There are many causes that contribute to and determine whether a drug can or will become addictive to a person. Some of these factors can be your genetic make up, your social surroundings, your environment growing up, your financial situation and the actual chemistry of the drug in question. Some drugs actually affect your brain chemistry creating a physical craving, which makes these types of drugs the most addictive drugs.
Many studies have been done on addictive drugs, to determine which ones are the most habit-forming. Almost all studies will agree on the top ten most addictive drugs, as follows in order:
- Heroin
- Crack Cocaine
- Nicotine; (though nicotine doesn’t cause the rush of heroin or crack, it’s biologically similar in its effect on the brain)
- Methadone; (often abused in lieu of heroin)
- Crystal Meth
- Alcohol
- Cocaine
- Amphetamines; (classified as pure or blended dextroamphetamine without methamphetamine, and including Adderall, Dexedrine, and Desoxyn)
- Benzodiazepines; (Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, etc)
- GHB; (a club-drug also often referred to as a ‘date-rape drug’)
While some people are predisposed to become an alcoholic or drug addict, some addictive drugs can cause any person, addict or not, to become physically addicted. As with all of the addictive drugs listed above, they tamper with a person’s brain chemistry, in an extremely detrimental way. Maybe times they boost or deplete certain chemicals in the brain (dopamine, serotonin, etc), causing a person to physically need more of the drug in order to balance out the effect.
Aside from the detrimental physical effects of addictive drugs, they can have devastating effects in a person’s life. Once addicted, a person will usually neglect all other areas of their life including work, school, family and friends. If a person is worried or concerned about becoming addicted to drugs, the best way they can avoid their horrendous side effects, is to practice abstinence from addictive drugs.
