Effects of Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction

The effects of drug addiction can be a traumatic experience for both the person addicted to drugs, and also the people that care about them most. Oftentimes, it is the friends and family of the individual struggling with a drug addiction that are hit hardest by the disease. They wonder what happened to the person they care about so much and wonder if it is their fault they have spiraled into addiction. The most important thing to remember is that drug addiction can happen to anyone, rich or poor, young and old. If you’re a teen that is struggling with a drug addiction, it may be important to understand the all short term and long term effects of drug abuse.

Different Effects of Drug Addiction

Drug addiction can have several negative effects on the human body, both in the short and long term. Some of these effects may include emotional, psychological, physical, social effects, and even criminal. Emotional effects of drug addiction can cause a person to have a poor self-image, become emotionally depressed, suffer anxiety and lose the ability to cope with normal, everyday problems. They may withdrawal from their friends and family, or may feel they can’t take the burden anymore and consider suicide.

Drug addiction can also have very powerful psychological effects, especially on teens. With continual misuse of drugs and alcohol the thinking and reasoning areas of the brain can be damaged, especially in the case of teens where the brain is still developing. Many drug addicts may also develop a powerful sense of paranoia and their thinking can even become psychotic after long periods of drug use.

Physical Effects

Physical effects of drug use can be extremely damaging, especially for long term addicts. These can include a damaged liver, kidney failure, heart and lung damage, just to name a few. Because the human body can only detoxify so many drugs before the effects become permanent, many addicts don’t realize the damage their doing to their body until it is too late. Generally, long term addictions that can be physically damaging, even to the point of death, often start in the individual’s teenage years.

Another negative aspect of drug addiction that many people do not consider is the possible legal ramifications involved with illicit drug use. Because it is illegal to buy or sell drugs, this can automatically put you at risk for arrest and possible jail time. Also, buying or using illicit drugs can also put you at a higher risk for other drug-related thefts or prostitution.

Social Effects

Drug addictions can often negatively affect people’s relationships, marriages, jobs, and family life. As an individual falls deeper into a drug addiction they may have difficulty maintaining relationships with their children, spouse, family members, co-workers and close friends. They can often lose focus on these relationships and the acquiring and using of drugs can become their primary focus. Lying and manipulation can often occur as a result of drug addiction, which can destroy even the closest of relationships.