Drugheads

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who are heavily involved in or addicted to the use of illicit substances
2. People who habitually consume drugs, often to the point of dependency
3. Those engaged in a lifestyle centered around the use of narcotics or controlled substances

Etymology: "Drugheads" is the plural of "drughead," a compound built from "drug" and the suffix "-head." The "-head" element is the productive English ending that turns a noun into a person defined by an attachment to or preoccupation with that thing, as in "pothead" or "egghead." Its appeal as a word lies in how plainly it says what it means: a drug head is someone whose life is organized around drugs, the way a "hophead" was once defined by opium or hops. The construction is transparent enough that the word needs little explanation, and its informal, slightly clipped feel comes from being a casual coinage rather than a term from formal vocabulary.

Synonyms: addicts, substance abusers