Opioid Drugs: Heroin Oxycodone And Hydrocodone
Heroin is considered one of the most addictive substances on the planet. This strong, illegal drug is synthesized from the opium poppy, and works to kill pain, elevate mood, and flood the brain with happy neurotransmitters like dopamine. Heroin addiction is on the rise in the US, having doubled among 18-25 year olds in the past 10 years. However, middle-aged white adults in the US are also a growing demographic for heroin users, due to the rise in opioid prescription painkiller addiction in the US as well. The rush or euphoric effect of heroin leads about 23 percent of people to become dependent on the drug.
Cannabis As A Gateway Drug
The gateway hypothesis states that cannabis use increases the probability of trying “harder” drugs. The hypothesis has been hotly debated as it is regarded by some as the primary rationale for the United States prohibition on cannabis use. A Pew Research Center poll found that political opposition to marijuana use was significantly associated with concerns about the health effects and whether legalization would increase marijuana use by children.
Some studies state that while there is no proof for the gateway hypothesis, young cannabis users should still be considered as a risk group for intervention programs. Other findings indicate that hard drug users are likely to be poly-drug users, and that interventions must address the use of multiple drugs instead of a single hard drug. Almost two-thirds of the poly drug users in the 2009â2010 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey used cannabis.
A related alternative to the gateway hypothesis is the common liability to addiction theory. It states that some individuals are, for various reasons, willing to try multiple recreational substances. The “gateway” drugs are merely those that are available at an earlier age than the harder drugs. Researchers have noted in an extensive review that it is dangerous to present the sequence of events described in gateway “theory” in causative terms as this hinders both research and intervention.
Why Drugs Are Addictive
Addiction tends to have a stigma since many associate this mental health disorder with crime, poverty, and lack of education. But drug use can cause physiological changes in the body that can affect ones physical, mental, and emotional health. Drugs and alcohol can alter the brains neurotransmitters responsible for controlling your mood, behavior, and normal bodily functions.
Each drug has its own unique chemical makeup that interferes with your body in different ways. For instance, barbiturates are sedatives that depress the central nervous system to trigger relaxation, while stimulants like crystal meth increase norepinephrine to heighten energy levels and alertness. The chemical reactions these drugs have on your body increase the risk for physical dependency and psychological addiction.
Most highly addictive drugs interfere with the brains reward system specifically dopamine to influence users to repeat drug use in an effort to experience pleasure, relaxation, euphoria, and an overall sense of reward. Those who suffer from addiction tend to neglect important life responsibilities in favor of obtaining and using drugs and alcohol. Addiction can cause its victims to hurt their loved ones, suffer financial losses, and develop serious health problems, among other issues.
Read Also: How To Break Nicotine Addiction
Why Do People Get Addicted To Drugs
As a person continues taking drugs, the brains reward center adapts and becomes less responsive to their effects. When this happens, the user will feel less high than when they first started taking the drug. This is known as tolerance, and is a sign that a person has developed a dependence on the drug.
People with drug dependency experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking. This makes it difficult for them to stop their use of addictive substances.
An increased tolerance might make someone take more of the drug to achieve the same high and cause them to become less and less able to derive pleasure from other things they once enjoyed.
An increased tolerance will also make someone experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when they dont take the drug. At this point, people often use drugs or alcohol to keep from feeling bad rather than for their pleasurable effects.
Repeated use of drugs can also damage the essential decision-making center of the brain, known as the prefrontal cortex. When the frontal cortex isnt working properly, people cant decide to stop taking the drugeven when faced with severe consequences.
The inability to stop taking drugs is what eventually causes a person to become addicted to them. It is worth noting that while many drugs have addictive properties, some are more highly addictive than others.
The 12 Most Addictive Drugs In The World
Latest posts by Donald L Moore
Since the dawn of recorded history, human beings have sought and used substances that alter the subjective experience, performance, and other biological processes. Whether for spiritual reasons, for recreation, or as medicine, humankind has a long history of experience with drug use. As far back in time as the evidence goes, we also see evidence that humans have struggled with the perils of addiction.
Whatever a persons drug of choice, that substance interacts with our dopaminergic reward system. This is a subdivision and function of the brain that evolved in order to help us to be emotionally motivated to do things that are good for us. Food, sex, shelter, companionship and other healthy human motivations activate the dopaminergic reward system and rewards us with a dose of dopamine which makes us more likely to repeat the behavior.
Unfortunately, many of the drugs humans have used throughout the millennia also have the ability to activate this reward system. The more powerful the release of dopamine, the more likely a person is to become addicted to a given drug. While its impossible to say whether a given person will become addicted to a given drug, we know that some of us are more prone to addiction than others. But we also know that some drugs are statistically more addictive than others.
Read Also: What Is Alcohol Addiction Definition
Amphetamines Are Among The Most Addictive Drugs In The World
If youre alive today, chances are great that you know someone who has suffered amphetamine addiction. Amphetamine drugs affect the central nervous system by providing jolts of energy throughout the body.
