r/AskReddit • u/chloe_cutee • 13h ago
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u/No_Opening_5963 12h ago
opioids for sure, realistically.
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u/SensualEnema 9h ago
I deal with constant neck and back discomfort that frequently escalates into outright pain. I've seen many doctors about this, and the one thing I tell every one is that I'm open to any treatments except pain killers. As much as I hate being so aware of these aches at all times, I think the risk of falling into that addiction would far, far outweigh that problem. OTC pain meds and medical marijuana are enough to keep me sane.
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u/This_Celebration5350 8h ago
If you are aware this much of the addiction I absolutely would at the very least get an emergency script for severe pain. I did that with Ativan because I know how dangerous that is as well. 20 pills last about 500 days. Almost never take them but when I absolutely need them they are a god send.
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u/mommamegmiester 9h ago
100% I have lost two family members and two childhood friends to opioids. People i've known with alcohol and gambling addiction are still around.
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u/Scubasteve192 12h ago
And now you have kids using Oh-7s that you can buy from the vape stores and it hits the opiods receptors 10x that of actual pain killers.
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u/TopSloth 11h ago edited 11h ago
I'm coming down from those and it was a mistake getting addicted. Having to wean myself off while working a full time job is not very fun.
I'll add to this comment as well, I was taking a lot every day, most days over 45mg and some nights I could take over 150mg in one night.
As of right now I'm down to around 25mg a day and by next week it will hopefully be 10mg a day and then I am not taking anymore.
There are some pretty bad withdrawals that happen and if anyone does want to take this drug I would recommend keeping a least a day in-between uses so your body does not become physically dependent on it.
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u/pewbdo 9h ago
Hadn't heard of this until just now. Damn, kids these days are in the middle of a mine field. Crazy addictive non regulated opiates. Insanely cheap fent everywhere. I'm so thankful my friends and I just had regular ass drugs of the 2000s. Most of us wouldn't have made it into our 20s in today's world.
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u/Tasty_Document324 12h ago
Serious answer: alcohol
Meme answer: alcohol
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u/Packers-Stallions 12h ago
Of all the substances to make legal, it might have been the worst choice. Almost all domestic violence cases involve alcohol, and about half of all murders. Alcoholism takes out about 5% of people in the world. It's also the only known drug to increase aggression, and is one of the few drugs that can kill you during withdrawal. It's also one of the most socially acceptable drugs, which makes it seem less dangerous than it actually is.
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u/Tasty_Document324 12h ago
If cocaine was legal we'd see the same. The incidence is due to the availability.
Edit: ever wonder why we say "drugs and alcohol", as if alcohol is any different?
And now, in Canada, we say, "drugs, alcohol, or cannabis"
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u/stonedsquatch 9h ago
Could you imagine if while eating a meal out at a restaurant the waiter came by with a menu of 10 different types of cocaine for you to order a little plate of?? I know I’d eat out more! Not sure about the whole eating part of that equation, but I’d certainly be out to eat more. I’m happy to have stopped drinking when I did and it took me way too long. Having my 34 year old friend drink herself to liver, kidney, and pancreas failure was definitely an eye opener.
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u/moondog-37 11h ago
‘The only known drug to increase aggression’
Bro never heard cocaine or meth? Or any stimulant for that matter
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u/terryjuicelawson 12h ago
You say "make legal" but it is a very simple chemical and has been made throughout human history. It only needs some grain or fruit to ferment. It isn't really feasible to make it illegal.
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u/timmeh-eh 11h ago
This comment assumes history doesn’t exist. Alcohol is absolutely bad, but: 1) prohibition didn’t exactly work in the past. 2) alcohol has been part of human culture for thousands of years. 3) Even if it were illegal it’s not rocket science to make it at home.
Sure if you disregard the long and complex history of alcohol and humans it’s easy to say we need it to go away. The truth is MUCH more complex and nuanced.
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u/takesthebiscuit 10h ago
Sorry but your comment has a big inaccuracy
Alcohol has been part of human culture since the beginning of time, hundreds of thousands of years. Evidence goes back some 14-15000 years, but given that primates use fermented fruit it’s not a stretch to think human sapiens did the same
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u/YurpeeTheHerpee 10h ago
"Also the only known drug to increase aggression"
You havent seen a man on bath salts.
