The Downside of Health due to Drug Addiction : Many people casually pick up the habit of doing drugs and become addicts before they know it. Their lifestyles and activities develop in ways that promote substance abuse without them realizing it. But what also bears the consequence of their actions is their health.
Those getting into drugs often get introduced at a party or through someone close in their social circle, so it’s easy to latch onto them. Once past that stage, it becomes hard to turn down whenever someone makes an offer. Or, at times, you may be driven by the desire to stand out and look charismatic with your laid-back attitude.
There’s also a group of individuals that have other personal inhibitions motivating their actions. Many suffer from bullying and abuse, forcing them to develop invalid ideas about themselves. Others face difficult, stressful circumstances that manipulate their ability to reason with the situation. In any of these cases, they find drugs to detach them from their complexes or other harsh realities. They look upon substances as a solution to these problems while it may be giving them new ones.
Over time, many have come forth with their stories of the damage drugs have caused in their lives. The inability to connect with people, mishandling relationships, and failure to lead a healthy life are a few of them. Most of these experiences come from people who beat drug addiction by getting the necessary help in time. Luckily that’s a possibility now if you can find a decent recovery center to facilitate your rehabilitation. However, getting educated on the subject might also help cut down or avoid the practice altogether. Here are some downsides of health due to drug addiction that you need to look out for actively.
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Infectious Diseases & Compromised Immune System
Drugs not only come in the form of pills and tablets but also injected through a syringe. It carries a higher risk of contracting an infection, like HIV or Hepatitis. That’s a consequence of sharing needles while injecting them.
The other kind is smoking and snorting powdered drugs. They can have a significant impact on the respiratory system and cause infection in the lungs.
Besides, there’s also the risk of compromising your immune system altogether. Drugs like cocaine affect the body’s ability to produce white blood cells. That, in turn, reduces the immune system’s response while fighting against some disease or infection.
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Cardiovascular Problems
A body organ at high risk for drug addicts is the heart. Some drugs are stimulants that give the heart rate a spike, while others are CNS depressants that slow it down. These frequent changes make it difficult for it to maintain a steady pace.
The body has a high risk of experiencing blood clots or suffering from coronary arterial dissection because of alternating blood pressure. These are long-term conditions, and worst-case scenarios include death, which is why people need to be vigilant.
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Gastrointestinal Problems
Another serious consequence of drug addiction is having altered eating patterns and digestive problems. People who consume alcohol in large quantities or use drugs like opioids are at high risk. They can suffer from indigestion, vomiting, upset stomach, nausea, and might prefer drugs over food to survive.
Patients of chronic indigestion, better known as gastrointestinal reflux disease, have difficulty eating and swallowing certain foods. The constant consumption of drugs damages their esophagus, which makes it painful. These things can lead to malnutrition with an already declining health, making the situation even worse.
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Liver Damage
The liver detoxifies substances as part of the nutrient metabolization. That helps distribute energy extracted from these items. With a high intake of drugs, the liver starts feeling overwhelmed and collapses in the face of its primary responsibilities. The organ tissues begin to break down, and it also becomes receptive to diseases like cirrhosis and hepatitis.
Alcohol is presumably the most contributing factor to liver damage, as it causes a spectrum of diseases. These problems range from inflammation of the liver to scarring and fibrosis. If you are not careful, then things also escalate and give you liver cancer.
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Altered Brain Chemistry
Drugs can affect brain chemistry in several different ways. The human body is adaptive to the conditions it experiences over time. If a person has been using drugs for too long, the brain can associate it with physical dependence. That makes it almost impossible for the addict to give up on them without help.
Similarly, since drugs are stimulants and depressants, people can become overly consumed with their use. They might look upon them as a solution and escape from the struggles of daily life. What they don’t realize are the induced emotions due to them. These compromise their decision-making, judgment, and impulse control. The long-term effects of these conditions could be severe.
Some people might also face cognitive impairment and memory loss. The sedative-like acting makes it difficult for them to move around regularly as they wish. These things can become frustrating for addicts, making them regret their calls.
Summary
These were some of the more noticeable downsides of health due to drug addiction that most people face. These should suffice to help you understand the dire consequences of drug abuse. If you are already in this mess and wish to get out, you need to seek professional assistance. Reading about it might be relatable and motivational, but it won’t be enough to pull you out of this cycle. That’s why you need to have an open mind about it.
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