Do Some Drugs Cause Drug Addiction Faster Than Others
A debate has been raging recently as to whether or not some drugs can cause a drug addiction faster than others. For example, some people look at the drugs which are traditionally considered to be "soft" and think that they are less harmful, and therefore less addictive than drugs which are considered to be "hard".
However - this logic is fundamentally flawed, for a number of reasons. In this article, we will take a look at the truth when it comes to drug addiction, to see whether or not we can find a link between the type of drug which is abused, and the type of addiction which ensues if the usage gets out of control.
"Soft Drugs" Still Cause Drug Addiction
Just because the drug you are using is considered "less illegal" than a "harder" drug, certainly doesn't mean that you will not suffer from addiction to that substance at some point during your use.
To understand this, we need to understand and analyse exactly what a drug addiction is - and therefore try to understand what causes such a phenomenon in the first place.
What Causes a Drug Addiction?
Drug addictions are the result of the brain acclimatizing to the repeated use of substances which it then grows to rely on. New neural pathways are created which cause the "wanting" sensation and encourage further drug use in the future.
But the interesting thing about this process is that any drug, big or small, can actually cause these neural pathways to be created. For example, take a look at some of these common drugs:
- Caffeine
- Codeine (painkillers)
- Marijuana
- Heroin
- Ecstasy
Interestingly, the brain is actually unable to distinguish between these drugs, and therefore it becomes dependent on all of them given time. To illustrate this, try telling someone who has had a daily coffee for 5 years to stop for a week, and they will surely feel the side effects of doing so.
All Drugs Have The Potential
The key point of this article is that no matter which drug you decide to use - they all have the potential to cause a drug addiction if used regularly enough and over a long enough time period. So be warned - once your addicted, it can be difficult to give it all up again.