Drug Use & Harm

Everything you consume has an impact on your body. Some meals promote healthy bodily function while others harm it. However, even good elements can be harmful if consumed in huge numbers, especially if you completely avoid other nutritious foods. 

The same is true for alcohol and narcotics. When consumed regularly, substances that may be beneficial or at the very least safe in tiny doses might endanger your life. They ravage your body in addition to taking up all of your time, energy, and money. 

Here at the Aagraha Foundation, we witness the dreadful results of drug misuse in addicts. Due to their attention being so consumed with satisfying their addiction, many people are unaware of how these drugs affect their physical health. 

However, it's crucial to understand the bodily harm that drug usage produces so you can spot the indications and get help as soon as possible. 

Cardiovascular Conditions: 

Your cardiovascular system can be impacted by any substance, but amphetamines and cocaine are notorious for being frequent offenders. Because cocaine swiftly increases your heart rate and blood pressure, it can cause a heart attack even with the first dose, earning it the moniker "the perfect heart attack drug" among medical professionals. Myocardial infarction and stroke can result from interference with the electrical signals sent by your heart. 

You also face the danger of developing infections in your blood vessels, heart valves, or heart chambers if you inject these medications, in addition to having irritated or collapsed veins. 

Respiratory Difficulties: 

Smoking can damage your lungs and lead to respiratory conditions like emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and lung cancer. This includes cigarettes, cigars, marijuana, and crack cocaine. 

Renal and Liver Issues: 

Your liver processes everything you eat and drink, including medicines, so it is susceptible to tissue damage. Alcohol is the main factor in liver damage. 

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism claims that:

1. Alcohol use contributed to more than 43% of all liver disease deaths in 2019.

2. Alcohol use contributed to over half of all cirrhosis deaths in 2015.

3. One-third of all liver transplants are performed due to alcohol-related liver illness.

Every time you take damage, your kidneys suffer as well. Heroin, steroids, synthetic marijuana, nicotine, vaping, and inhalants can all dehydrate you severely, raise your body temperature, degrade your muscles, and harm your kidneys. 

Issues With the Digestive System: 

Abusing substances negatively impacts your gut, causing everything from diarrhoea and constipation to nausea and vomiting. They can cause esophageal cancer, severe acid reflux, GI bleeding, and stomach ulcers when used frequently. 

Brain Issues: 

Disorders caused by substance addiction affect how your brain reacts to rewards and stimuli. Over time, only the drug can satisfy your brain's cravings since it no longer recognizes healthy rewards. This can result in physical changes to your brain as well as mental health disorders like paranoia, anxiety, and sadness. 

For instance, studies have shown that chronic marijuana usage can lead to cognitive impairment that lasts even after the user stops using the drug.

Memory, behaviour, learning, consciousness, and focus can all be impacted by long-term Substance Use Disorder (SUD). 

Alcohol, marijuana, stimulants, and opioids are examples of psychoactive substances that may alter a person's brain's structure and function after prolonged usage. Even if someone quits using, this can lead to deficiencies and alterations in cognition and behaviour. 

Depending on the drug type and length of usage, the precise mental or cognitive effects of SUD may change. 

Early drug use is a significant risk factor for the later development of substance use disorders, and SUD may exacerbate the symptoms of other mental problems. It can also increase your risk of getting another mental disease. 

For instance, heavy cannabis usage as a teenager increases the likelihood of developing psychosis as an adult in people who have a specific gene mutation.

You may already be aware of the harmful physical impact that drug misuse has on one's health, but there is also a social aspect to drug use that is sometimes overlooked. Drugs cause a user to exhibit a variety of behaviours because they have an impact on their mental health. 

Other social ills brought on by drug use include loneliness and strained relationships. After that, a vicious cycle sets up where drug usage leads to isolation, which then encourages drug use. 

When someone is addicted to anything, they frequently just consider getting their next fix. "After all, my addiction and condition are both related. Right?” Wrong! Drugs and other substances may have a significant impact on you, but they also have an impact on those around you. 

But how might someone else be impacted by my addiction? Many addicts enquire. It becomes difficult to consider the other individuals you are harming with your behaviour when you are just thinking about yourself. In that case, before you go out to get your next fix, you should consider how your addiction is hurting your family and the individuals in your immediate vicinity.

The cost of maintaining an addiction affects an addict's personal and family economics. Drugs have a cost, and continuous drug use is costly. When addicts are unable to get the money to purchase their drugs, asking for money, stealing, etc., become increasingly prevalent activities.

Unaware of the potential repercussions, far too many people still use and abuse illegal substances including alcohol, narcotics, and other substances. There are countless consequences to choosing the route of substance abuse, and sometimes you won't see them until it's too late. 

Then how exactly might drug-related offences affect your life? Drug and alcohol abuse can make you angry or violent, which might make you a target for arrest and result in a criminal record. This could be either a crime or a misdemeanour. This, in turn, might have a significant negative impact on your future because it will make it difficult for you to get certain employment, which can interfere with your short- and long-term career goals.

Alcohol and drug abuse among employees leads to expensive medical, social, and other issues that have an impact on both employees and businesses. Employee substance usage can endanger their personal safety, the safety of others, and their ability to do their jobs.

Practically every aspect of a family's existence can be impacted by substance abuse. This can include the state of the family's finances, the capacity to cover essential living costs and interpersonal connections with loved ones. 

The estimated value of the worldwide drug trade is $360 billion, of which $100–110 billion is supplied by heroin, $110–130 billion by cocaine, $75 billion by cannabis, and $60 billion by synthetic pharmaceuticals. And to what some people may believe, substance misuse is a problem that doesn't just affect individuals. 

Substance abuse is a serious problem that can have an impact on relationships, families, and larger communities where people who use drugs or alcohol live. 

The consequences of this can be severe, especially in situations of chronic substance use disorders, and can have an impact on a variety of factors, including intimacy, child welfare, and family finances.