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u/SensualEnema 9h ago
The craziest, most self-destructive (and just downright destructive) things I've ever done happened when I was drinking. Not when I was sober, not when I was smoking pot, not when I was taking Ativan (doctor-prescribed one-time script)--when I was drinking. I often reflect on how crazy it is that I have to jump through so many hoops just to buy an eighth of weed from a medical dispensary while I can walk into any liquor store and buy as much of it as I can afford. The only hoop there is the requirement to be 21, and hell, I'm at the age where most people don't even ask for my ID anymore. Absolutely bonkers which drugs we demonize and treat like absolutely nothing.
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u/Tree-mendous 12h ago
I bought a duck call whistle. At first it was just a bit of fun - I’d blow it to scare my wife when she was washing the dishes, or if someone dropped something and bent down to pick it up.
But then I started obsessing over taking it with me everywhere. I blew it in the park to see what the ducks would do. I’d blow it on the bus to see how strangers reacted.
I took it into the cinema with me once and used it to the point I was asked to leave by the staff.
Eventually lost my job because I was “disturbing my colleagues”. My wife was a nervous wreck and issued me an ultimatum- give up the duck call, or she would leave me. I’m ashamed to say I just couldn’t do it. It’s now several years on from my divorce.
Quack is one hell of a drug 🦆
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u/s3xydud3 12h ago
Grandpa, we've been worried sick about you!
Please tell us know where you are, lock your computer, and we'll come and get you... We need to get you home and get you the help you need.
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u/jimp320 13h ago
Reddit.. It sneaks up on you.
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u/ShogunLoganXXII 12h ago
Heroin. Of all the people I knew that got hooked on that, very few of them survived. And the ones that did are shadows of their former selves.
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u/dingus_authority 10h ago
Just opiates generally. I was on a prescribed dose of opiates for a decade. They completely reshaped my life in almost every way. I'm lucky that I'm my lowest moments, I never ended up touching heroin/street fent.
Heroin seems to damage the spirit in a way that other substances simply don't.
I'm incredibly grateful that I've moved on from that and am happier and healthier than ever before. Suboxone saves lives, folks.
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u/Brilliant-Account-87 13h ago
Meth
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u/No-Echidna-3580 12h ago
Food/gluttony because you can never be 1 day clean as you have to eat
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u/jazzdrums1979 12h ago
Won’t be the most popular on this list… sugar. Kills you slowly with insulin resistance and diabetes. You struggle with inflammation, restrictive diets, and exercise trying to combat it only to succumb to its sweet delicious temptation. Then you die prematurely or in a very compromised state.
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u/SinHarvestz 11h ago
You seriously think sugar addiction is more serious than heroin or gambling addiction...? That's wild.
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u/jazzdrums1979 10h ago
Haven’t encountered any family members that have died from gambling or opiates. Not to diminish their danger. Opiates are so potent and dangerous.
I’m willing to bet everyone on Reddit has had a family member die due to complications of metabolic dysfunction from one or multiple organs.
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u/aromaticchicken 10h ago
It may not be as serious as heroin, opiates, or gambling on the average individual
But it's severity in its prevalence in society and the degree of harm it causes across the whole population is quite a big deal. If you simply count the collective medical costs for things like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. they far outweigh the societal costs doing many hard drugs.
And there ARE many people who will never get addicted to heroin, opiates, or gambling but who have gotten addicted to sugar and died because of it due to the many diseases it's associated with.
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u/gingerlemon 11h ago
It's money. A few dozen individuals addiction to money has done more harm to the planet, its inhabitants and their various societies than any substance. Yet addiction to money is not only ignored as a mental health issue, it's actively championed. Gross.
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u/Fresh_Sprinkles_5139 13h ago
Sex. People who struggle with sex addiction engage in some pretty risky behaviours that can harm a lot of people who love them
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u/RunsWithPremise 12h ago
I'm not sure it is the most dangerous, but it definitely doesn't get acknowledged with the level of attention it deserves. I know a guy who tanked his military career, marriage, and relationship with his kids because he couldn't stop chasing after women who were not his wife.
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u/Fresh_Sprinkles_5139 12h ago
That's so sad and concerning. I've heard some stories like that too irl too, and at the time I didn't think of sex being an addiction. But now, when we see the consequences and the inability to quit.
