Drug use is always risky. Before allowing drugs to ruin your life and the lives of your loved ones, educate yourself.
Adult drug usage is on the rise, encompassing illegal opioids, prescription drug abuse, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana.
The pandemic of COVID-19 has led to a rise in drug use.
The risks associated with different medicines vary. Drug usage can result in addiction, health concerns, trouble sleeping, and more. Drug usage has an impact on you and everyone around you.
Many drug abuse programs provide support and education to help persons struggling with substance abuse overcome addiction and regain control of their lives.
Here, we will discuss the effects of drugs on health.
Table of Contents
The Increase in Drug Use for Adults Ages 26-49
The highest drug use rates are among 18–25-year-olds.
- Marijuana use among adults aged 26 and older nearly doubled since 2015.
- Cocaine use and death rates have increased, with overdose rates annually rising since 2012.
- Meth use increased, with overdose death rates for 25-54 years growing fivefold between 2011 and 2018.
- The U.S. remains in a prescription and illicit opioid crisis, with 81,230 drug overdose deaths reported in May 2020.
The Effects of Drug Misuse on Health
Addiction to substances is linked to numerous immediate and long-term health consequences. They may differ based on the kind of medication, the dosage and frequency of use, and the individual’s overall health.
In general, substance abuse and dependency can have a wide range of consequences. Nearly every organ in the human body is susceptible to them.
Effects of Drug Addiction on the Brain
Drugs, including nicotine, cocaine, and marijuana, affect the brain’s reward circuit, causing dopamine to flood the brain. They lead to drug addiction. Drugs alter brain chemistry, causing intense cravings and compulsive drug use.
Alcohol can disrupt communication pathways, affecting mood, behavior, and cognitive function. Alcohol-induced brain damage can occur through nutrition deficiencies, seizures, liver disease, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Sometimes, due to an overdose of drugs, people lose their hair and become bald.
Proper treatments for hair loss, such as hair loss prp, can help correct these problems.
Drug Effects on Behavior
Substance use disorders cause behavioral issues like paranoia, aggression, hallucinations, addiction, impaired judgment, and loss of self-control.
These health effects lead to severe consequences like missed work, punishable offenses, accidents, and injuries.
In the U.S., alcohol and drugs are partly responsible for 80 percent of offenses leading to jail time.
Effects of Drug Misuse on Unborn Babies
The use of illegal drugs puts expectant mothers and their unborn children at risk. Substances may include contaminants that are dangerous to a developing fetus. Drug-using pregnant women may be more prone to engage in risky behaviors and have poor nutrition, which could harm the fetus.
Low birth weight or early birth are two consequences of drug usage. In addition, the baby may suffer birth abnormalities, learning and behavioral issues later in life, or withdrawal symptoms (often seen as neonatal abstinence syndrome).
Effects of a ‘come down’
If you plan to use alcohol and drugs concurrently, there will most likely be a downturn.
Although they don’t last forever, comedowns can be uncomfortable.
The kind of substance, how vital it is, how much you take, and your overall health all affect how long it lasts.
Typical outcomes are:
- feeling agitated, melancholy, or nervous
- fatigue
- jittery, lightheaded, sweating headaches
- queasy insufficient appetite
- tired or unable to fall asleep.
