These are the 3 most addictive and dangerous drugs

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In LatinAmerican Post we will talk about the 3 most addictive, dangerous and easy to get substances

From hallucinogenic mushrooms, mixtures with dangerous plants and all kinds of preparations, over time drugs have been perfected more and more. According to CNN, while there are many different drugs today, there are 3 substances that can win the competition in terms of the addiction they cause.

Heroin

A study published by Wiley Online Library, states that it is one of the most addictive drugs. It causes the level of dopamine – which is the reward system of the brain – to increase by up to 200% according to experimentation with animals.

It is one of the most dangerous drugs because a dose is 5 times more likely to cause death. It was rated as the second most harmful drug for society as well as for users.

According to the San Juan Capistrano hospital website, heroin shows very clear signals and causes very specific side effects such as:

• Drag the words when speaking.
• The collapse in arms' veins.
• Scratching and pinching the skin.
• The appearance of crusts and bruises.
• Weight loss.
• Sickness.
• Vomiting
• Feeling sleepy.
• Hyperactivity
• Death.

Also read: It's time to eradicate coca

Cocaine

Here we have another type of narcotic whose main function is to interfere dopamine's use in the brain to transmit messages from one neuron to another. This means that the brain receives an abnormal reward signal which leads the person to need more and more.

According to experiments that were conducted with animals and published in Science Direct, it was found that cocaine tripled the level of dopamine (known as the pleasure hormone). Currently, it is known that more than 20 million people consume cocaine daily and that, unfortunately, this figure is increasing. This happens because of 21% of the people who ever tried it become addicted to this substance.

Some of the signs of cocaine use according to Triora indicate that an addicted person suffers from:

• Initial euphoria.
• Nervousness.
• Depression.
• Strange and erratic behavior.
• Increase in heart rate
• Reckless behavior.
• Hallucinations
• Paranoia.
• Anxiety.
• Disruption of the nasal cavity.

Nicotine

Nicotine is one of the most addictive ingredients and is present in cigarettes. According to the WHO, by the year 2030, it will kill more than 8 million people per year.

A study conducted by Psychopharmacology indicates that laboratory rats that were inoculated with nicotine, discovered that by pressing a button they could access it directly into their bloodstream.

This increased the reward system (that is to say that the rats were coming more and more frequently to press the button) between 25 and 40% which leads us to infer that this substance is very addictive and it is necessary to consume more and more to achieve meet the needs of our body. It is well known that consuming cigarettes in excess can cause lung cancer, oral cancer, and heart attacks, among other serious health disorders.

According to the Mayo Clinic, nicotine consumption has 4 big points that indicate that a person is addicted:

1. Impossibility to stop smoking despite the efforts made.

2. Having a withdrawal syndrome when you try to quit smoking (anger, frustration, hunger, concentration problems, constipation or diarrhea, among other things).

3. Continue smoking despite having health problems such as lung or coronary diseases.

4. Put aside all kinds of social and recreational activities for the simple fact that smoking is not allowed.

In addition to these, there are other substances that are really addictive and cause many health problems both in the addict and in the environment. Not only people who use drugs but also their family and friends are affected because the frustration of not being able to help them undermines the relationship until it is definitively broken.

It is important to be attentive to the symptoms of addiction, because they are all very clear and, knowing them, you can act quickly and avoid the worst outcome.

LatinAmerican Post |  Marcela Antonacci

Translated from: 'Estas son las 3 sustancias más adictivas y peligrosas'