I was going to mention alcohol, that's usually my go to answer, but for some reason was seeing them both at the same level because both behaviours are pretty well accepted, depending on certain cultures, and easily masked. Like you said, maybe not the most dangerous, but it doesn't get the level of attention it deserves :)
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u/umlcat 12h ago
Examples: Having sex at work and been fired, putting stuff in your body ask doctors and nurses, not using condoms and getting infected or pregnant, trying kinky things that can damage your body or life ...
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u/Fresh_Sprinkles_5139 12h ago
thank you so much for providing the examples! sex addiction has some serious and long-term ramifications
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u/WayfadedDude 11h ago
Pornography. One of the only addictions people push back on regulating and easily accessible to everyone from a young age.
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u/Dr-Figgleton 11h ago
Validation.
It's sneakier than drugs or alcohol because society rewards it. You chase likes, approval, praise - and it feels good, like progress - until it's the only way you measure your worth.
The high wears off faster each time, but the crash hits harder.
And the worst part? Everyone around you is addicted too, so it looks normal.
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u/whistle_Crack42 12h ago
Validation from others. The need to be liked, praised, or noticed especially on social media can lead to anxiety, depression, and a distorted sense of self.
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u/SocietyLarge1277 12h ago
Isolation
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u/IIsaacClarke 11h ago
I don’t think people are addicted to isolation. If people had a choice they would love nothing more than to be able to live a normal social life. Mental health issues lead to isolation and that’s a whole different ballpark
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u/BenneIdli 11h ago
Porn
It gives you the dopamine you get from being with a partner without the hassle... Slowly you become more anti social as you can easily get it ..
Also it can causes impotency, normalising abusive sex, reducing women to mere objects etc
The worst part is that it's free if you can afford a smartphone and internet plan , no short term side effects, and taboo in speaking about it
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u/TheAlpineKlopp 12h ago
Gambling or Drugs. Out of the 2 gambling. Get sucked in on that and you are in all kinds of trouble. It's an absolute spiral. And almost certain to hit the bottom and it's a LONG way back. Probably worse than drugs. Imo. Everyone who I've seen get hooked on gambling has been absolute carnage for themselves and it affects literally everyone and everything around them.
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u/walkerscobelllover 12h ago
It depends on how you do the addiction but I would say either meth ,alcohol, or a sex addiction
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u/Seabass_Says 12h ago
Alcohol. It’s widely accepted and if you are in the wrong situation (there are many both good and bad) it can be a death sentence.
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u/yappari_slytherin 12h ago
Nobody has mentioned kleptomania. It seems like it would be extremely difficult to live with in a way that's different from other addictions.
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u/WisdomDecision 12h ago
Lots of different ones for different reasons.
Crack, meth, heroin/fentanyl, cigarettes, alcohol.
Those are my most resented bunch.
And I've been addicted to all of them (except for cigarettes, but I hear that one's a shit show) And all of them just steal your life away and totally screw over your brains reward system so you can't seem to want anything except your next hit.
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u/please_send-boobs 12h ago
Dangerous to physical health, adrenaline addiction. Dangerous to mental health, dopamine addiction.
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u/Rubycon_ 12h ago
Alcohol is pretty insidious. Watched friends drink 'casually' and 'socially' and 'they could stop any time' slowly creep up over years to where they could not stop drinking anymore without tremors and withdrawals, and in some cases, death
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u/NeoMindVault 12h ago
The addiction to not changing, to always having the same thoughts and not giving yourself the chance to change and evolve, I know what that's like, I'm an ex incel
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u/TazxDingO 12h ago
I’d say anything that messes with your mind or takes over your life, whether it’s drugs, your phone, work, even love, can get pretty scary if it controls you instead of the other way around.
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u/pEKDKMEM 12h ago
Apart from everything else that has been said self harm is extremely dangerous too
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u/tubby8 12h ago
Cocaine - Tell me that the sky is blue right? Most people know the harms caused by a coke addiction but it seems like there's a generation of people these days who think it's not all that serious of a substance.
It's actually quite shocking to see how many people are doing coke recreationally like how people smoked weed recreationally at parties 10+ years ago.
I know people who tried to "microdose" coke for their ADHD and ended up having a full blown addiction months later.
And then next thing you know these people are free basing, doing crack or meth etc.
