12 consequences of drug use (in humans)

Psychoactive substances have been used since the beginning of human history. Already in prehistoric times, alcohol was drunk or hallucinogenic mushrooms were drunk, and there is evidence that in the ancient world substances such as opium, tobacco or cocaine were taken.

Obviously the consumption of some of these substances was evolving, and today there are already synthetic substances generated in more or less clandestine laboratories. We are not saying that taking drugs is something new, but it is essential to talk about its negative impact on our body. In this article we will see the negative consequences that drug use has on human beings.

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The 12 negative consequences of taking drugs for health

Drugs are substances that alter our mind to a greater or lesser degree and generally temporarily. Most people end up consuming them by experimenting to experience their stimulating, relaxing, hallucinogenic or pleasant effects, but they have serious side effects.

In this article we are going to see the worst consequences of drug use that can occur. While people may turn to drugs for recreational purposes, they should never forget the extremely dangerous damage they can cause. The health of our organism, our social sphere and our own individual functioning could be seriously damaged.

1. Addiction

There are drugs that generate a high addiction in few doses and others in which it is not so, but drugs by definition are substances that create addiction.

The degree of addiction between people towards a substance is variable and the awareness of it also. There are people who are very hooked and what they most wish in the world is not to have the need to consume the substance in question, while others feel that they are only experimenting.

In this sense, unpredictability due to individual differences can also play a role, but taking risks can have a very high price; thousands of people have ruined their lives for it.

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2. They don't fix problems, they make them worse

People who use drugs may have different reasons for doing so. One of the most shared, whether in a more or less conscious way, is that drugs help a person to mentally escape.

Drugs do is that the mental state of a person is altered and ends up having a perception of the different reality. Generally, part of the functions of the prefrontal cortex of the brain are inhibited, which makes the person become more carefree and can enjoy the moment more.

But this pleasure is fleeting and deceptive. The privilege of disconnecting has a price, which is the return to reality once the effect of the drug has worn off. It can be especially hard if under the influence of drugs we have neglected or made things worse, beyond which we can feel bad.

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3. Altered mood

Finding ourselves psychologically bad after taking drugs is common, as opposed to the well-being we felt while under the influence of them. Both in the short and long term, a person's emotional balance can be seriously upset, leading to an unstable mood. Irritability and aggressiveness can alternate with relaxation in an unexpected way for those who do not know their consumption habits.

4. Neurological sequelae

Psychoactive substances cause effects that alter the perception of reality because they cause chemical imbalances at the brain level. Different neurotransmitters have their functioning mechanisms altered, and this can have neurological sequelae both in the short and long term. There are losses of cognitive abilities that are reversible, while others are irreversible.

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5. Behavioral disorders

The negative effects at the cognitive level can be such that the person can develop psychological problems related to conduct disorders. There are different manifestations and in fact classifications, with antisocial behavior disorder, oppositional disorder and impulse control disorder being the most representative. The common denominator is that the person is unable to behave non-impulsively.

6. Family and social problems

When a person develops addictions or neurological or psychological disorders, their way of relating is seriously or very seriously affected. At the family level, it is almost impossible that problems do not appear, since it is the closest ones who suffer most closely from the problems that the drug brings with it.

At the social level, problems can initially go unnoticed, although they always end up coming out. What can happen is that a social circle of the consumer is precisely motivating the taking of the psychoactive substance. Relationships with friends from other non-consumer groups are damaged in these cases.

7. Isolation

The person who begins to develop a habitual drug use sees how her habits are negatively conditioned. Little by little everything begins to revolve around the availability or not to consume the substance in certain contexts. In serious cases, family members and certain friends or places allow themselves to be visited, and the person is capable of being physically neglected, and hygiene can be neglected. Drugs are what people think about the most.

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8. Development of mental illness

In addition to conduct disorders, people who abuse substances can develop more serious illnesses such as schizophrenia. Certain cognitive functions with special personalities, as in the case of people with a paranoid tendency, can develop related disorders. Another example is Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a disease caused by alcoholism.

9. Immunosuppression

Drugs throw the body out of control. The signs of hunger, tiredness, etc. they are completely altered, and usually delayed to when they should appear.

This causes the body of the person taking drugs to push itself further. In this way, they are more prone to colds and to suffer infections of all kinds more frequently than the general population.

On the other hand, there is a much higher rate of transmission of severe diseases such as AIDS or hepatitis in the cases in which syringes are used as in the case of heroin.

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10. Early aging

Another side effect of pushing the body to the limit is that it ages more quickly. Many drugs such as tobacco contain substances that generate free radicals, molecules that alter the cellular structure of our tissues.

The skin and hair can look older if we consume substances, in addition to the features of the face can be seen much more pronounced.

As sleep disturbances also appear, the person who takes drugs is generally more deprived of it. If the amount and quantity of sleep is affected, so is our body's ability to regenerate itself.

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11. Problems in pregnancy

Women who are pregnant should avoid drug use at all costs. Substances such as tobacco or alcohol have a very serious and irreversible effect on the fetus. A minimum amount of safety could not be established, so a glass of wine can be harmful. Other hard substances can give the newborn withdrawal syndrome, starting the adventure that is life very badly.

12. Overdose

Substances like alcohol can cause death due to an ethyl coma, despite being a drug considered soft and legal. While there are substances like marijuana with which it is almost impossible to die from an overdose, with other illegal drugs things can look really bad.

The fact that they are not regulated can give us a trick that can cost us our lives. Not knowing the strengths of the acquired dose, you may be taking three times the amount you should be.

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Bibliographic references

• Crocq, M.A. (2003). Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and mental disorders. Dialogues Clin Neurosci, 5 (2), 175–185.

• Fox, T.P., Oliver, G. and Ellis, S.M. (2013). The Destructive Capacity of Drug Abuse: An Overview Exploring the Harmful Potential of Drug Abuse Both to the Individual and to Society. ISRN Addiction, 1–6.

• Tupper, K.W. (2012). Psychoactive substances and the English language: "Drugs," discourses, and public policy. Contemporary Drug Problems, 39 (3), 461–492.