In the first part of this series on Substance Abuse, we defined in detail what it really means to “get high” and also noted the increase in rate of teenage substance abuse. In this second part, we will be discussing the possible effects that substance abuse can have on you.
Possible Effects of Substance Abuse
Their harmful effects range from what they can do to your minds to what they can do to your bodies. An obvious effect of mood-altering substances, whether stimulators or depressors (all the above are examples of at least one of them), is dependence and addiction. You might say “well, it is just like water, afterall, no one can do without water, so we are all addicted to water”, but the difference between these mood-altering substances and water is like the difference between light and day (I am sure you can imagine that).
These substances have side effects that the transient benefit of getting high does not in the least bit outweigh at all. Why would you want to destroy your liver or your lungs, hence shortening your meaningful life-span, simply because you want to feel good for some minutes or hours?
Their harmful effects range from what they can do to your minds to what they can do to your bodies.
Another important effect of use of these substances is disorders of the mind like disorders of mood, as well as disorders of perception. These are what are typically referred to as mental health disorders. Mood-altering substances have been conclusively linked with mental health disorders. Some examples of disorders of mood include depression (the severest manifestation of which is suicide), and mania. Examples of disorders of perception include hallucinatory disorders (i.e seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling what others in the same environment are not).
There are also a myriad other examples of mental health disorders that use of these substances predispose you to. One that is worth mentioning because of its close links to marijuana use is the amotivational syndrome (don’t mind the big English). It just means not wanting to do anything at all, including things that you used to like doing, as well as things that could make your life and the lives of others around you better. Imagine that a major cause of this is smoking. Tell me, why should someone then choose to get high and feel good by smoking?
Something has been mentioned about the possible effect they could have on your bodies- like destroying your livers or lungs. Is it not funny that despite the warning on all cigarette packs and advertisements in Nigeria- “The Federal Ministry of Health warns that smokers are liable to die young”, you still find thousands, if not millions of cigarette smokers in Nigeria? It is like consciously seating down on a lit stove without putting on any shorts (you can imagine what would happen even if you were putting on a pair of shorts). Alcohol and cigarette use have been implicated in cancer as well heart disease causation. I hope you see that the benefit of getting high and feeling good derived from using these substances do not in any way, outweigh the risks they pose to your life and health.
The joys of success that you worked for, of targets that you met, of goals achieved, of services rendered to others, of hanging out with your friends and loved ones, of listening to music that you love, of performing arts that you like, perhaps even of gifts you got. All these are living examples of beautiful ways to get high and feel good. You do not need to sniff lizard faeces or smell suck-away pits to feel high.
Another important detriment of these substances is the strain they could put on your finances (I know you will say “but this one is not medical now”, but it can eventually affect you medically, so let me just say one or two things on it quickly). Addiction, by definition, simply means “compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences” (Wikipedia). This implies that even when these substances are draining your money quickly, you go any length (including committing crimes and harming yourselves in other ways) to get them. Isn’t this a terrible way to live?
There are so many positively life-transforming ways to feel good, and even get high, other than resorting to the use of harmful substances that would cause you more of the pain and sorrow that you intended to run from in the first place.
The Seeming Popularity of Substance Abuse
An important question asked earlier is “How can it be so wrong when so many people are doing it?” Let us disregard for some seconds that others are doing it. I am sure you have been able to see that medically speaking, it is not okay to use mood-altering substances because of the effects they would eventually have on both the mind and the body. That said, it is important to note that “Truth is not a popularity contest”. Something is not right or wrong because many people are doing it, or even if seemingly more people are doing it. So that should not even be a consideration. It is simply what it is.
Conclusion
All these lead to another important question- “Is it possible to feel good and get high without using these substances?” You do not even need to give it much thought to realise that the answer is yes! Your experiences already make you realise it. You would recall those times when something happened to you, or you did something and you were extremely happy and elated. The joys of success that you worked for, of targets that you met, of goals achieved, of services rendered to others, of your contributions to the others’ success , of playing and hanging out with your friends and loved ones, of listening to music that you love, of performing arts that you like, perhaps even of gifts you got. All these are living examples of beautiful ways to get high and feel good. You do not need to sniff lizard faeces or smell suck-away pits to feel high.
So, yes! No one wants to feel down. There are so many positively life-transforming ways to feel good, and even get high, other than resorting to the use of harmful substances that would cause you more of the pain and sorrow that you intended to run from in the first place.
