For over a thousand years South American indigenous peoples have chewed the coca leaf (Erythroxylon coca), a plant that contains vital nutrients as well as numerous alkaloids, including cocaine. Slang words for MDMA are ecstasy, E, XTC, X, Adam, hug, beans, clarity, lover's speed, and love drug. Use of heroin in pregnancy also may increase the risk of a variety of birth defects. What is not entirely clear is whether these effects are directly due to the drug itself or related to the poor health behaviors that women who take heroin often have. It may also be caused by the substances that the heroin often is mixed with when it is made. Although the root causes of drug addiction remain unclear, the new study reveals that scientists have identified a number of biological, psychological and social conditions that can help to identify whether a person will become an addict. |
