The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

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notsofasteddie
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The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

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The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Drug and alcohol use spikes wildly during the 30-day run-up to New Year's Eve. But which drugs are actually most addictive? The answers may surprise you.

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April 23, 2013 |


Many factors determine whether you’ll become addicted to a drug: your genetic makeup, social history, the drugs your friends take, how much money you make. But the chemical makeup of drugs guarantee that certain drugs are more addictive than others. The hardest ones to kick—heroin, for instance—actually train your brain to crave them. A team of researchers led by professor David Nutt of London's Imperial College once set out to determine which drugs were most harmful based on their addictive properties (the resulting article suggested that alcohol and tobacco are more harmful than cannabis and ecstasy, and led to Nutt getting fired as the UK’s top drug adviser). Dutch scientists replicated the London study and devised a “dependency rating” that measured addictive potency of the biggest drugs out there on a precisely calibrated scale of 0-to-3.


1. Heroin
Dependence Rating (Out of 3): 2.89


No surprise here: heroin’s addictiveness is the stuff of legend. As an opiate, it affects opioid receptors throughout the body and mimics endorphins, reducing pain and causing pleasure. Areas of the brain involved in reward processing and learning are stocked with tons of these opioid receptors, so when you inject heroin, you are basically training your brain to make you crave it. Pair that with nasty withdrawal symptoms and high fat solubility (which allows it to get into your brain quickly), and you have the most addictive drug in the world. An estimated 281,000 people received treatment for heroin addiction in the US in 2003, and according to the National Institute on Drug Addiction, a full 23 percent of people who have ever used heroin become addicts.


2. Crack Cocaine
Dependence Rating: 2.82


Although crack cocaine and powder cocaine have similar chemical compositions and effects, smoking processed crack causes a faster, higher rush that lasts for less time (about 10 minutes, versus 15-30 for powder cocaine). The intensity of the high combined with the efficient method of ingestion—smoking—are the big reasons why addiction rates are dramatically higher for crack than they are for snorted powder. In 2010, there were an estimated 500,000 active crack cocaine addicts in the United States.


3. Nicotine
Dependence Rating: 2.82

Though nicotine doesn’t cause the rush of heroin or crack, it's biologically similar in a crucial way: it mimics a common neurotransmitter—so well that scientists named one of the acetylcholine receptors after it. Smoking regularly reduces the number and sensitivity of these “nicotinic” receptors, and requires that the user keep ingesting nicotine just to maintain normal brain function. There are a shocking 50,000,000 nicotine addicts in the US, and one in every five deaths nationwide are the result of smoking.


4. Methadone
Dependence Rating: 2.68

In a clinical setting, tolerance to this drug is actually considered a good thing when treating a heroin addiction. A junky getting treated with methadone will quickly become resistant to its euphoric effects and use it to keep heroin withdrawal symptoms at bay. The problem is this: tolerance to methadone is a sign of an addiction to methadone.


5. Crystal Meth
Dependence Rating: 2.24

Directly mimicking a natural neurotransmitter “teaches” your brain to want a drug—that’s how nicotine and heroin work. Crystal methamphetamine takes it to the next level: it imitates the reward chemical dopamine andthe alertness chemical norepinephrine, causing your neurons to release more of both—all the while training your brain to want them more. What’s worse, the drug can damage dopamine- and norepinephrine-releasing neurons, which leads to a drastic decrease in their production, thereby making you crave more meth. It’s an addict’s nightmare and a marketer’s dream.


6. Alcohol
Dependence Rating: 2.13

Because alcohol is legal and often consumed in social settings, alcohol addiction is complicated. But as an addictive agent, it’s remarkably simple—and effective. Alcohol’s withdrawal syndrome is so severe that it can cause death, and its effects on the brain’s reward system cause well-documented and intense craving in heavy drinkers. Regardless of the mechanism, 17.9 million Americans (7% of the US population) were classified as being addicted to or abusing alcohol in 2010.


7. Cocaine
Dependence Rating: 2.13

Cocaine prevents the reabsorption of dopamine in the brain’s reward areas. After you use enough blow, your brain reduces the number of dopamine receptors in this region, figuring it's already got plenty of it. You can see where this is going. Because there are now fewer receptors, stopping the drug makes you crave it—after all, the body needs its dopamine. Cocaine doesn’t destroy dopamine neurons like methamphetamine, which makes its effect less powerfully addictive, but the fast method of use (snorting), short high (less than an hour) and rapid tolerance put it in the top ten.


