Never Enough summary

Each one of us is unique. Not in a wishy-washy, we’re-all-special sort of way. No, every human is literally chemically unique, which means every human will have a different chemical response to a given drug. This is why some people love alcohol while others abhor the stuff.

As for the author, her favorite drug is marijuana. If she were stranded on a desert island and only had access to one stimulant, it would be that.

Think of tragedy and the first thing to come to mind might be Romeo and Juliet or Oedipus Rex. But in the real world, tragedy is all around us – and opiates are among the drugs with the most tragic effects.

Opiates are brutal. They make you feel secure and loved, but then they wear off, leaving you feeling as though you’ve been abandoned on the moon with no oxygen supply. How?

The drug in common use around you is likely perfectly legal – alcohol. Drinking is so normalized in many societies that, for most people, socializing and a glass or two of something strong go hand in hand.

It’s easy to overlook the fact that it’s exactly these sorts of drinkers who are at risk of succumbing to alcoholism.

It’s been years since the author had a drink or even a smoke. But she still longs for the feeling of relaxation associated with these social drugs. In contrast, when she stopped using cocaine, it may have been hard, but it was worth it. She was filled with a feeling of relief akin to leaving an abusive partner.

You don’t need to hear the author’s experience to know that cocaine is a devastating drug, but what makes it so destructive? Let’s look at how cocaine works.

Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix and Michael Jackson all died from overdoses. Although their deaths were tragic and widely covered in the press, they weren’t seen as scandalous. That’s because they happened to be using tranquilizers: drugs such as Nembutal, Vesparax or Propofol.

Tranquilizers, which are also known as sedatives, have had a certain respectability attached to them. But they’re in need of a closer look. Tranquilizers slow and relax the nervous system by imitating the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid – or GABA, for short.

Falling into the trap of substance abuse is not fun. No wonder, then, that many people ask why they were the unlucky ones. It’s tempting to think that it’s a matter of character, that people who are stronger can avoid addiction. But that’s not exactly true.

Some people are simply more at risk of becoming addicts because of who they are. That’s to say, there’s a genetic element to addiction.

So far, we’ve seen that both inherited genetic and epigenetic characteristics account for addictive behaviors. But that’s not all that’s going on.

When it comes to drugs, it’s important to consider upbringing and environment, which can also put children and teenagers at heightened risk of drug abuse.