DRUGS THAT CAUSE DEPENDENCE

The drugs that make people into addicts have one thing in common: all of them affect the mood. Most of them - drugs like heroin, cocaine or cannabis - begin by creating a feeling of pleasure in the mind. That is why people take them.

Sometimes this pleasure-feeling isn't very strong. Drugs like tranquillisers, for instance, don't so much give pleasure as take away pain. These pills help ward off unpleasant feelings, such as anxiety and fear.

But the mood-altering drugs do more than just give pleasure or take away pain. They have their own dangers. There may be side-effects which damage body and mind. There is also the very real danger of creating dependence.

You will notice that this book is not just about heroin and other illegal drugs. It also deals with drugs like tranquillisers, which are; legally prescribed by doctors, and about that other mood-altering drug, alcohol, which is legally available. Addiction, which we usually call chemical dependence, can involve these drugs as well as the illegal drugs.

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