Substance abuse is a medical term used to describe the hazardous use of psychoactive substances like illicit drugs and alcohol. One of the major impacts of substance abuse on society and humans is the negative health effects experienced by its users. It also places a heavy financial burden on families, individuals, and society. And if not treated early enough, it could lead to more serious problems like death. This piece looks at a few of the effects caused by substance abuse.
Effects Of Substance Abuse on Health
Drug abuse causes a wide range of short and long-term health effects. Regardless of the type of drug a user abuses, they all have far-reaching impacts that can affect every organ in the human body. They include:
- A weak immune system, which increases the risk of infections and diseases
- Lung disease
- Strain on the liver, which increases the risk of liver damage or failure
- Stroke, mental confusion, brain damage, and seizures
- Memory problems, lack of attention, and decision-making, which can make your daily life difficult
Impact on Behaviors
Substance abuse can also lead to many behavioral problems, both in the long- and short-term, like paranoia, aggressiveness, depression, impulsiveness, impaired judgment, addiction, hallucinations, and loss of self-control. Besides this, drug abuse has more serious consequences in one’s life, like missed school, accidents, injuries, and punishable offenses. In fact, drug addiction is partly to blame in about 80 percent of offenses that lead to jail time in the United States.
Economic consequences of substance abuse
Drug abuse inflicts immeasurable economic harm to the families of the victims. This is associated with the medical costs family members use to treat the addiction. Treatment is very expensive for such cases.
Substance abuse can affect many aspects of a person’s psychological and physical health. This is why at Pandora’s House, we are committed to helping your loved one through their addiction recovery journey. Contact us today and schedule an appointment.