How is it that some drug addictions vary in their levels with different people?

Question

From casual to constant. Is it our biological make-up?

Answer 1

I think it's more a matter of self control. I used to smoke pot and I smoked it a few times a day. I quit a couple months ago and I haven't touched it since. Some people just have no self control when it comes to things like that. It's kind of like people that cheat. All people that cheat either have no self control or no respect for themselves. Even when I smoked pot, I didn't HAVE to have it. If I couldn't afford it, I just wouldnt buy it. Still, there are some people that think that HAVE to have it but don't have the self control to go without

Answer 2

First of all you are assuming that all drug use is a degree of addiction, and that there is addiction involved in all drug use.
All of this is 12 step dogma.
Your physical body can become dependent on a substance because it has altered your brain chemistry by mimicking other neurotransmitters and have taken their place and now the brain demands that substance to feel normal... hence the craving.
Some people are so screwed up that they like to control their own emotions by using drugs of some type. That does not make them an addict. Some people are self-destructive and will be heavy users seeing how far they can get near death or for attention.
The only thing that I would consider calling an addiction is something which when stopped has life threatening consequences. But the person using this type of drug knows in advance what he/she is getting into.
I don't think it has much to do with biology, the extent to which people use drugs, but more to personality.
If you are asking because someone you know is a total stoner, it's a good indication that that person is pretty unhappy and messed up in life to have become involved like that.

Answer 3

different drugs have different tolerance and dependence levels. i think it's a matter of how much you consume that really determines your level of addiction, i don't think there is any biological reasoning that would determine that someone else is more susceptible to be addicted than another.

Answer 4

Hi, I'm Paul, and I'm an addict.
If I knew the answer to that, maybe I wouldn't be in recovery the rest of my life. Once an addict, always an addict. I seem to choose things that change me forever. Like once a Marine, always a Marine, and yeah, the always an addict thing too. If you ever find the answer, millions of us would like to hear it.

Answer 5

absolutely, in the genes and chemicals.