The Rice University Neologisms Database

Referring to the after effect of a drug binge; can be used in a literal or figurative sense Cracked, followed by out, is a phrase used to describe the mental and/or physical state of a person after undergoing a drug binge. The “crack” of “cracked” is a reference to crack cocaine, and thus a person who cracks out is a person who is exhibiting the side-effects of abusing crack cocaine. A person need not abuse narcotics to be labeled “cracked out;” for instance, a person might appear to be cracked out after intensely studying for hours. Alternate forms of cracked out include “fucked up,” “burnt out,” and “messed up.” Cracked out is an expressive way to describe the after effects of drug overuse. Furthermore, cracked out tends to be used in extreme cases. When a person is exhibiting a “high” or “buzz”, that person might be said to be “messed up” or even “fucked up,” but a person is “cracked out,” that person is extremely out of it. Thus when Jesse Spano of Saved by the Bell fame overdosed on caffeine pills, she overdosed to the extent of cracking out.