Going Low For A High: The Dangers of Drug Abuse
Our bodies are all we’ve got. As such, it’s important to take extra caution in ensuring that we don’t get sick or break down. That includes eating healthy, exercising, and developing other healthful habits that keep us strong and energetic. We do all that because we realize that we can’t enjoy life in frail bodies.
However, no matter how much we try to stay healthy, we can fall ill out of nowhere. Sometimes, it’s due to stress, and other times, it may be the weather or an accident or something that we aren’t totally in control of. The good news is that with proper health care and, of course, some drugs, we can get better in no time.
More important than taking drugs, though, is taking them in the right dosage. When we abuse them, we are setting ourselves up for worse health challenges in the long term. What are the consequences of drug abuse, and what can we do to remedy it? We’d discuss all that in this article—and more.
What’s Drug Abuse?
Medical professionals have another name for drug abuse. It’s called Substance Use Disorder or Addiction. Those terms refer to situations where a person uses drugs inappropriately for extended periods, such that it begins to affect their health adversely. According to Mayo Clinic, it’s a “disease that affects a person’s brain and behaviour and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication.”
Drug abuse usually starts when persons gain access to drugs that make them feel good or create some effect in them that they love. Subsequently, they continue using the drugs to make them high. With continuous drug abuse comes the need to increase the doses to keep them feeling good. That’s because the brain can become desensitized to the abused drug and require more amounts to produce the intended effect. With time, they can no longer stop using the drugs despite the negative effects it begins to have on them.
The first stage of drug abuse is the experimental stage, where users take drugs for recreation or fun. Next is the regular use stage, where users experience changing behaviours and continuously take the drugs to improve their moods. In the third stage (the risky use stage), users no longer care about their lives outside the drugs. Finally, in the fourth stage (the dependence stage), users are addicted to the drugs.
What To Expect When You Abuse Drugs
Generally, drugs are chemical compounds that affect their user’s bodies and minds in one way or another. These side-effects occur even when used properly and according to a doctor’s prescription. They can either be short-term or long-term, depending on the individual, dosage, method of delivery, and the type of drug.
However, with drug abuse, the user experiences additional side-effects with much more severity than intended. Some of the consequences of drug abuse include:
● Psychological, Social, and Behavioral Problems
Most of the significantly common effects of drug abuse are psychological. That’s because continued drug use in high amounts can alter the user’s brain functions and cause mental problems to the victim. Typical consequences of chronic drug abuse include anxiety, depression, panic disorders, paranoia, aggression, and hallucinations.
Drug abuse can also cause memory and concentration problems and lead to poor academic performances. Many patients experience extreme weight loss, and others find that they can no longer maintain social interactions and relationships.
● Respiratory Problems
Besides injecting them, people generally abuse drugs is by inhaling or smoking them. That can lead to serious respiratory problems and slow the person’s breathing. They can affect the lungs and cause lung cancer, too.
● Kidney Damage
The kidney is an extremely vital organ in the human body. It helps to filter the blood to remove wastes and toxins from our bodies. It also maintains overall fluid balance.
Drug abuse can stress and overwhelm the kidneys and make them unable to do their jobs. That can lead to kidney failure or damage. When this happens, users may require dialysis or kidney transplants.
● Cardiovascular Diseases
Drug abuse can lead to severe heart problems. Most drug abuse-related cardiac issues include increased blood pressure and heart rates. They can also increase blood fat, thicken blood vessels, cause coronary heart diseases and heart failure.
● Death
The effects of drug abuse can be life-threatening and fatal. This can happen due to more complications arising from the consequences mentioned above. Depending on the individual, the type of drug, and the length of exposure, drug overdose can cause organ failures and make users lose consciousness. Complications can arise during a coma and lead to death.
The Most Commonly Abused Drugs in Nigeria
According to research reported by Premium Times Newspapers in 2019, about 14.3 million Nigerians were said to be drug abusers. The most commonly abused drugs in Nigeria and worldwide include:
● Prescription Drugs
Prescription drug abuse happens when patients take drugs prescribed to them for reasons and in ways contrary to the doctor’s advice. Other times, users take drugs prescribed to other patients.
● Alcohol
Alcohol is a commonly abused substance in Nigeria.
● Depressants
Depressants help make patients feel relaxed, relieved, and sleepy. They are among the most commonly abused drugs worldwide.
● Opioids and Narcotics
These help to relieve pain. The most commonly abused opioids and narcotics are heroin, morphine, tramadol, etc
● Club Drugs
These are psychoactive drugs commonly used by teenagers and young adults in clubs, bars, and parties. Common examples are ketamine and GHB (Gamma hydroxybutyrate).
How To Cure Drug Addiction
Drug abuse can be treated through detoxification, medication-assisted therapies, and cognitive-behavioural therapy or psychotherapy. Detoxification mandates that the user stops taking the abused drugs. However, because there is already over-dependency on the drugs, they’d need supervision to do that.
Medication-assisted therapy uses medicines to manage withdrawal symptoms. On the other hand, behavioural therapies and psychotherapy effectively treat the psychological effects of drug abuse. Treatment is tailored to suit each user’s need, and there’s no one-size-fits-all treatment for patients.
The effects of drug abuse are far-reaching and more disastrous than they’re helpful. They are evident in every part of our bodies and adversely affect every area of our lives. Although there are some effective treatment approaches for drug abuse, preventing substance abuse is always the best way to go.
Medical personnel and other stakeholders must intensify efforts towards drug abuse awareness programs and other preventive measures. We can end the drug abuse culture and create a healthier society when we all work together.
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