WHY PEOPLE USE DRUGS?
🟣Causes of Substance Use Disorders
The cause of substance use disorder s is still unknown, though genetics are thought to account for 40% to 60% of a person’s risk. Substance use often starts as a way to feel good or out of curiosity in childhood or early adolescence.
Repeated use of the substance and increased tolerance pave the way to substance use disorder and addiction. Some adults who develop a substance use disorder have a co-occurring mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, or bi-polar disorder, and begin using drugs or alcohol to cope with their symptoms. Other risk factors that may lead to a substance use disorder include:
- Family history of addiction
- Sleep problems
- Chronic pain
- Financial difficulties
- Divorce or the loss of a loved ones .
- Long-term tobacco habit
- Tense home environment
- Lack of parental attachment in childhood
- Relationship issues.
- Peer pressure.
- Trauma or abuse.
- Mental Illness.
- Low self-esteem.
- Poverty.
- Stress.
Read More: Drug Addiction and Its Symptoms
🟣THE EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE:
Different drugs have different effects, some drug effects are on Health, some are on Brain & and some drug effects are on behavior.
THE EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE ON HEALTH:
Substance use disorders are associated with a wide range of short- and long-term health effects. They can vary depending on the type of drug, how much and how often it’s taken and the person’s general health. They can impact almost every organ in the human body.
Side effects of drug addiction may include:
▫️A weakened immune system, increasing the risk of illness and infection.
▫️Heart conditions ranging from abnormal heart rates to heart attacks and collapsed veins and blood vessel infections from injected drugs.
▫️Nausea and abdominal pain, which can also lead to changes in appetite and weight loss
▫️Increased strain on the liver, which puts the person at risk of significant liver damage or liver failure
▫️Seizures, stroke, mental confusion and brain damage
▫️Lung disease
▫️Problems with memory, attention and decision-making, which make daily living more difficult
▫️Global effects of drugs on the body, such as breast development in men and increases in body temperature, which can lead to other health problems.
THE EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE ON BRAIN:
Alcohol can have short- and long-term effects on the brain and disrupts the brain’s communication pathways.
▫️These can influence mood, behavior and other cognitive function. Problems with memory, attention and decision-making, which make daily living more difficult.
▫️Brain damage may also occur through alcohol-induced nutrition deficiencies, alcohol-induced Seizures, stroke, mental confusion, brain damage and liver disease.
▫️In pregnant women, alcohol exposure can impact the brains of unborn babies, resulting in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
DRUG EFFECTS ON BEHAVIOR:
Substance use disorders can lead to multiple behavioral problems, both in the short- and long-term, which can include:
- PARANOIA
- AGGRESSIVENESS
- HALLUCINATIONS
- ADDICTION
- IMPAIRED JUDGMENT
- IMPULSIVENESS
- LOSS OF SELF-CONTROL
These effects of drug abuse have serious consequences, like missed work, punishable offenses, accidents and injuries. These incidents include domestic violence, driving while intoxicated and offenses related to damaged property.