8. Amphetamines
Dependence Rating: 1.95

Adderall users beware: Regular amphetamine (classified as pure or blended dextroamphetamine without methamphetamine, and including Adderall, Dexedrine, and Desoxyn) might not be quite as addictive as meth, but because it acts on the same reward circuit, it still causes rapid tolerance and desire for more if used regularly or in high doses. Quitting cold turkey can cause severe depression and anxiety, as well as extreme fatigue—and you can guess what extreme fatigue makes you crave...


9. Benzodiazepines
Dependence Rating: 1.89

There’s a reason your doctor will tell you to taper off these prescription anti-anxiety drugs (Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, et al) after taking them for awhile. Each one increases the effectiveness of a brain chemical called GABA, which reduces the excitability of many other neurons and decreases anxiety. Because benzodiazepines cause rapid tolerance, quitting cold turkey causes a multi-symptom withdrawal that includes irritability, anxiety and panic attacks—enough to make just about anybody fall right back into benzo's comforting arms.


10. GHB
Dependence Rating: 1.71

Last on the list is a depressant and club drug that may itself be a neurotransmitter. It has cross-tolerance with alcohol—if you drink regularly, you'll need to ingest more GHB to get high—as well as a short half life in the body and a brutal withdrawal syndrome that causes insomnia, anxiety, dizziness and vomiting. The combination is nasty: Take a lot of GHB to make up for your tolerance to alcohol and you could be hooked.


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schererbuzz
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by schererbuzz »

I'm guilty of 5 of them. They say the withdrawal side effects of a benzo is similar to heroin. I can confirm they are severe. I was prescribed 4mg a day of klonopin for a couple of years. When I went off it a couple of years ago, it was two weeks of hell.
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Felty
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by Felty »

I don't know the correct name but in the UK it's known as Mkat, Kat, or meow meow

That stuff is meant to be as addictive as crack

Once you've had a sniff, you'll end up buying several more grams that night
Stay High
Slip & Sal
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by Slip & Sal »

Felty wrote:I don't know the correct name but in the UK it's known as Mkat, Kat, or meow meow

That stuff is meant to be as addictive as crack

Once you've had a sniff, you'll end up buying several more grams that night
meow meow, is made from Khat. It is no where near as addictive as all these.
I don't take drugs, I am Drugs.
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matty223
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by matty223 »

i dont know which one is the hardest, i havent tried to quite any of them yet
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Nimrod
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by Nimrod »

Twenty-three years of nicotine independence for me. :D Smoked for thirteen years.

Terminating that habit would have been much more difficult without employing cannabis as a hand-to-mouth substitute. Still gained twenty lbs due to metabolism adjustment.

When I was ready to do it, and had a plan, it wasn't that difficult.
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RvanSteensel
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by RvanSteensel »

Don't do crack or heroin

personal experience :
i'd say alcohol and ketamine were the worst.
havent tried GHB , crack , or heroin tho
Relax and take notes , as I take tokes of the marihuana smoke
Ganjaman70
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by Ganjaman70 »

My top 10
Weed
Weed
Weed
Weed
Weed
Weed
Weed
Weed
Weed
Weed
I did stop last year for a majority of the year but its that craving. Does my fucking head in at times and costs a fortune!
It WAS a birthday trip to remember.. 25/7-31/7
Panog
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by Panog »

Felty wrote:I don't know the correct name but in the UK it's known as Mkat, Kat, or meow meow

That stuff is meant to be as addictive as crack

Once you've had a sniff, you'll end up buying several more grams that night
Mephedrone is addictive in a way where when you begin snorting it it's hard to stop your session. But the day after you won't feel the need to take it like heroin or coke
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Adamster
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by Adamster »

1- Kicked the habit cold turkey after losing 3 friends in 98 :| since i stopped cold i got big nerve normal and have to live with these chronic un explainable pains :roll:
2- stopped after my Asian friend turned white and almost died in front of me (kicked him out of my house after he got back to hes asian color ) also cold turkey after 8 months of day after day none stop in 94 turned to 1 for four years :|
3-stopped cold turkey 19 months ago was the easiest out of all tree
4-tried it pff..
5-dont like the effects
6-hate drunks
7-FREE BASS!! never liked anything up my nose bside PCP :D
8-Liked Tangerine Peaches from the 90 now day you dont really know what your taking!
9-Hein? whatever fucking Drug dealers for Drug Co. !!
10- LOL! all iv got to say!
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gapie
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Re: The 10 Hardest Drugs to Kick

Post by gapie »

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GetHigh,DoStuff&Dont give a FUCK!
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