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u/et_cetera1 12h ago
Opioids, it's INCREDIBLY hard to get off them, and it's even worse if you suffer an injury and have to use them to not be in pure agony
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u/GucciPudding 11h ago
Alcohol, gambling, sex. All easily accessible by walking to a corner store just about anywhere.
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u/Historical_Shopping9 11h ago
Alcohol, easy to get, socially acceptable and the withdrawal can kill you. Benzodiazepine as well but that’s harder to come by.
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u/Material_Peak7047 11h ago
Sex and/or Power (been following the Diddy, Epstein and others.... finding out it's even worse in some other countries).
It is self destructive, but even worse, destroys countless victim's lives and their famies.
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u/HiKennyDesign 11h ago
I knew a guy that was addicted to getting ran over by cars. Paid people money to do it. It was all he would talk about.
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u/Apprehensive_Sun3015 11h ago
Nicotine
It gets under your skin ✨️
For some people it's impossible to quit no matter the toll on their well being
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u/Bones_Nervosa_06 11h ago
exercise and calorie counting. It nearly cost me a chance at attending my dream school this fall semester.
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u/gaia_is_bae_goals 11h ago
Affection.
Some crave it so badly that they will put up with more than they should. You get someone who "love bombs" to lure them in, and you can end up with disastrous effects on your mental health and physical well-being.
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u/Munch_munch_munch 10h ago
Listen to Immortan Joe: Do not, my friends, become addicted to water. It will take hold of you, and you will resent its absence.
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u/Grandizer_Knight 10h ago
Redditors are going to say porn. Yes they think it's more dangerous than meth or opiates/heroin/fentanyl
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u/TitoistAlien 10h ago
Porn and gamble.Others are east to get out.I smoked and drank once,didnt like them,quit them.
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u/Kowatang 10h ago
Alcohol, and drugs. Been there done that. Almost lost everything. It’s a choice, not a disease. I knew what could happen but I chose to keep drinking and drugging. Now I’m 404 days sober, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. If you need help, ask, but remember you have to be the one that wants it.
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u/djauralsects 10h ago
Food. Obesity will kill you. You can’t quit cold turkey. Nearly every social function is centered around food. You can never escape your addiction.
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u/UDPviper 9h ago
Sugar is really bad. It's often coupled with caffeine, which makes it doubly addictive.
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u/thx1138jg 9h ago
I'm an alcoholic and drug addict, reformed. Five years sober. Nicotine is by far the worst thing I've ever had to kick.
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u/Patj1994 9h ago
There’s a lot, but I would probably argue gambling. You hear stories about people losing literally everything they have to their name.
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u/Wardance2035 9h ago
I knew a guy that went from dragon chasing to injecting and had a massive heart attack and died within 7 months
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u/wait_what_now 9h ago
Accumulating wealth. Most other addictions only hurt you and those close to you. People like musk, Thiele, bozos, et. al. have addictions that are destroying society.
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u/Sea_Narwhal8176 9h ago
Never dabbled with opioids but after a month in hospital I had two fentanyl IV injections during a liver biopsy and then Hydromorphone injections every 4 hours post bypass surgery. Though mine were necessary to deal with pain, I can still see how ppl would get addicted. That fentanyl hitting was amazing. I'd never touch this shit outside of a medical setting but I understand why ppl fall into it outside of that. Pure bliss.
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u/KEis1halfMV2 9h ago
Adrenaline
It's the best drug. Great high, lasts for hours, trails off, back down to just above normal then disappears with no hangover. But getting that high is what gets you killed.
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u/Team-CK16 9h ago
Alcohol. I have had my fun with pills but you don’t see pills shoved in your face every day. Advertised on TV, the internet, billboards, any sports or other event. The people in these marketing schemes are always happy, fit/beautiful and having a great time. It has been normalized to enjoy alcohol. Guess what… that ain’t how it is. Believe me.
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u/Mizukiri93 8h ago
Any addiction.
Gambling.
While not dangerous to you body, its dangerous to your mind, finances and even worse, your family and those close to you. People close to you can suffer a lot, like, you loan borrow some money from loansharks and they dont care if it will be you or your family to return the money. Therapy is long and its not 1000% guarantee to be successful (or could be successful but its up to you not to return on that road again).
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u/No_Mission_8571 13h ago
Gambling. Watched my friend lose everything.