Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: SpaceShouldBeMilitarized on 10/11/2010 03:14:25
-
Is there a drug that can get someone hooked by one time use? Just after one use can that person be completely addicted? I hear heroin can do that.
-
I hear Ice can do that
-
I suspect that a person in a delicate psychological state could become behaviourally dependent on an agent fairly fast, but whether this would actually translate into physical dependence I doubt it. That requires brain re-wiring. Interesting question though; I'll have to look into it some more and come back to you.
chris
-
Interesting question. As a kid, I always heard scare stories that if you smoked cigarettes even once, you could become instantly addicted. When I did try them, this didn't happen of course. I found them pointless and foul-tasting and haven't tried them since. (This was about 10 years ago, in college.)
-
I spent 2 years (volunteering) in a safehouse. Most of the women had addictions and several told me that after using crack the first time, they had intense cravings. Whether or not that means they were addicted, I don't know. Also, sometimes years after they discontinued using crack, the cravings were still there.
Clearly they had something they wanted more than the "fix" (it should be called a "broken"). I admire the strength it takes to stay clean.
-
People on Crack or Meth will say that they are aware of all the horrible things it does to their bodies and life, and yet all they think about is the next time they smoke. These drugs gives you a feeling of intense euphoria, and when they're off them, all they think about is their next fix. They say that their intensity is akin to an orgasm.
-
I think that there is evidence for an addictive personality type that is, at least in part, the result of different inherited brain biochemistry. One piece I remember reading was about a study of returning Vietnam veterans. Many soldiers self medicated with a variety of drugs in Vietnam, but only about 10% had major problems continuing their lives without drugs.