When you’re dealing with drug addiction, whether it’s your own or you’re watching a loved one battle with their dependency, it can be difficult to know what to do for the best. This is why many individuals are turning to suboxone treatment the woodlands for help and treatment for this devastating addiction – click the link to find out more.
So with this in mind, let’s take a closer look at the consequences of long-term drug addiction on your health, mental wellbeing and your life.
What are the effects on the body?
It’s easy to think that only some drugs will impact some parts of your body or only certain organs will be affected depending on how much you use. However, this is a dangerous and incredibly short-sighted belief. Long term drug abuse will begin to take its toll on your vital organs, causing serious damage and putting your life at risk. Let’s examine this further:
– Gastrointestinal damage: Many substances when ingested over a period of time, can begin to cause problems with your digestive and gastrointestinal systems. Stomach linings become damaged and your stomach or intestines could be damaged or rotted away in a short space of time, leading to digestive problems, bathroom issues and chronic discomfort.
– Respiratory damage: When you’re inhaling smoke, you’re causing untold damage to your lungs and respiratory system. It’s easy to think that this won’t come back to haunt you until later in life, but with problems and diseases such as chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and exacerbated asthma symptoms due to opioid use, you may not have much of an adult life left to enjoy.
– Cardiovascular damage: Stimulants such as cocaine, speed and amphetamines put the cardiovascular and nervous system under increased stress and pressure. You’re also at risk of heart failure, collapsed veins and infections from injecting drugs directly into your bloodstream.
What are the effects on the brain?
In terms of physicality, your brain is severely impacted by long term drug abuse. In most cases, changing it permanently once substance abuse turns into a long-term addiction.
– Changes to cognitive functions: You may find learning new things and processing new information difficult once you’re battling drug addiction, as damage to the brain’s cognitive functions is enhanced. This means learning a new skill, such as how to drive, passing exams, problem-solving, your language skills, as well as auditory and visual processing, will be severely hindered.
– Your memory: As drug abuse takes its toll on cognitive learning, you may find that your memory suffers as a direct result.
What about mental health?
The connection between drug addiction and mental health issues are well documented. Studies have shown that drug abuse can worsen and exacerbate many mental health conditions as well as manifest new ones, such as anxiety and paranoia.
Final thoughts…
If you or someone you love is struggling with drug addiction, it’s important that you get help as soon as possible. Reach out to your health professional for more advice.
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