Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Science
Business Insider, Mike Nudelman and Erin Brodwin

The 5 most addictive substances on the planet

Definitively ranking how addictive various substances are is tough work, even for scientists.

Each of us reacts differently to distinct drugs, from the pleasurable reaction we experience when we use the substance to the cravings or even physical discomfort we feel when we're suddenly deprived of it. Nevertheless, a group of addiction experts, including specialists from the Royal College of Psychiatrists as well as chemists, forensic scientists, and pharmacologists, took a stab at listing them by averaging numerous aspects of addiction.

Their work was published in the journal The Lancet in 2007. Here's what they came up with:

1. Heroin

2. Cocaine

3. Nicotine

4. Barbiturates

5. Alcohol

(Mike Nudelman/Business Insider)

Read more:

• How much the best paid workers in 20 professions earn
• Seven outdated men’s style ‘rules’ that you can now ignore
• 16 skills that are hard to learn but will pay off forever

Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.