The Many Real Consequences of Drug Abuse
By: Lakeview Health
Published: December 3, 2019

Too many people get tempted to try drugs because drug PSAs have been so over the top and laughable. They may think, therefore, that drugs are not a danger. Sadly, this is not the case: the consequences of drug abuse are real. These problems are not scaremongering – they usually occur to most people who take drugs. Each has been confirmed by multiple studies and can devastate your life.

The Health Consequences of Drug Abuse

When you abuse drugs, you are likely to experience many health problems. These consequences of drug abuse are among the most visible and damaging. Sadly, they can change your life for the worse without proper treatment. Just a few that you may experience include:

  • Decreased immune system efficiency
  • Heart problems that may linger for years
  • Dangerous weight loss due to having no appetite
  • Seizures and potential mental confusion
  • Strain in your liver that may cause tissue damage and organ failure
  • Increases in your body temperature that may be hard to tolerate
  • Stronger evidence of aging, like wrinkles
  • Dental health problems, including the loss of teeth

As drug abuse worsens and becomes an addiction, a person may even experience brain damage. These changes can cause a person to become more violent or otherwise affect their personality. Others may experience an inability to focus, struggle to make new memories, or have difficulty with menial tasks.

Behavioral Effects of Drug Abuse

As your drug use worsens, the consequences of drug abuse will become even more extreme. Some people start to experience behavioral issues that complicate their lives. Often, these occur during the most desperate moments of drug addiction and can be hard to tolerate. They include:

  • Extreme paranoia that may alienate others
  • Aggressive actions that could threaten friends and loved ones
  • Difficulty making wise decisions in your life
  • Impulsive behaviors that may worsen an addiction
  • Loss of self-control that may cause risky behaviors

Unfortunately, many of these behaviors can become ingrained in you due to brain damage caused by excessive drug use. Thankfully, behavioral treatment can teach you how to cope with these problems. In this way, you can avoid staying in destructive patterns that reward your drug abuse and cause personal difficulty. As a result, you may need emotional help during your addiction care.

The Financial Impact

For many people, the financial consequences of drug abuse are what get them to quit. For some, it is easy to ignore health problems but not a lack of money in the bank. However, many users will turn to illegal activities to get drugs. As a result, legal issues are another consequence that you may face.

If these problems spiral out of control too much, you may end up losing a job, getting kicked out of your house, and ending up homeless. This problem is one that many once-promising people have experienced in their lives. Thankfully, a residential inpatient care center near you should take insurance.

The Social Troubles of Drug Abuse

Lastly, you’ll likely experience the social consequences of drug abuse. These occur when friends and family members start avoiding you due to your addiction. Sadly, this issue can alienate you from those who care about you the most. As a result, you may turn to more drugs or worsen your abuse rates as compensation. This cycle is one that far too many people experience every year.

Unfortunately, these issues may extend past troubles with your family and become more consistent and challenging to handle. For example, you may find yourself running with a different group of people when you abuse drugs. These “friends” are typically also drug users and probably only encourage you to continue. Anybody who emboldens or worsens your addiction is a person you should avoid for good.

How to Avoid These Problems

At Lakeview Health, we provide a gender-responsive program that manages your addiction on an individualized level. And our trauma care center is considered the finest in the nation, including medical, emotional, and spiritual problems. So please verify your insurance and call us to learn more about our many practical treatment possibilities.