What is an addiction? Addiction may sound immoral and easy to say but it is much more complex than said. It is a severe disorder of drug abuse which includes alcohol, illicit drugs, and as well as prescribed drugs to a great extent. Any sort of addiction is a brain disease that affects different parts of the brain that is responsible for varying activities like learning, taking responsibility, displaying morals, and respect. The patient is completely unaware of the fact of how he or she is damaging the health and social importance of their existence in the society.
It gets pretty controversial when it’s time to accept disease of addiction as a brain disease because there are different schools of thought relating to this issue and simply ignore the fact that yes it is a disease that leads to devastating mental disorders and other health issues. The word “Addiction” holds a strong social stigma and shame that we as humans forget to research and dig into the actual reality of the problem. ‘Substance disorder’ is a more decent and acceptable word for addiction tells us that any sort of drug abuse impairs different parts of your brain making you different from others.
Let’s look into the negative impacts drug abuse causes to a life
According to Confidant Health, anyone suffering from drugs, alcohol, or any substance disorder is just not dependent on a single product but the affected is under the influence of more than one or two drugs at a time.
Anyone suffering from drugs, alcohol, or any substance disorder is just not dependent on a single product but the affected is under the influence of more than one or two drugs at a time. One could be the primary other two or three could be used as backups for extra pleasure in the euphoric state. The rate of addiction is increasing in a phenomenal manner which is aggressively alarming for the health, families, and society. There are a number of negative impacts caused by drug abuse that are long and short term both.
Some of the short-lived effects of addiction
When a person is under the influence they go through some short term effects like,
- Aggressive and paranoid behavior
- Temporary memory loss
- Increased heart rate
- Sudden weight loss and poor appetite
- Hallucinations
- Sleeplessness or insomnia
- Dehydration and dry mouth
- Lack of concentration
- Slurred speech
Few of the long term and life-threatening impacts are
The long term effects of drug abuse can be mild to serious and could be perilous to life. The impacts actually damage the health so severely that in some cases recovery is simply impossible.
- The use of cocaine can cause cardiovascular problems and injectable drugs like heroin can destroy the blood vessels causing heart failure.
- Smoking of drugs causes lung damage and failure.
- Renal and liver failures are common in addicts who combine multiple drugs along with alcohol.
- There are drugs that can damage the intestines resulting in acid reflux, constipation, and severe stomach aches.
- Brain damage is common in almost all drug consumptions. Addicts find it hard to concentrate and remember things. They fight hard to keep their memory in place.
The reality is that these impacts can not be cured fully but quick actions to the problem can reduce the condition and prevent worsening it. It is ideal to take professional help and start with the therapy sessions and medication to maintain a better and sober lifestyle.
