Report: Heroin and Crack Cocaine Most Addictive

Not surprisingly, more people were dependent on heroin and crack cocaine than any other drugs two years after their initial use. A study by the the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also revealed that a vast majority of people who try drugs are no longer using them two years later, except for alcohol and marijuana.

The findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health looked at "year-before-last initiates," or those people who initiated substance use 13 to 24 months prior to the survey. Their responses were divided into three categories: those who had not used the substance in the past 12 months ("past year"), those who had used the substance during the past year but were not dependent on the substance during the past year, and those who had used the substance and were dependent on the substance during the past year.

Continuing Use Two Years Later

Alcohol and marijuana were the only substances for which the marjoirty of year-before-last initiates still used the substance in the past year. More than two-thirds of crack, inhalant and heroin users no longer used the drug two years later.

The NSDUH survey found that the following percentages of people were still using their substance two years later at levels indicating dependency:

• Alcohol 3.2 percent
  
• Marijuana 5.8 percent
  
• Cocaine (Not Including Crack) 3.7 percent
  
• Crack Cocaine 9.2 percent
  
• Heroin 13.4 percent
  
• Hallucinogens 1.9 percent
  
• Inhalants 0.9 percent

Nonmedical Use of Psychotherapeutics

• Pain Relievers 3.1 percent
  
• Tranquilizers 1.2 percent
  
• Stimulants 4.7 percent
  
• Sedatives 2.4 percent

The report covered annual averages based on combined 2004, 2005 and 2006 NSDUH data.

The NSDUH report, "Substance Use and Dependence Following Initiation of Alcohol or Illicit Drug Use," is available online in PDF format.

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