are there any addictive substances that naturally occur in nature?
Question by Ihavebecome Ll: are there any addictive substances that naturally occur in nature?
this is just pure ignorance and laziness but im not even sure tobacco counts?
Best answer:
Answer by Mr.Longrove
Coca plant. This is where cocaine comes from.
Opium poppy plant which is the source of opiates like morphine & codeine.
Answer by Roger S
Definitely, but it helps to define “addiction” first. There is physical and psychological addiction. Psychological addiction is nothing more than a bad habit. If denied a particular drug there is no actual physical distress, an just emotional one. Cocaine comes under this category. Cocaine is the natural extract of the coca plant, a small shrub which is native to South America. Caffeine and most other stimulants like amphetamines are habitually addictive. Caffeine is the extract of the seeds of another small shrub. Amphetamines are synthetic substances. Heroin is an example of a physically addictive drug. The user has acute physical withdrawal symptoms if the drug is not available. Heroin is a synthetic derivative of opium, a natural byproduct of poppy latex. Nicotine is an addictive drug which comes from the tobacco plant. The withdrawal symptoms are less severe than heroin, but still very unpleasant. This is why smokers find it very hard to quit cigarettes. Curiously, nicotine itself does not cause cancer. This is caused by the “tar” in the cigarette. The smoker comes to associate the effects of the drug with the taste of the carcinogen. Alcohol is a physically addictive drug. Alcohol addiction happens when the liver switches from metabolizing sugar to metabolizing alcohol instead. Both are carbohydrates and the liver turns the sugar to fat. This accumulates in the liver and can damage its sinuses leading to scarring or cirrhosis. People seriously addicted to alcohol actually rely on it as a source of calories and can’t simply suddenly quit drinking even if they wanted to. Starvation sets in very quickly and they experience frightening hallucinations. This condition is known as “delirium tremors”. Another class of drugs are true hallucinogens. This includes LSD which is synthetic, mescaline which comes from a cactus and psilocybin, which comes from a mushroom. Marijuana is actually a very mild hallucinogen as well, although it does not often produce actual hallucinations. Drugs like LSD interrupt the processing of sensory information in the brain. Ordinarily a sensation is sent only once and another sent, but the drug causes the original sensory signal to be re-transmitted. This is what one experiences as a “high” and very drunk people can also get actually “high”. Hallucinogens are not physically addictive, but the stronger kinds can cause what are known as “flash backs”. The user will began to spontaneously hallucinate even if they have not taken the drug.
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