Know the Risks of Using Drugs

Purposeful overdoses are for a desired effect, either to get high or to harm oneself. There’s no cure, but treatment can help you stop using drugs and stay drug-free. The drugs that may be addictive target your brain’s reward system.

Addiction can significantly impact your health, relationships and overall quality of life. It’s crucial to seek help as soon as you develop signs of addiction. Brain damage may also occur through alcohol-induced nutrition deficiencies, alcohol-induced seizures and liver disease. In pregnant women, alcohol exposure can impact the brains of unborn babies, resulting in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. In an opioid overdose, a medicine called naloxone can be given by emergency responders, or in some states, by anyone who witnesses an overdose.

Effects of Drug Misuse and Addiction

As children transition into adulthood they are still strongly affected by their parents as their parents are by them. One of the factors that can perpetuate SUDs is the enabling that family members frequently engage in. Enabling is a form of accommodation that protects the individual with the SUD from fully experiencing the consequences of his or her substance use. An example of enabling is when the parents of a 25-year-old man repeatedly bail him out of jail and pay for lawyer and court fees generated as a result of drug-related arrests.

• Young children may swallow drugs by accident because of their curiosity about medications they may find.
• The goal of detoxification, also called “detox” or withdrawal therapy, is to enable you to stop taking the addicting drug as quickly and safely as possible.
• Substituted cathinones, also called “bath salts,” are mind-altering (psychoactive) substances similar to amphetamines such as ecstasy (MDMA) and cocaine.
• Social workers have opportunities to intervene and change the trajectory of these potential problems at many junctions.
• Signs and symptoms of drug use or intoxication may vary, depending on the type of drug.

Although there’s no cure for drug addiction, treatment options can help you overcome an addiction and stay drug-free. Your treatment depends on the drug used and any related medical or mental health disorders you may have. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 1 in 10 U.S. adults have dealt with drug misuse at some point in their lives. That’s over 27 million people facing the health risks of substance use disorders, or addiction. It may be done by family and friends in consultation with a health care provider or mental health professional such as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, or directed by an intervention professional. It involves family and friends and sometimes co-workers, clergy or others who care about the person struggling with addiction.

Effects of Drug Addiction (Physical and Psychological)

Although personal events and cultural factors affect drug use trends, when young people view drug use as harmful, they tend to decrease their drug taking. Therefore, education and outreach are key in helping people understand the possible risks of drug use. Teachers, parents, and health care providers have crucial roles in educating young people and preventing drug use and addiction. Many people don’t understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to.

These children may have difficulty with attention and concentration due to increased anxiety levels related to a chaotic home environment. Unstructured bedtimes and mealtimes as well as witnessing domestic violence and safety issues what is drug addiction all contribute to an increase in learning problems and behavioral problems for these children at school. It is difficult for children to focus on higher order thinking and learning when basic survival needs are not met.