The Effects of Drug Abuse on Health

The Effects of Drug Abuse on Health

Substance abuse disorders are associated with a wide range of short- and long-term health consequences. They can vary depending on the type of drug, the amount and frequency with which it is taken, and the individual's overall health. Drug abuse and addiction can have far-reaching consequences. They are capable of affecting nearly every organ in the human body.

People  who use drugs may experience some of the following:

• Engaging in risky behaviors such as drinking and driving or unprotected sex.
• Behavioral changes such as mood swings or increased aggression toward others.
• Insomnia or sleep disruption.
• Frequency colds and flu.
• Mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
• Loss of appetite or failure to eat a balanced diet.

• Frequent colds and flu.
• Long-term health consequences such as liver, kidney, and heart issues or cancer (depending on the type of drug used and how frequently it was used).
• Financial, work, or social problems.
• Dental health problems (cavities and gum disease)
• Dependence
• Infection diseases from shared injected equipment.
• Overdose
• Damage of veins from unsafe injecting practices.
•  Financial, work, or social problems.
• Psychosis

Different drugs, different effects

Drugs affect the central nervous system of the body. They have an impact on how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.  There are seven main types of drugs, which are depressants, psychedelics, stimulants, empathogens, opioids, cannabinoids, and dissociatives.

• Depressants slow the transmission of messages between the brain and the body. They can reduce arousal and stimulation, causing a person to feel relaxed or drowsy.
• Psychedelics alter a person's thinking, sense of time, and emotions by affecting all of their senses. They can also cause hallucinations, or seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted.
• Stimulants are a type of drug that speeds up the transmission of messages between the brain and the body. They have the ability to make a person feel more awake, alert, confident, or energetic.
• Empathogens boost feelings of empathy and kindness toward others, as well as feelings of social acceptance and connection. They are often associated with party drugs because of their ability to increase feelings of love and friendliness in the user.
• Opioids are drugs that act on opioid receptors in the brain, as well as natural or synthetic drugs derived from or related to the opium poppy. Opioids reduce heart rate and breathing rate while also providing pleasure and pain relief.
• Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found in all parts of the cannabis plant. They are responsible for the psychoactive effect of cannabis consumption. They can make you feel happy, relaxed, anxious, or paranoid.
• Dissociatives are a class of psychedelic drugs. These types of drugs distort perceptions of sight and sound and produce feelings of detachment (or dissociation) from the environment and self. The use of dissociative drugs can also cause anxiety, memory loss, and impaired motor function, including body tremors and numbness.