15 consequences of drug use (on your mind and body)

The consumption of these substances generates a type of alteration that can be very dangerous.

Drug use is usually associated with young people or people in marginal situations; however, psychoactive substances are consumed by people with very different profiles and of different ages.

Nowadays there are many types of drugs (which you can learn more about in this article "Types of drugs: know their characteristics and effects"), which produce different effects on our organism. But the consumption of these substances is not something recent, as there is knowledge that in ancient times some psychoactive substances such as peyote were already used. However, despite their traditional use, their effects are not always benign. In this article we will see the main consequences of drug useWe will focus on the most popular substances.

Negative consequences of drug use

Drugs can produce various pleasurable, exciting and even hallucinogenic effects, but their use also has serious consequences for the physical and psychological health of users, and for their social functioning. their use also has serious consequences for the physical and psychological health of users, and for their social functioning..

Below you can see some of the consequences that the drug can have on habitual users.

1. Neurochemical imbalances in the brain

A study conducted by Volkow in 2003 observed, thanks to neuroimaging studies, that with drug use there are permanent neurochemical and functional changes in the brain of addicts. The consumption of psychoactive substances causes the massive release of some neurotransmitters, such as dopamine or such as dopamine or serotonin, which both in the short term and in the long term usually have consequences at the cerebral level. At the functional level, problems can also occur due to the neurochemical imbalance that occurs, for example with regard to motivation, memory and cognitive control.

In addition, as a consequence of drug use, synapses are also altered. Studies suggest that, especially in the case of glutamate, the connections between neurons can be modified. Neuronal loss, widespread axonal damageThe effects of drug use, widespread axonal damage, neurodegenerative problems, decreased glial fibrillary acidic proteins and other consequences that directly affect the brain are also produced.

2. Mood disturbances

Mood alterations are frequent with drug use. Not only in the long term, but also in the short term, which means that a person can go from being from being relaxed to feeling irritated and aggressive on a very frequent basis. and aggressive on a very frequent basis.

This is especially noticeable in the hours after drug use or in the hours following drug use. when the craving has a more pronounced effect. In the long term the personality of many people can be altered with the consumption of psychoactive substances.

3. Family, relational and social problems

Problems at the family level are quite frequent regardless of the type of drugs consumed. Of course, it is unlikely that a family will break up over tobacco use, but it is more likely that a family will break up over the use of alcohol or other drugs. alcohol or other hard drugs such as cocaine. such as cocaine.

Social problems can also occur when a person is a regular user of these substances, and may lose friendships and even jobs.. The person who uses drugs may show a loss of interest in hobbies and other favorite activities. Financial problems are also associated with drug addiction behaviors.

4. Addiction

Addiction is one of the consequences of drug use, and it is what leads people to return to using these substances that initially have a pleasant effect on the nervous system. Drugs have a significant effect on the significantly affect the brain's reward system, which is involvedwhich is involved in pleasurable behaviors (e.g. sex) and which the brain ensures that we repeat due to its survival function.

In the case of hard drugs, this addiction can cause a person to do whatever is in his hands to get the substance he wants so much, for example, stealing or having sex for money or for a dose.

5. Cardiovascular problems

Cardiovascular problems are common with prolonged use of the vast majority of drugs, as these substances alter the normal functioning of the heart. alter the normal functioning of the heart. While some drugs cause a very high activity of this organ, others do the opposite. In both cases a variation in Blood Pressure occurs. Abusing drugs can lead to heart attacks, blood vessel infections and other cardiovascular problems.

6. Pregnancy defects

Drug use in pregnant women has been linked to premature and underdeveloped babies.The reason for this is that the abuse of psychoactive substances impairs the health of both mother and child. Scientific studies show that drug abuse by the mother is related to withdrawal symptoms in the baby, birth defects, learning and behavioral problems, among other negative consequences.

7. Sexual dysfunction

Drug use can cause both acute and prolonged erectile dysfunction.. This was verified by the Andalusian Institute of Sexology and Psychology. For their study, the researchers checked the sexual consequences in 1,007 men, with the participation of 28 treatment centers for drug addicts throughout Spain.

Most of these subjects had consumed cocaine alone (50.92%) or in combination with alcohol (11.14%) or heroin (8.65%). The remaining subjects consumed: alcohol (12.54%), heroin (4.97%), cannabis (2.38%), stimulant drugs (1.73%), depressant drugs (0.43%), and a combination of 3 or more substances (7.24%). The results seem to confirm that men who have been users of addictive substances present erectile dysfunction in a higher percentage (20.84% more) than men who do not take drugs.

8. Weakening of the immune system

Studies show that most drugs weaken the immune system. Many drugs such as opiates that function as painkillers, cannabis, etc., provoke a series of negative reactions in the immune system, causing users to be more susceptible to diseases and infections of all kinds. susceptible to diseases and infections of all kinds.. This can manifest itself with simple colds or more serious problems. Some studies suggest, for example, that cannabis use causes increased susceptibility to cancer.

The behaviors associated with drug use can also lead to other diseases, for example, AIDS or Hepatitis in the case of injecting heroin, and lead to reckless behavior that can cause other harmful consequences such as accidents.

9. Respiratory problems

Drug use causes increased risk of respiratory diseases such as pneumonia.. Side effects of some drugs include chest and lung pain or respiratory depression. In addition, the use of drugs such as tobacco or cocaine can cause serious lung health problems.

10. Anti-social behavior

Drug abuse, as I have already said, causes users to stop practicing activities they previously enjoyed, in addition to having problems at work such as poor performance in their tasks and even quitting or being fired.

In the case of young people, poor performance at school or dropping out of school is a more than obvious manifestation of the consumption of this type of substances. There is also a close relationship between antisocial a close relationship between antisocial disorder and substance use, as concluded in a study by as concluded in a study by Suelves and Sanchez-Turet.

11. Isolation

Isolation can be a direct consequence of drug use. On the one hand, young people may isolate themselves from family or work, and in severe cases such as heroin use, the drug addict may isolate himself socially and even personally, no longer caring about his physical appearance and hygiene. Users may live by and for the drug.

12. Anxiety and insomnia

It is very common for frequent drug users to suffer from anxiety and sleep disturbances. anxiety and sleep disturbances. In fact, some individuals admit that they are unable to go to bed without using marijuana once they get into the habit of using this substance before falling asleep. Drugs such as ecstasy or cocaine can alter the quality of sleep, generating night anxiety or nightmares.

13. Other psychological disorders

Anxiety problems and insomnia are some of the psychological problems that drug users may experience. In other cases, they may also suffer from more serious disorders such as schizophrenia or paranoid more serious disorders such as schizophrenia or paranoid disorder.. Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, which is a brain disorder due to a lack of vitamin B1 (also called thiamine), is often associated with alcoholism.

14. Overdose

Drug use is dangerous and can cause irreparable damage to the health of those who use these substances. There are many cases in which the doses consumed are excessive, causing serious problems for the person. In some cases the overdose can simply cause a bad time, by nausea, vomiting, headache and even hallucinations (depending on the type of psychoactive substance). (depending on the type of psychoactive substance).

15. Death

The symptoms of overdose I have mentioned above are the least serious, but in other situations, overdose can lead to hospitalization, coma and even death.. Data from the Report on the Situation of Drug Addiction in Spain, submitted by the Government Delegation for the National Plan on Drugs to the Joint Congress-Senate Commission, concludes that in Spain there are around 800 deaths each year due to overdose of illegal substances.