Substance Use Addiction: 15 Types Of Drugs People Can Be Addicted To

Over nine percent of the US populated is estimated to have used an illegal drug in the past month — a percentage that amounts to a shocking 24.6 million people. It becomes even more concerning when you learn that these statistics include children as young as 12. Not all drugs that can lead to substance use disorders are illegal, however. Here's a peak at the different kinds of substances people can become addicted to. 

1. Alcohol

In the US, 86.4 percent of adults are estimated to drink alcohol at least occasionally, and many other countries will have similar rates. Drinking doesn't have to be a problem, but it can become one. Around six percent of US adults have an alcohol use disorder, and only around six percent of that six percent is receiving help for it. Alcohol can create a physical dependence, and around 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes in the US every year. Not only is alcohol one of the deadliest drugs out there, it's also among the most socially accepted. 

2. Tobacco

CDC data shows that about 40 million adults continue to smoke in the United States, despite widespread knowledge of its possible consequences. When you think of drug addiction, the substances that lower down on the list will probably come to mind first, but tobacco isn't any better than those — it's the number one cause of preventable disease, disability (because of COPD and lung cancer), and death in the United States!

3. Marijuana

The legal status of marijuana is changing in many places, but cannabis remains the most widely used illegal drug in the US, with over 22 million people admitting to using it within the last month. Often seen as fairly harmless, weed nonetheless sends thousands of people to the emergency room each month. Marijuana has become stronger over the years. Many people also use it in combination with tobacco, which is itself bad news. 

4. Cocaine

Slightly older data suggests that around 913,000 people in the US are currently using cocaine, a drug that can become highly addictive and have serious health consequences. Persistent use can cause loss of smell, nosebleeds and damage to the nasal mucosa, restricted blood flow, infection. Even short-term use can lead to heart attack or stroke. 

5. Heroin

Heroin is, with an estimated 948,000 current users in the United States, slightly less popular — but research also shows that more and more people are trying it for the first time, so that figure may grow. Nasty consequences like liver and kidney disease, collapsed veins, pneumonia, abscesses, and infections of certain parts of the heart mean that heroin isn't just a highly addictive substance, but also a potentially deadly one. 

6. Methamphetamine

A rather addictive drug, methamphetamine is also quite popular — 14.7 US residents report using it at least once. Addicts cab become violent and psychotic, but also lose their memory and suffer heart damage, tooth loss, and malnutrition. 

Those aren't the only drugs you can become addicted, to, however — a wide variety of substances, including ones you may never even have heard of, are devastating lives and communities across the globe:

• 7. Prescription opioids, which can real people in when a doctor offers them as pain relief, but can also start off as street drugs. 
• 8. Synthetic cannabinoid drugs, which go by names like "Spice", "black mamba", and "K2". 
• 10. Inhalants, which might be sold under names like "poppers", "laughing gas", and "whippets". 
• 11. LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs like ketamine, PCP, and salvia.
• 12. Ahayuasca, rather hip in certain circles, it is not yet clear whether this drug, which induces strong hallucinations, can become addictive.
• 13. Ectasy, which acts as a stimulant and can cause confusion, depression, and anxiety in the long term.
• 14. Benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax. Rohypnol, known as the "date rape drug" is a benzo, too.
• 15. Prescription stimulants like Ritalin. 

What else should you know?

All the drugs we had a brief look at have come with their own particular risks. Some are potentially deadly. Others can become indirect killers because they induce people to share equipment in dangerous ways that can lead to HIV and hepatitis. Some cause physical dependence, while others lead to mental dependence.

Preventing addiction is much easier than overcoming addiction. Most people who use drugs first start on them as teenagers, and data shows that around 7,800 teens try illegal drugs for the first time every single day in the United States. Education on its short- and long-term effects and community support can help bring this number down.