ADDICTIVENESS OF SOME DRUGS Addictive Qualities Of Popular Drugs By Jack E. Henningfield, PhD for NIDA (The National Institute on Drug Abuse) Drug Dependence Withdrawal Tolerance Reinforcement Intoxication Nicotine 6 4 5 3 2 Heroin 5 5 6 5 5 Cocaine 4 3 3 6 4 Alcohol 3 6 4 4 6 Caffeine 2 2 2 1 1 Marijuana 1 1 1 2 3    1 = lowest     6 = highest Dependence: How difficult it is for the user to quit. Withdrawal: Severity of withdrawal symptoms. Tolerance: How much is needed to satisfy dependency, after prolonged use. Reinforcement: A measure of the substance's ability to get users to take it again and again, in preference to other substances. Intoxication: The level of intoxication, which increases the personal and social damage a substance may do. Go Back