is, that just seemed like another reason to get high. I couldn't watch it; I haven't watched it since then. The producers put it all together and finished it up without any input for me, it's better that way.”^[31] Then in January 2009, Steve-O announced on his website the release of a new DVD titled Steve-O: Pounding Out Randoms, of which only 1000 copies have been made.^[32]

Steve-O was part of Jackass 3D, the third installment of the Jackass series, released in October 2010.^[33] The movie was in 3D and began production on January 25, 2010,^[34] In late May 2010, Knoxville has stated that Steve-O's sobriety is at its best and “There is no beer on set this time around even if some of us wish there was”. He also said “And to be honest it's going great. Everyone has had different injuries throughout which is a good sign and Steve-O is probably getting the best footage out of everybody. He is really going for it. He wants to prove to everyone he can do these stunts sober. It's been two years since he had a drink now. Everyone has been real supportive of him.”.^[35] Steve-O is now a vegan for both health and compassionate reasons. After the Jackass 3D stunt involving a ram (during which he injured his hand), he has expressed some concern about doing stunts in the future that "mess with animals."^[5]

When Jackass 3D was released in 2010, the movie broke box office records.^[36] In promoting the movie, he appeared on The Howard Stern Show, lighting himself on fire causing Howard Stern to yell: "Put him out! Put his head out! Fucking maniac! Oh my god, you're a maniac! You're a goddamn maniac!"^[37]

In November 2010, Steve-O began touring the United States performing stand-up comedy on what he called "Steve-O's Entirely Too Much Information Tour". In early 2011, he announced a nine-month long American comedy tour.^[38] He appeared in Jackass 3.5, which was released in April 2011. In March 2011 Steve-O brought his Stand up comedy tour to Canada, where he ended each show by lighting his head on fire and having fellow stuntman Ryan Stock spit a mouth full of lamp oil at his head, resulting in a huge fireball.

On Sunday March 27, 2011, Steve-O was arrested by Canadian authorities at Calgary airport. Officers found an arrest warrant filed in 2003. Steve-O was accused of assault with a weapon. He was released after paying a caution of $10,000.^[39] Before his arrest, Steve-O spoke about "how he outran police after a fan was, according to authorities, beaten on stage eight years ago."^[40]

In May 2011, he brought his stand-up show to Australia, playing a show in all the major cities.^[41] In an interview with Comedy Digital Radio station Barry Steve-O explained the genesis of his comedy tour, "Someone invited me to a famous comedy club in Los Angeles and they asked that I get on stage and do something outrageous. When I got to that comedy club I looked around and it occurred to me that the craziest thing I could possibly do by far would be to try stand-up comedy. Like, that was genuinely the most terrifying, outlandish just crazy thing that I could do.”^[31]

In June 2011, Steve-O released an autobiography entitled Professional Idiot: A Memoir, co-written with David Peisner. He has stated that he follows only a strict vegan diet and is one of the many celebrities that got involved in the NOH8 project. In July, he received PETA's Nanci Alexander award for his "voice against cruelty."^[42][43]

On September 13, 2011, during a taping of the Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen, Steve-O joked, "The last time this many nobodies were at a roast, at least Great White was playing". Steve-O has since apologized for the comment and requested that it be removed from the broadcast of the roast.^[44] During the taping of the roast, Steve-O attempted to run into the fist of boxer Mike Tyson, but the first attempt didn't work. Later, at the end of the roast, Steve-O made another attempt and this time connected, resulting in Steve-O getting a broken nose.^[45] He also claimed to have been sober and clean for three and a half years.

It was announced on October 3, 2011 that Steve-O will be hosting truTV's new reality game show Killer Karaoke, the American version of the British competition show Sing If You Can. The show is slated to air in early 2012.^[46]

On March 14th, 2012 a remix of MGK's song wild boy was released with Steve-O providing the intro.

TV, film, book and releases[link]

TV

• Jackass (MTV, 2000–2002)
• Wildboyz (MTV, 2003–2006)
• The Bronx Bunny Show (one episode 2003)
• Totally Busted (Playboy TV, 2004–2006)
• Blind Date (One episode)
• Love Island (ITV, 2006)
• The O.C (One Episode, 2006)
• 24 Hours with... (ITV, 2006)
• Bam's Unholy Union (MTV)
• Dr. Steve-O (USA Network, 2007–2008)
• Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover (MTV Special, 2008)
• Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 2009)
• Nitro Circus (one episode, 2009)
• Steve-O: Demise and Rise (MTV Special, 2009)
• True Beauty (as The Milkman) (one episode 2009)
• Germany's Next Topmodel (German TV show, season 6, episode 12, 2011)
• Minute to Win It (NBC, 2011)
• The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen (Comedy Central, 2011)

Movies

• Jackass: The Movie (2002)
• Blind Horizon (2003)
• Jackass Number Two (2006)
• Jackass 2.5 (2007)
• National Lampoon's TV: The Movie (2007)
• The Dudesons Movie (2008)
• Jackass 3D (2010)
• Jackass 3.5 (2011)
• Killer Karaoke (2012)

DVDs

• Don't Try This At Home - The Steve-O Video Vol. 1 (2001)
• Don't Try This At Home - The Steve-O Video Vol. 2: The Tour (2002)
• Steve-O: Out on Bail (aka Don't Try This At Home - The Steve-O Video Vol. 3: Out on Bail) (2003)
• Steve-O: The Early Years (2004)
• XYZ: Decade of Destruction (2005)
• Steve-O: Gross Misconduct (2005)
• Pinnernation (2007)
• Pounding Out Randoms (2009)

Music

• The Dumbest Asshole In Hip Hop (April 24, 2008, West Coast Madness Records)

Games

• A Character in Jackass: The Game
• Appeared in Tony Hawk's Underground 2 as a guest appearance
• A Celebrity in ESPN NFL 2K5

Book

• Stephen Glover and David Peisner, Professional Idiot: A Memoir (Hyperion June 7, 2011); ISBN 1-4013-2433-9

References[link]