Tried weeds once about 30 years ago, and hated it so much, it never happened again.

My uncle I'm named after is not even a fraction of a memory for me thanks to drugs. He died when I was two.

This is as bad as it gets. It's bad enough when the life lost is a wastrel fool, but when it is a bright and anxious and shining life, it is a tragedy.

Coke, smack, meth, LSD, pain killers...Yep, they're bad news and both physically and mentally addictive. Pot is bad but way down the list of dangerous drugs. In fact alcohol and tobacco products are much worse than a little weed IMO.

Excluding some of the lighter drugs like marijuana, which I'd rate more like 3.

This would definitely have to be the worst of all addictions. Not only because of its physical affects but also because of its emotional affects. Drug addictions isn't something which just affects the person under its influence, it affects everyone around them. It affects them physically because drugs actually kill the brain slowly. That's why they get the high, it is actually their brain dieing. It decreases intellect and can actually make a person retarded then eventually killing them. If they take the heavier stuff, the way they die can be sudden and frightening. If you take drugs, you will die, it's just a matter of when. Plus it makes the person look like a fool being desperate for drugs and if they try to give it up, they experience physical pain and illness. Their body thinks it needs something that will kill it. The emotional affects are just as bad if not worse. The person under the influence after their high, will (especially on heavier drugs) experience acute paranoia which leads to violence and even domestic violence. They may feel so depressed that they want to commit suicide. You certainly pay the price for the high. Along side that, there is the debilitating emotional effects of the physical illness. Since they become violent or strange, they loose relationships and cause terrible family break ups. Their addiction leads them to hang around with really evil and dangerous people (the drug dealers who are sometimes the leaders of violent street gangs) who will kill them and their family if they aren't paid. Plus it leads them to commit other crimes like robberies or muggings. As you can see, it is not a pretty life if you decide to take drugs. You will die a miserable death. Plus people watching them go through all that causes them to be disturbed. The cost far outweighs the brief benefits. If they do escape, then they have to live with the consequences of probably still having those criminal drug dealers pester them and their family, having enemies looking for them and having a criminal record ie having the police as an enemy. And having to spend all that time building their life up again. Plus they will lose thier intelligence they once had forever. But I would rather give it up and have to pay the consequences then lose my life in a painful way.

I'm smart enough to realize that I'm dumb enough to get hooked, so I've stayed away.

One of the worse addictions out there, and a serious problem given that there are more and more drugs being dealt and sellen, and used more than ever before.

Narcotics refers to a drug derived from the poppy. Opium, Heroin, Morphine, Codine, etc. All of these are horrible drugs that should be wiped off the face of the earth. But that will never happon, there's too much money in the dope game. And to those people who think only shady low-lifes in dark alleyways sell these drugs, think again. The largest drug dealers in the world work for the U.S. Government.

This has to be the worst of the addiction bunch - not only screws up your health, but has really loused up our society for a number of reasons - high crime rate, high cost of treatment, impact on family life.

Absolutely no joke - don't think that you're the one who can handle it because you CAN'T. There is no such thing as a chipper. You are an addict or you are not. I wasted my whole life with it.

Not only are they illegal...they are deadly!

While technically it is not my own opinion, it is hard to resist quoting one of my favorite wits (Ambrose Bierce): Opiate, n. An unlocked door in the prison of Identity. It leads into the jail yard. (From the Devil's Dictionary)

Once you get addicted to the really hard drugs PCP, heroin etc(I don't know them, I've never used them, never will) your life is pretty much screwed unless you become clean and sober, but then once an addict always an addict I would assume.