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Did you know that one in every four deaths can be linked to alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and the improper usage of drugs?
Drug addiction is a situation whereby an individual cannot stop using a substance, even though it has adverse effects on them. When people think of a drug addict, they imagine someone who takes heroin, cocaine, and other illegal drugs. While these are also included in its meaning, the improper or unrestricted use of legal drugs can become an addiction too.
A typical example is when a person is unable to stop using nicotine, sleep and anxiety medicines, or any other legal substance.
The impact of drugs on the brain and body depends on the quantity used, type, or how the drugs are combined. Drugs are chemical substances designed for specific medical objectives. They could boost a person's immune system to fight against diseases, stop or accelerate specific biochemical reactions, or provide certain elements required to achieve a particular goal.
Because drugs impact our brain to function as designed, using them continuously over an extended period can permanently affect the brain - leading to an irresistible urge to want more.
Illegal drugs like cocaine, heroin, and others can cause the brain to release alarming amounts of dopamine. This dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter which the nervous system uses to transmit messages between nerve cells. When released in large quantities (especially due to drug intake), it makes a person "feel high," temporarily.
This feeling is usually so intense that recreating can only be done by using the same quantity of drugs or more. Thus, leading to drug addiction. The psychological and physical effects of drug addiction include:
1. Weakening of the Immune System
The immune system is the body's protection against diseases and foreign bodies. It detects pathogens and harmful substances, neutralizes and gets rid of them. When the body becomes addicted to drugs, it impacts the immune system negatively and hinders it from performing effectively.
As a result, the body becomes susceptible to foreign attacks and virtually defenseless in the face of diseases and infection.
2. Heart and cardiovascular problems
There are several heart and cardiovascular conditions associated with drug addiction. This includes arrhythmia(abnormal heart rates), heart attacks, hypertension, high blood pressure, collapsed veins and blood vessel infections due to injected drugs.
3. Risk of Cancer
Cigarette smokers often experience this. Being addicted to cigarette smoking has been linked to various kinds of cancer, such as cancer of the mouth, stomach, neck, and lungs. Even secondhand cigarette smoke (passive smoke inhalation) be can cause lung cancer and other health complications for non-smokers. It is more dangerous as it contains more percentage of cancer-causing substances.
4. Gastrointestinal Effects
The feeling of nausea and vomiting are some of the effects of drug addiction. Cocaine, for example, causes bowel tissue decay and abdominal pain—opioid cause abdominal pain, severe constipation, and even acid reflux. Drugs like heroin, khat, Keaton, and nicotine also contribute to gastrointestinal effects.
5. Neurological Effects
Drugs interfere with the brain's functionality to produce a chemical reaction. Using illegal drugs may cause severe damages to the brain, causing euphoric effects. Legal drugs, when misused, can also create a similar result. Seizures and strokes from drug abuse can also affect the brain cells.
Other adverse effects of drug addiction are
Mental health problems (like paranoia, anxiety, depression, aggression, and hallucinations)
Hepatitis and HIV
Musculoskeletal disorders (when the bones stop growing earlier than usual)
Respiratory deficits (such as difficulty breathing, bronchitis, and emphysema)
Among others.
Get help
Have you become addicted and are trying to break free? We understand how difficult that can be. Those withdrawal symptoms are always hard to bear. But we can help.
At our Luxury Rehab Center, we offer you long-term personalized care without making you feel bad about yourself or out of place. We're all about making you feel comfortable and getting your quality of life back through a gradual, patient process.
Reach out today.