Most people are aware of the damaging effects that an addiction to drugs can have on a person. But what a lot of people don’t realize, is just how much such a problem can completely destroy someone, affecting every aspect of their life in many different ways. This includes your physical well being, but also your mental and emotional health, professional or academic life, and even the lives of those around you. Here are just a few of the ways in which drugs can affect your life.
Drugs Can Affect Your Brain
Your brain is the thing that controls every single thing that you do. It is one of the most important parts of your body, so then why would you want to hurt it? When drugs enter your body, they reach your brain and completely change the way that it works. Each drug affects you in different
ways, but most have effects similar to the following: short term damage including hallucinations, overstimulation, depression, paranoia; as well as long term damage that is not repairable. The most common negative effect that drugs can have on your brain however, is the need that they create for drugs – that is to say, addiction.
Drugs Can Affect Your Body
The effects of drug abuse on your body are wide-ranging and varied, but they can include interrupted sleep patterns, breaking out in sweats, severe weight loss or gain, headaches, bad complexion, and even death. They can damage your heart, your liver, your lungs. They can also produce physical symptoms of addiction, leading to withdrawals if you go without. And this is just the start of it.
Drugs Can Affect Your Work
If you have a job or you are in school, it will be incredibly hard to prevent drug use from affecting your performance. Addicts constantly find it hard to concentrate on even the most basic tasks, and the mood swings that they experience can affect the way that they work with others. And that is if you even show up to work or school. If you are looking for a job, it will be incredibly hard to find employment as someone who is dependent on drugs.
Drugs Can Affect Your Rap Sheet
Another common side effect of drug abuse is crime. If you are using legal drugs, it might lead you to steal money or prescriptions in order to procure them, and at the very least it will encourage you to lie about it to those in your family. Prescription drug abuse often leads to the use of illegal drugs, and hence more crime.
Drugs Can Affect Your Family
Drug abuse affects far more than just the person who is addicted. Every person around them will also feel a knock on effect. Whether it is because you are becoming withdrawn, moody, aggressive, dishonest, or even embarrassing in public situations, there is no way to protect those that you love from the impact of addiction.
About the Author: Hyrum Taffer is a freelance writer with a great deal of experience in drug addiction/recovery, and non 12 step recovery. Through much personal experience and a lot of research, Hyrum hopes others can benefit from his writing.