# What's the world's most addictive drug? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2001, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937 "2001-01-26T23:44:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Caliban](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecccb3/32.png) [@Caliban](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caliban)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/1 "2001-01-26T23:44:04Z")
Based on all of the media coverage for heroin, I’ve always assumed that it’s the most addictive drug in the world. Are there other, lesser-known drugs that are even more addictive than heroin? Also, is there some kind of “scale of addictiveness” for drugs? If so, where do other legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine fall on the scale? –Caliban ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/2 "2001-01-26T23:50:14Z")
Besides me, I have a couple (read: one) guesses. Nicotine is supposedly more so. Many people say that quitting smoking was immensly hard compared to quiting heroine. These are shaky sources, however. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/3 "2001-01-26T23:51:49Z")
The Straight Dope Message Board? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/4 "2001-01-27T00:01:02Z")
If you could shoot up pure endorphins, I’d think that would be the most addictive drug simply because the brain would accept it readily and lower its natural production of them because it was getting them from the outside. That is how I understand the mechanism of physical dependence (the definition of addiction used here). Maybe the most addictive ‘street drug’ would be cocaine. I have heard that cocaine is perhaps the most addictive because it is small at the molecular level, passing the blood-brain barrier easily. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/5 "2001-01-27T00:29:03Z")
Here’s a list ranking the addictiveness potential of various drugs: Nicotine 100 Ice, Glass (Methamphetamine smoked) 99 Crack 98 Crystal Meth (Methamphetamine injected) 93 Valium (Diazepam) 85 Quaalude (Methaqualone) 83 Seconal (Secobarbital) 82 Alcohol 81 Heroin 80 Crank (Amphetamine taken nasally) 78 Cocaine 72 Caffeine 68 PCP (Phencyclidine) 57 Marijuana 21 Ecstasy (MDMA) 20 Psilocybin Mushrooms 18 LSD 18 Mescaline 18 [Research by John Hastings] from [http://www.totse.com/en/drugs/miscellaneous\_drug\_information/addictio.html](http://www.totse.com/en/drugs/miscellaneous_drug_information/addictio.html) I believe these are ranked according to former users’ opinions on which drugs are easiest to become addicted to, and which ones are hardest to quit. IMO, with what exposure I’ve had to these substances (I’ve used, or at least tried, nine of them), this list seems pretty accurate to me. I’m a smoker, and some years ago when I first heard that nicotine was the most addictive drug, I thought that was a laughable statement, certainly when compared to the addictiveness of, say, heroin. Now, I tend to believe that it’s quite probably true. I have no experience with heroin, but I do understand it can have severe withdrawal symptoms. I would imagine the exhaustion of the extreme highs and lows of heroin give pretty strong encouragement to a user to quit it. Nicotine seems to be more subtle; no extreme highs and lows, it just sucks you further and further into addiction, but doesn’t directly destroy your day to day life. It doesn’t give you the motivation to quit that heroin does, possibly making it even harder to quit. This is all MHO, of course, but my vote would be for nicotine. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/6 "2001-01-27T00:49:50Z")
Depends what you mean by ‘most addictive’. You could use so many different criteria: user surveys of ‘how hard to quit’; assessed chemical reactivity with brain function; prevalence in the world; prevalance per capita who (a) do use other drugs (b) do not; extent of disruption caused by dependency. I’d say whichever way you slice it there can only be one answer: religion. Religion isn’t a drug? In my opinion, that’s precisely what it is. I’ve quit nicotine and I’ve quit religion, and while nicotine was very, very tough to quit, I’d say religion was even harder. ---
**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/7 "2001-01-27T01:03:15Z")
Actually **Derleth** hit the nail on the head and it is possible to simulate the result of hightened endorphine release beyond the natural potential of the human brain. the term “Droud” I believe was coined by Larry Niven to refer to a wire implanted into the human brain and designed to carry electric current into the pleasure centers of the brain this stimulating them and creating instant and overpowering euphoria. While it is often thought of as fiction this is actually firmly grounded in scientific fact and has been publicly tested on various animals including primates who will forgoe eating and drinking in order to gain this stimulus, to the point of termination w/o the least bit of discomfort, quite simply because asll other stimulus is overidden by the pleasure stimulus. According to the data this goes beyond physical pleasure such as orgasm, and includes a sense of emotional joy or euphoria. Being completely happy and content and feeling better than you have ever imagined you could feel- so much so that you could grin and laugh while having your eyelids removed and fed to you. there is some data in regards to the social implications at [http://www.wireheading.com](http://www.wireheading.com) but this page fails to comment on some other data which can be found by careful search that implies that this proceedure is being conducted on humans. Not as some conspiracy or government plot but people actually paying to have a gold wire run into their brains and connected to a battery similar to those used in pacemakers or other subdermal electronic devices. While this may not directly qualify as a “drug” I would have to say that the potential for addiction is more near to absolute than anything else I have ever heard of. Second place is sophistry. Sophistry is my addiction of choice followed closely by narcissism. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/8 "2001-01-27T01:49:37Z")
