Effects of Drug Addiction

Drug abuse is caused when a person indulges in excessive consumption of drugs or chemical substances. When the person continues to indulge in such behavior, even if he faces lot of physical, emotional and social problems, it turns into an addiction. People start taking drugs for variety of reasons, for instance, to escape from problems in life, to get rid of some physical or mental pain or to feel more energetic. Drugs are also prescribed by physicians to patients, after a surgery or to lessen chronic pain. In both these cases, there is a chance of a person getting addicted, if the drug gives instant results.

It is said that, when people take drugs, they feel a sudden rush of energy and also find themselves in a different world where problems cannot reach them. Continuous or regular use of drugs make the body addicted to it, and gives rise to a situation where the person is not able to live without it. The person gets addicted to it in such a way, that nothing else seems to be important.

There are different types of drugs which can lead to addiction. They are cocaine, marijuana, steroids, ecstasy, etc. Each of these drugs have different results for the drug addict and likewise, the effects of these drugs are also varied. However, there are some common effects of addiction that can be found in a drug addict.

Physiological Effects
Substance abuse can have severe effects on the entire body of the person. Physiological effects that are found in the initial stages of addiction are irregular breathing and, increase in heart rate and blood pressure. The person may also experience sudden weight gain or weight loss.

The long term effects of substance abuse are more serious. Some dangerous diseases caused due to drug abuse are brain damage, heart disease, arthritis and lung diseases. It is also one of the reasons for a person getting infected with AIDS, due to sharing of syringes to inject drugs.

Psychological and Social Effects
Once an individual gets into drug abuse, he does not have the power of controlling it. They reach a condition where non-consumption of these drugs make them feel restless, depressed and anxious, increasing their craving for taking more drugs. As drugs are illegal in almost every country, it is quite expensive and is not easily accessible. It has been observed that drug abuse is one of the causes of increased crime rate in the society. People steal, go into prostitution and even sell their homes to make money for buying drugs.
Addiction not only effects the person, but also his family and friends. Drug addicts have the tendency to turn extremely violent, when they are under the spell of drugs. Family members and friends feel helpless as they are not able to do anything to help their loved ones from not taking drugs. It is said to have resulted into breakdown of many families, and addicts may even lose their friends. Significant effect can also be seen on a person's professional life. It happens that the person is not able to concentrate on the job, due to which his performance level goes down, eventually leading him to lose his job.

It is rather difficult to treat a person for addiction, but is not impossible. To start with the treatment, the drug addict must realize that he has a problem which is dangerous not only for himself but, also for the people around him. The person should understand the fact that drugs may give him an immediate relief, but it is a dangerous addiction that can even take away his life.