These drugs directly affect the brains pleasure centers. For instance, dopamine is a substance that creates sensations of euphoria. Your brain creates dopamine when you exercise, eat delicious foods, explore new things, have sex and other areas of life.
Amphetamines train the brain to get used to that jolt of pleasure.
Some of the most popular amphetamines today are Dexedrine, Adderall and meth. Today, more than 13 million people have used meth and about a half million people are regular meth users.
The Top 10 Most Addictive Drugs
There are a variety of dangerous drugs in the world and the addictive levels of each vary wildly. Some are relatively non-addictive, while others cause addiction very quickly. Understanding the most addictive substances available can help you understand whether you or someone you love is at high risk for addiction. While drug use of any kind is typically dangerous and potentially addicting, these substances are the most problematic.
You May Like: How To Stop Tobacco Addiction
Fast Free & Confidential Help Is Available 24/7
- Access to the Best Rehab Centers
- 24 Hour Support when YOU need it
- Financial Assistance Programs
Many of the most highly addictive drugs in the world are prescribed to you by your family doctor, and can be found in the average persons medicine cabinet. Some addictive drugs are sold at most neighborhood corner stores, while others can be purchased on the street for extremely low costs. Addictive drugs and substances are usually easily accessible and can be found nearly everywhere, which is why substance abuse has become a major public health crisis in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
Roughly 240 million people in the world are physically dependent on alcohol, and about 15 million people use injection drugs like heroin and methamphetamine, according to the World Health Organization. More than one billion people smoke, and are addicted to nicotine. Drug and alcohol abuse not only drive crime rates and public threaten safety, but can worsen the overall quality of life for its victims, and lead to serious health complications including heart failure, coma, and death.
Addiction affects hundreds of people in your own local community, and might even be affecting you or a loved one at this very moment.
Learn more about the 10 most highly addictive drugs in the world, and how they affect your brain and body. Knowing more about the dangers of drug use can help you and your family stay informed, and avoid serious life problems associated with substance abuse and addiction.
Benzodiazepines: Xanax Valium Ativan And Klonopin
These are some of the most commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medications in the US today. Benzodiazepines have been incredibly popular since their introduction to the general public as prescription medications in 1957. Benzodiazepines are also called tranquilizers, although they are distinct from barbiturates, which are another addictive prescription substance. Benzodiazepines are used to help people suffering from a variety of disorders, ranging from anxiety disorder to seizures to alcohol withdrawal. They act on the central nervous system as a depressant, much the way alcohol works on the brain, and they induce a sense of satisfaction and relaxation in the user.
Although benzodiazepines are prescription medications, they are some of the most widely abused drugs in the US. Psychiatrists will often prescribe these drugs to patients to reduce levels of anxiety, but anxiety is also a withdrawal symptom that people may experience as they attempt to stop taking benzos. Without careful medical oversight, the anxiety experienced during withdrawal can be misdiagnosed as the original anxiety disorder, rather than as a withdrawal symptom from the drug. Medical oversight is always required for benzodiazepine withdrawal due to the potential for life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.
Don’t Miss: What Is An Addiction Specialist
Treatment Of Drug Addiction
Medicine and behavioral therapies are two common treatments used for drug addiction. Methadone and Buprenorphine can be used for heroin addictions and Modanifi can be used for the treatment of nicotine addiction. Medicine helps to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms in a drug user. Behavioral therapies include contingency measures and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Contingency measures include motivational incentives such as rewarding drug addicts for positive behaviors such as staying away from drugs. Cognitive-behavioral therapies aim at reducing triggers and stress that causes one to take the drugs.
Rising Drug Trends In The Us
Painkiller and heroin addiction top the list of public safety concerns when it comes to drug abuse in the U.S. Overdose deaths related to heroin have more than quadrupled since 2010, and increased by over 20 percent from 2014 to 2015 causing nearly 13,000 deaths. Heroin addiction rates continue to rise on behalf of painkiller addiction, since this illicit opioid is easier to obtain and lower in cost than most painkillers.
The latest reports from the CDC reveal that drug overdose deaths are increasing along the east coast in states including Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Opioid overdose deaths are also rising steeply in Ohio, which saw a 25 percent increase in deaths from 2015 to 2016.
Many heroin and opioid overdose deaths are being driven by potent painkillers fentanyl and carfentanil. Fentanyl is up to 100 times stronger than morphine, while carfentanil an illegal opioid used to tranquilize large animals is up to 10,000 stronger than morphine. Heroin dealers are mixing fentanyl and carfentanil into batches of heroin to stretch their heroin supplies, which is leading thousands of unknowing victims to their deaths.
Cocaine use in the U.S. has declined sharply in recent years, dropping from 2.4 million users in 2007 to 1.5 million users in 2013. However, methamphetamine use is on the rise, and has increased in use by a whopping 40 percent from 2010 to 2013.
