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Home/Opiate Addiction/5 Most Common Long Term Drug Addiction Side Effects and How to Deal With Them

5 Most Common Long Term Drug Addiction Side Effects and How to Deal With Them

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After hearing the word “drug,” you undoubtedly get some anxious thoughts because it is more popular among the addicted people. Well, a drug is a chemical composition that is mostly used in allopathic medicines to cure several diseases.

Now, you must be wondering then why it is deemed as a bad thing? This is the common query that comes to people’s mind.

Drugs, when used repeatedly become an addiction and provide ill-effects. Here, we are throwing light on the highly abused drugs, their side effects and how you can prevent yourself or your loved ones from this bad habit.

Table of Contents

  • 1 1. Cannabis (Marijuana)
  • 2 2. Cocaine
  • 3 3. Heroin
  • 4 4. Amphetamines/Methamphetamines
  • 5 5. Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids

1. Cannabis (Marijuana)

You have heard about its benefits in treating cancer or depression and numerous researches have been conducted in relation to this issue. However, have you wondered why it is still not used in global medicine?

Because it has more side-effects than benefits. Only a few states within the U.S. use marijuana to treat particular medical conditions. It is the most common drug among teenagers. After evaluating some teens, it has been recorded that they take a risk to have a reduced IQ level in adulthood. People will experience these effects of drug abuse on their mental and physical health.

Side Effects

  • It harms our lungs, enhances the heartbeat rate and increases the risk of psychosis.

  • Cannabis can result in schizophrenia as it contracts the size of the brain’s striatum and thalamus areas.

  • Other brain areas that are affected by marijuana can cause psychosis, depression, and suicidal ideation.

2. Cocaine

A majorly abused drugs, also referred as Coke, which is a strong stimulant. It is a recreational drug effect that changes the current mental health. The use of coke is costly and illegal all over the world, however, some people can afford it.

Side Effects

  • Drug addicts face issue with their respiratory system, central nervous system, digestive system, and heart.

  • Some of the adverse effects of cocaine include bizarre behavior, constricted blood vessels, violent mood swings, anxiety, paranoia, panic, heart attack, stroke, tremors, seizures, coma, and death.

3. Heroin

It is the most popular opioid drug abused all over the world, produced from the poppy plant. Now, let’s check how do drugs affect the body.

Side Effects

  • Excessive use of heroin can result in heart and respiratory depression, sleep problems, malnutrition, muscle and bone pain, weight loss, a weakened immune system, liver or kidney damage and heart valves infection.

  • It affects the psychology of a person with anxiety, restlessness, delusions, hostility, mood swings, and memory loss.

4. Amphetamines/Methamphetamines

The most popular drugs that are potent stimulants which generate feelings of awareness and euphoria.

Side Effects

It has severe effects including brain function impairment, psychosis, convulsions, heart problems, malnutrition, rapid speech, increased body temperature, elevated respiration and blood pressure, seizures and depression.

5. Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids

These steroids are basically a synthetic creation of testosterone, the male sex hormone. It enters the brain and transformed into morphine and attach to opioid receptors. These are usually used to develop muscle mass and improve athletic performance and appearance.

Side Effects

  • These steroids can influence brain chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, and opioid systems and alter brain pathways and

  • Initially, the behaviour and mood get dramatically affected, and severe effects of steroid abuse can cause liver and heart disease, stroke, infectious diseases, depression, and suicide.

How to Overcome the Side-effects?

You may think that leaving an addiction is like a rocket-science, but trust us it is not. You need self-determination and a proper guide to quit this bad habit. Here, we have jotted down some important points that will help you in getting rid of drug addiction. Effects of drugs on the body are deterring hence, if you are really serious to overcome it, then embrace these tips in your lifestyle.

  • Self-determination – Initially, you have to be determined about quitting this habit. Flush off all the remaining doses and paste some self-motivational quotes on the wall of your room. Always keep in mind that nobody can help you, only you can.

  • Engage Yourself – To distract your thoughts, dig yourself into work. This helps in distracting you from the uneasiness which you will experience after quitting a drug. Never sit alone for at least 01 months. It has been researched that an addiction develops in 22 days and to get rid of it of the same, you have to skip the use for minimum 22 days.

  • Surround Yourself with Good Friends – Peer-pressure is the major issue of developing this self-destructive habit. Good friend motivates, encourages you to maintain the spirit instead bad friend drags you to the same point. Hence, avoid spending time with your friends who are into these habits and surround yourself with positive people.

  • Change Lifestyle – Keep your surroundings clean and hygienic. Revamp the interior of your house. It may be difficult but always keep the quotes of Robin Sharma in mind,

“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.”

Change helps you in forgetting the mistakes that you have committed in the past. It helps you to start all over again. Thus, embrace change.

  • Eat Healthy & Drink Plenty Water– Intake of plenty of water and eating healthy food helps in reducing the effect of drugs and you will be able to overcome the issues effectively in less time.

  • Exercise- Workout offers flexibility to your body and flush of the toxins. You don’t need to spend too much time, but a fixed quality time is enough.

If you follow the tips, you will be surely able to live a healthy life. So, start implementing these tips in your life to experience the benefits.

Is the article up to your expectation? Share your feedback in the comment section.

Written by:
Robert Everett
Published on:
June 10, 2017
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