Drug abuse is one of the leading causes of death in The United States alone, and millions of Americans struggle with dependency issues that compromise their health in unimaginable ways. One of the biggest concerns about drug abuse is how drugs affect the body, and what the many side effects of continual drug abuse can do to a user on a physical level.
How Drugs Affect the Body
There are hundreds of different drugs throughout the world that get abused. This means there are a number of different ways that drugs affect the body, including through internal damage to the heart, brain and the liver.
Long term impact on the body is going to depend on a number of different factors, including how many drugs are being used at one time, the type of drug that is being used, and the consistency in which drugs are being abused. Some individuals (even those who abuse drugs) are unsure of how drugs affect the body, however using powerful substances such as these can begin to affect different parts of the body, including the following:
- Heart: One of the most common instances of drugs negatively affecting the body is through the damage usage can cause on the heart. Depending on the type of drug that is being abused, the tissue around the heart can begin to break down, normal heart rate can be interfered with, pumping of the blood can become slower, and heart disease can be induced.
- Brain: When an individual puts drugs into his or her system, they immediately work their way into the brain. From there, neurotransmitters (or “messengers”) are directly affected, causing the brain to stop functioning properly and leading an individual to experience significant changes in behavior. As the brain is exposed to drugs, it impacts how drugs affect the rest of the body because the brain is the control station for the rest of the body.
- Liver: When someone is abusing drugs, one of the last things he or she might be thinking about is how drugs affect the body. However, one of the most common ways in which drugs affect the body is through the liver. The liver acts as a filter for everything that goes into the body, including drugs. Some drugs, such as painkillers, can have dangerous chemicals in them that slow down the functioning of the liver so that it is unable to filter them through the body. As a result, the liver can become diseased or go into failure, causing serious illness and even death.
Treatment for Drug Abuse
We have some great options for someone who is ready to respect and protect their body. You can directly address the core issue with Adventure Therapy that will get you back into your body with physical activity in a restorative natural setting. Not everyone is at that point yet though, so most importantly above and beyond the act of literally working your muscles, stopping the drug use can slow, stop, or reverse types of damage. Instead of learning the hard way about how drugs affect the body, it is best to get treatment to address any instance of drug abuse before it gets to a point where the body suffers irreversible damage. Through attending a rehab program, drug abusers can learn how to cope with the issues that fuel their drug abuse, prepare themselves for sober living, and educate themselves on how drugs affect the body so they do not use again.
