Even One-Time Drug Use Can Lead to Drug Rehab Facility
Most people know and understand how addictive certain drugs can be. However, that does not stop some people from ”experimenting”. Some people think they are strong and can try out the drug just one time and then give it up forever. This kind of thinking often leads to a trip to a drug rehab facility.
Some drugs are so highly addictive that taking them — even just one time — can lead to changes in brain chemistry that leaves a body craving the drug, ultimately leading to addiction. In addition to highly addictive drugs, some people are more prone to becoming addicts than others. For these people, trying drugs just one time can lead to a lifetime battle with addiction.
Three Highly Addictive Drugs- Heroin, Cocaine, Crystal Methamphetamine
Heroin — This is the most addictive illegal drug. Trying heroin just one time could lead to an addiction. After just one use, your body will want more heroin in its system. This continuous wanting of more of the drug can easily lead to an overdose.
Heroin is an opiate. When taking an opiate drug, the opioid receptors are impacted in the body, making it seem as if there is an endorphin rush happening. This leads to feelings of pleasure. The brain starts to crave this feeling, even if it has only experienced the drug once.
As heroin is highly addictive, it means that the accompanying withdrawal symptoms when someone stops taking heroin can be severe and extreme.
Cocaine — Crack cocaine is seen as the most addictive form of this already highly addictive drug. It is known for the high level of psychological dependence it creates in the people who take the drug. Like heroin, crack cocaine tricks the brain into thinking it is experiencing high levels of pleasure, causing users to continuously seek to replicate the feeling. This leads to drug addiction.
While cocaine in a powdered form is also highly addictive, crack cocaine is smoked, meaning it gets into the bloodstream quicker than other forms of the drug, and results in a more intense high. The intense high and quick rush make it dangerously addictive and difficult to stop using.
Crystal Methamphetamine — Crystal meth is just one form of a type of drug called methamphetamine, which is all highly addictive. Like the other extremely addictive drugs, crystal meth causes users to experience a type of false euphoria, along with very energetic or manic behavior, leading to continued drug use and addiction.
Crystal meth mimics the effects of dopamine in the user’s system, as well as norepinephrine, which make the body release more of both. Addiction can result in damage to the body’s neurons that release dopamine and norepinephrine, making the body want more and more of the drug to recreate the feelings that are caused by these chemicals being released in the body.
While these three drugs are all extremely addictive, and one-time use can lead to an addiction that requires a stay at a drug rehab facility, these drugs are not the only factors that determine addiction. For others, using what is considered a less addictive drug could also lead to a serious and life-threatening addiction.
Other Factors That Influence Addiction
Genetics — A person’s genetic makeup will also be a factor in determining whether an addiction to drugs is developed — even after just one use. In addition to biology, ethnicity, gender, and a predisposition to mental illness are also factors of whether or not a body is prone to drug addiction.
Environment — If someone lives in a house or neighborhood where drug use and addiction is prevalent, this may indicate that a person is more likely to develop a drug addiction once he or she starts using drugs. Research shows that environmental factors will impact a person’s potential to develop a drug addiction, as does socioeconomic status.