Health Risks Of Drug Addiction And Why You Should Avoid It At All Costs

Hearing reports about drug addiction and how this condition has served as fuel for people to do hideous crimes is no longer uncommon. Whenever you turn on the TV or browse through your social media networks, reports about drug addiction will always be there. And because people have claimed all the feelings of pleasure and euphoria associated with drug use you can’t help but wonder, is drug addiction worth the risk? Is using drugs all that good? To provide you with a straightforward answer, it’s not. There are health risks involved whenever you use drugs – and compromising your health in any way is never good, right?

People who have grown dependent on drug use would often tell you that drugs can relieve stress, make them happy and help them forget all the troubles in the world. But you shouldn’t be deceived by their statements because they’re actually putting their health on the line. To create a clearer picture of how drugs can pose serious health risks, consider the following:

1. Drugs and injuries are almost interdependent: There are more deaths, disabilities, and illnesses that come from substance abuse compared to any other form of health condition. This means that no matter how you try to keep a healthy lifestyle to avoid any illnesses and disabilities, if you’re still using drugs, all of your attempts will be worthless in the end.

People who are dependent on drugs have higher risks of experiencing accidents, unintentional injuries, domestic violence, medical problems and even death.

2. Drugs can pose serious health problems: Time and again, you should never use drugs as this can adversely affect your health in more ways than one. Regardless of the amount of drugs in your system, they can still damage almost every organ in your body – yes, this is possible. Drug addiction can:

• Cause abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting which can happen too often.
• Cause conditions in the cardiovascular area of the body which can range from abnormal heart rate to heart attacks. Drugs which are taken intravenously can also lead also be the reason for infections of your blood vessels and can even cause your heart valves and veins to collapse.
• Cause seizures, stroke and other widespread brain damages which can impact all aspects of your daily life. If your brain is not optimal, you’ll have issues with attention, memory, and decision-making. All of these can lead to mental confusion and brain damage.
• Cause the liver to work harder which can possibly cause damage or cause liver failure in the long run.
• Produce rare body changes, namely breast development for men, frequent changes in appetite, and increased body temperature; and all of these can lead to several health conditions.
• Weaken the immune system which makes you susceptible to various infections.

3. Drugs can affect your mental health drastically: Your mental health is a part of your well-being which should not be taken for granted. If you don’t take care of your mental health, chances are, your behavior and thinking patterns will also be affected over time – and unfortunately, drug abuse can be the reason for that to happen just like DUI driving can have dangerous consequences.

• Drug-induced anxiety disorder: Prolonged use of drugs can cause you to have panic attacks. These anxiety periods are often so severe that they cause your heart rate to increase with trembling, sweats, shortness of breath and fear of losing control. You will feel these things even if the situation isn’t appropriate at all. You might feel as if your surroundings are odd and even unreal to the point that you’re losing a sense of reality.
• Drug-induced psychosis: There are certain types of drugs which can cause delusions or hallucinations. Once you have psychosis, you’ll believe things that aren’t true and even hear or see things that aren’t there. People around you might think that you’re going crazy, but when you’re using drugs, it can happen. Your mental health will be at risk, and drug use could lead to incidences of mental health issues.
• Drug-induced depression: Every human being in this world will feel depressed at times like when a loved one passes away or when things don’t go according to plan, and that’s normal. But when you feel depressed all the time without any reason why, you might have a problem. And this kind of situation can happen once you’re using drugs. You’d feel too depressed even if everything around is working perfectly fine. And as a user, you won’t be able to pinpoint the reason for this emotion, you just feel like it.

All of the things presented in this article should be reason enough for you to avoid using drugs at all costs. Even if you think you’re too stressed to handle life right now, drug use isn’t the answer. There are several things you can do to have fun with your friends and de-stress from life, and drugs aren’t one of them.

How Can You Prevent Drug Abuse?

Indeed, drug abuse can bring harm to anyone who uses them. And it’ll be a challenge to break that habit once you start doing it. For you to prevent going towards that direction, here are some things you can do to prevent drug abuse:

1. You should effectively deal with peer pressure: When your friends are using drugs, and they’re persuading you to follow their lead, don’t do it. It’s best that you surround yourself with people who will give positive influence to you and not do the complete opposite.
2. You should deal with life pressure: Life isn’t always a piece of cake. Things can get overwhelming, and you’d often feel that a break and reward should be in place. Sure, you can always do that as long as drugs is not one of the options. Drugs can actually make life more stressful in the long run.
3. Seek help for mental illness: Mental illness and drug abuse often go hand-in-hand. If you have any mental illness, you’d use drugs as an escape to make you feel better. This might work for a while, but drugs can never help in your long-term recovery, that’s why it’s best to seek professional help when you have a mental illness. You’ll be given healthier treatments which will guarantee your recovery while preventing any drug abuse in the process – it’s a win-win situation for you.
4. You should keep a well-balanced life: Some people use drugs whenever their life isn’t working, or when they’re not happy about where they’re going in their life. They might feel stuck and would eventually turn to drugs – don’t be one of them. You should look at life’s bigger picture and set priorities in order.

In conclusion

Obviously, drug addiction is never an answer to any of your problems. There are safer, healthier ways you can deal with the challenges of life and this article can help you do just that. Sure, you might think that you’re bombarded with too much stress, but don’t use that as your motivation to immediately reach out for drugs because it’s not worth it. You’re putting your health on the line once you’re dependent on drugs.

Author – Sharon Golden

Sharon Golden has been a law writer and businesswoman for more than 20 years, and she is currently working on his next big project. Her pieces offer knowledge on various law topics that are easily understandable to the common reader. Sharon cannot be separated from Sophia, their family dog. When Sharon has the time, she’s always seen walking Sophia around the city.