From my own experience, and from observation, I’d say the list posted by **Cabbage** is pretty close. I’ve used, or tried, several of the drugs on that list and I _still_ smoke cigs. Remember “Debbi”, I think it was? She’s the woman in the PSA who smoked through a hole in her throat. I believe it. ☹ Don’t smoke, kids. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/9 "2001-01-27T01:54:36Z")
Gotta agree with spoke. It’s the SDMB. I’ve successfully resisted the others. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/10 "2001-01-27T02:45:21Z")
**zen101** said > [@](#): > > but this page fails to comment on some other data which can be found by careful search that implies that this proceedure is being conducted on humans. Give us a cite, please. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Stellablue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@Stellablue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stellablue)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/11 "2001-01-27T03:37:42Z")
You may want to consider the difficulty in withdrawl from a medical viewpoint. People who work in the field of Addiction tell me that withdrawl from herion is no fun but not medically dangerous. Withdrawl from alcohol is. People can die! Any Doc. out there want to comment? ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/12 "2001-01-27T03:57:31Z")
The most addictive substance is tomatoes. [http://www.dimensional.com/~manthey/tomato.htm](http://www.dimensional.com/~manthey/tomato.htm) ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/13 "2001-01-27T04:36:14Z")
…from living here in the West, The MOST addictive drug is fame. You know it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/14 "2001-01-27T04:47:34Z")
Sigmund Freud described **masturbation** as the only real addiction – what he termed the _primal addiction_ – for which later addictions (to alcohol, tobacco, morphine, etc.) are substitutes. So does that make this addiction the hardest one to beat? (ba-da-bing!:)) ---
**Author:** ![Pismonque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/46a35a/32.png) [@Pismonque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pismonque)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/15 "2001-01-27T04:51:23Z")
I can tell you from experience that nicotine definitely is _not_ hard to quit. I’ve done it many, many times. ---
**Author:** ![shell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@shell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shell)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/16 "2001-01-27T06:34:39Z")
I think I’ve managed to ingest almost all of the drugs mentioned in the list except for XTC, and nicotine has been the only substance that I have had persistant and extreme difficulty kicking. Don’t know if the OP was refering to just physiological dependance or not, but personal experience has taught me that nicotine is very addicting beyond mere physical craving. ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/17 "2001-01-27T06:48:53Z")
Oxygen. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/18 "2001-01-27T06:58:15Z")
I believe that there is a much stronger synthesised heroin type drug. This was from a tv prog about a self-taught US chemist who had some amazing equipment in his house, literally millions of dollars worht which was financed by the drug he produced. According to other chemists the man was more like an eccentric genius who was more interested in the intellectual aspects of what he did. When police broke into his property they were astuonded by the sophistication of his set up. The drug was so strong that to handle it required closed air breathing appuratus and full chemical warfare suits. Hope someone can get this from my description. ---
**Author:** ![el\_mono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea666f/32.png) [@el\_mono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/el_mono)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/19 "2001-01-27T14:14:54Z")
Love!!! ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937/20 "2001-01-27T15:39:36Z")
#1) Who is John Hastings and who are the experts to which the authors at that site refer? This exactly the type of “information” that people claim is true because they saw it on the internet. #2) You can die from alcohol withdrawl? I doubt it. I’d like to hear from someone who knows for sure. #3) You CAN die from barbiturate withdrawl and Seconal (ranked with an 82) is one. #4) Lists like these have to be taken with a grain of salt (probably way down on the list) - they are good guides, I suppose, but they are hardly scientific. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worlds-most-addictive-drug/51937.md?page=2)