You May Like: How To Save An Addict
Top 10 Most Addictive Drugs
Do you know what the Top 10 Most Addictive Drugs are? You might be surprised at what is on the list. If you need help with addiction, call 1-833-510-HELP. The disease of drug addiction should be taken very seriously. In the United States alone, there are millions of Americans struggling with some form of drug addiction. That does not even take into account worldwide drug abuse. The disease of addiction starts with substance abuse. What may start out as simply a bad habit, can quickly turn into addiction when the brain becomes dependent on that substance abuse to raise dopamine levels in the body. The most addictive substances and deadliest drugs that people become dependent on can be broken down into the following categories:
How Is Drug Addictiveness Measured
The addictiveness of drugs can be measured using a variety of factors. Nutt and colleagues analyzed each substance based on physical and psychological dependency, physical harm and societal harms. Dependence was based on pleasurable effects, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and the drugs ability to influence repeated use.
In the 1990s, Dr. Jack E. Henningfield of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Dr. Neal L. Benowitz of the University of California at San Francisco each ranked the six most addictive drugs.
- Rates of dependence and relapse
- Level of intoxication
Henningfield ranked nicotine as the most addictive substance, followed by heroin, cocaine, alcohol, caffeine and marijuana. He said that heroin caused the second most intense withdrawal symptoms, followed by nicotine, cocaine, caffeine and marijuana.
According to Henningfields rankings, alcohol caused the highest level of intoxication, and it had the most serious withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholism can lead to delirium tremens, a severe form of alcohol withdrawal characterized by sudden and severe changes to the nervous system.
Both addiction experts found that cocaine ranked highest for reinforcement, which is a measure of a substances ability to drive repeated use based on human and animal tests.
View Sources
You May Like: What Does Having An Addictive Personality Mean
Get Cnn Health’s Weekly Newsletter
every Tuesday from the CNN Health team.
Barbiturates also known as blue bullets, gorillas, nembies, barbs and pink ladies are a class of drugs that were initially used to treat anxiety and to induce sleep. They interfere with chemical signalling in the brain, the effect of which is to shut down various brain regions. At low doses, barbiturates cause euphoria, but at higher doses they can be lethal because they suppress breathing. Barbiturate dependence was common when the drugs were easily available by prescription, but this has declined dramatically as other drugs have replaced them. This highlights the role that the context plays in addiction: if an addictive drug is not widely available, it can do little harm. Nutt et als expert panels rated barbiturates as the fourth most addictive substance.
What Are The Most Addictive Addictive Drugs
Some of the most addictive drugs may be well-known to you, such as heroin and cocaine, while others, such as alcohol and caffeine, may come as a surprise. Why? Because certain drugs are not considered drugs.
Nevertheless, addiction is very much a real and serious problem, even when it comes to legal substances. Although drugs are all different, they still share the same factors that create the potential for addiction.
Because the measure of the addictiveness of a drug is not straightforward, no one substance can be said to be the most or least addictive. However, from a professional standpoint, there are several drugs that are deemed high-risk.
Don’t Miss: How To Cure Heroin Addiction
The 5 Most Addictive Substances On Earth
Addiction of any kind is likely to wreak havoc on an individuals life, but there are various substances that have qualities that make them especially hard to beat.
4. Barbiturates
These substances are typically used to treat anxiety and induce sleep. Popular street names for Barbiturates include Blue Bullets, Gorillas, Nembies, Bars, and Pink Ladies. At low doses, these drugs can produce euphoria at higher doses an overdose due to suppressed breathing can result.
3. Cocaine
An estimated 14-20 million people worldwide use Cocaine, resulting in a billion-dollar industry. Cocaine reacts with the brains level of dopamine, preventing neurons from turning the feel good signal off. This results in abnormal activation of the brains reward pathways. An estimated 21% of people who try Cocaine will become addicted at some point in their lifetime.
2. Alcohol
Addiction to beer, wine, orliquor can have a very negative effect on the body and mind that is often irreversible. Studies have shown that alcohol increases the level of dopamine in the brains reward system by as much as 360%. This legalized substance has a death rate of over 3 million per year.
1. Heroin
Understanding Prescription Drug Addiction
Just because a doctor prescribes a pill doesnt mean that its safe for everyone. As the number of issued prescriptions rises, so do the rates of people misusing prescription drugs.
In a survey conducted in 2015, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that 18.9 million Americans aged 12 and older misused prescription drugs in the past year. About 1 percent of Americans aged 12 and older had a prescription drug use disorder.
Drug addiction is a component of drug use disorder. Its a disease that can affect your brain and behavior, making it difficult to control your use of drugs. Some people become addicted to illicit recreational drugs, such as cocaine or heroin. However, its also possible to become addicted to medications that your doctor has prescribed. If you become addicted to a prescription drug, you may compulsively use it, even when it causes you harm.
Some prescription drugs are more addictive than others. Most addictive drugs affect your brains reward system by flooding it with dopamine. This results in a pleasurable high that can motivate you to take the drug again. Over time, you might become dependent on the drug to feel good or normal. You might also develop a tolerance to the drug. This can push you to take larger doses.
Read on to begin learning about prescription drugs that are commonly misused.
- changes in behavior or personality
Don’t Miss: How To Help Someone With Pain Pill Addiction
