University of Plymouth researchers led by Ross Coomber said that their study of 72 heroin users showed that "some people took five years, some people took six months" to get addicted, Coomber said. But, he added, "Regardless of the length of time that any of these people took, none of them were instantly addicted."

"The reality is that addiction is a very complex interaction of social circumstances, personality and context in which people are using as well as the drug," Coomber said.

Even people who used heroin regularly -- up to three times weekly -- took an average of nine months to become daily users, the study found.

Coomber presented his findings at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs conference in Melbourne, Australia, this week.

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