Listing the Health Concerns of Drug Use, Abuse and Addiction

Learn about the risks and general concerns of drug abuse and the chemistry between the brain and addiction.

Using drugs might seem harmless, especially if you know people who use drugs and don’t appear to suffer any consequences. The truth is that drug use can present a wide range of risks and dangers, and staying informed can be an important first step to staying safe.

TheSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA) reports that in 2013, 24.6 million (or 9.4 percent) people aged 12 or older in the United States had used illegal drugs in the past month. Of them,SAMHSAfound, 6.9 million were drug-dependent or abusing drugs. They also found:

Misuse of drugs and alcohol caused nearly 2.5 million emergency room visits in 2011,SAMHSAreports. TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) found that 43,982 people died of drug overdose in 2013, and theCDCalso found that over double that number – about 88,000 – die from excessive alcohol consumption each year.

Overdose isn’t the only risk associated with drug use – drugs can also impact your physical, psychological, and behavioral health in a wide variety of ways.

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Risks of drug use

Although the risk of addiction exists for any drug user, most people who use drugs successfully avoid becoming addicted. However, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t taking other risks when trying drugs.

The method of use may carry a range of inherent health risks:

Drinking

Drinking alcohol greatly increases the risk of developing cancers of the digestive tract.

Edibles

Edible marijuanamay come in much higher doses than inexperienced or casual users are accustomed to, resulting in emergency room visits related to excessive use. Edible marijuana also often takes the form of candies, chocolates, pastries, or other foods that are desirable to children. A study inJama Pediatricsfound that Colorado’s decriminalization of medical marijuana resulted in a spike of children admitted to emergency departments. TheDenver Postreports that the subsequent legalization of marijuana in Colorado caused the rate of children admitted to the Children’s Hospital Colorado for accidentally eating marijuana to roughly double from decriminalization levels.

Snorting

Snorting drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, or heroin can cause irritation and inflammation of the soft tissues of the nose, especially if impurities are present in the drug. This can cause tissue damage and can even result in the nasal septum (the wall between the two sides of the nose) becoming perforated. Other effects include:

Smoking

Smoking marijuana exposes the user to carbon monoxide, tar, and ash. Over time, these accumulate in the lungs and can cause:

Smoking tobacco opens the user to all these risks, as well as the risk of cancer.

Injecting

Injecting drugs like heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamine opens up the user to a number of dangers, including:

Many drugs loosen inhibitions, impair judgment, or impair coordination and reflexes. This can cause:

Overdose can manifest in a variety of ways depending on the type of drug used:

General health concerns of drug abuse

Physical concerns

Psychological concerns

Behavioral concerns

Addiction and the brain

Drugs can work in one of two ways: by mimicking the effects of one of the brain’s own signaling chemicals, or by causing nerve cells in the brain to release extra signaling chemicals. Either way, the receptors for these chemicals get flooded with signals. In the case of chemicals that signal pleasurable feelings – such as dopamine, serotonin, endorphin, or endocannabinoid – this flood produces a euphoric rush or high.

To defend themselves against this onslaught, the brain’s nerve cells will reduce the number of receptors they have for the signaling chemicals, quieting the incoming signal. This means that, without the drugs, levels of the signal become too low for the brain to function properly. The result can be a crash, hangover, or, when the user has become dependent on the drug in order to function, full-blown withdrawal symptoms. Over time, the rewarding effects of the drug become lower, and eventually, the user winds up using drugs simply in order to stave off the effects of withdrawal rather than for the high they once felt.

A review of research in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesfound that people who are addicted to drugs show a substantially reduced dopamine response to drug use. However, they have an increased dopamine response in the reward pathway when exposed to cues associated with drugs, which in turn predicts the strength of drug cravings. They also have lower levels of dopamine receptors in the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus, which are associated with self-control and inhibition.

Concerns of drug use, abuse, and addiction by drug

Alcohol

Alcoholcan be safe to consume in moderation, but heavy drinking over time can cause:

Alcohol also remains, by far, the most common date-rape drug.Brown Universityreports that 90 percent of all campus rapes occur when the assailant or the victim has used alcohol.

Barbiturates

Barbituratessuch as phenobarbital, if used in the long-term, can cause:

Bath salts

Bath salts(cathinones)include mephedrone, methylone, and MDPV, as well as many others. They may be sold as ecstasy (MDMA or “Molly”) due to their chemical similarities to the drug. Their use can cause:

The long-term effects of bath salts are not yet fully understood, butNIDAreports that their addictive potential may be as high as methamphetamine’s.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepinesinclude Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, and Valium. Long-term use of benzodiazepines can cause:

Cocaine

Cocaineposes risks when used in a binge pattern, and its abuse may lead to:

Heavy cocaine users are at risk for experiencing acute, severe paranoia, losing touch with reality, and falling into a temporary state of psychosis.

Cough Medicine

Cough medicine (DXM)is safe to use as directed, but in high doses can cause:

Cough medicines may also be dangerous to use in high doses because of their other ingredients, such as:

Ecstacy

Ecstasy (MDMA)abuse can cause:

GHB

GHBabuse can cause:

Since GHB is odorless and tasteless and can produce inhibition and unconsciousness, it can be used as a date-rape drug.

Heroin/opiates

Heroin and prescription opiatesslow the heart and breathing. They include codeine, morphine, Vicodin (hydrocodone), Percocet/OxyContin (oxycodone), Dilaudid (hydromorphone), and Demerol (meperidine). Although prescription opiates are safe to use as a doctor prescribes, using them in higher doses or more frequently can be dangerous, risking coma or death.

Inhalants

K2/spice

K2/Spice, also known as “fake weed,” is sold as a legal alternative to marijuana. However, it can contain a wide range of cannabinoid-like compounds with unreliable effects. Acute problems from spice use can include:

The long-term effects of spice are not yet known.

Ketamine

Ketamineabuse over time can cause:

Marijuana

Marijuana (cannabis)abuse is associated with increased risk of:

PCP

PCPabuse can cause:

Prescription stimulants

Prescription stimulantsinclude amphetamine (Adderall, Dexedrine) and methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta). Although these drugs can be used safely under a doctor’s guidance, their use is considered abuse if they are used more frequently or in higher doses than a doctor recommends, or are used without a prescription. Abuse of prescription stimulants can cause:

Psychedelics

Psychedelicsinclude LSD, magic mushrooms (psilocybin), peyote cactus (mescaline), andayahuasca(DMT), as well as a wide range of newer synthetic drugs. Long-term health consequences of using psychedelics can include:

Speed

Speedabuse can cause:

Steroids

Steroids, specifically androgenic anabolic steroids, can cause:

  • Additional effects for males:
    • Baldness
    • Shrunken testicles
    • Reduced sperm count
    • Infertility
    • Increased risk for prostate cancer
    • Development of breasts
  • Additional effects for females:
    • Growth of facial and body hair
    • Baldness
    • Altered or stopped menstrual cycle
    • Enlarged clitoris
    • Deeper voice

Tobacco

Tobaccois inherently carcinogenic, apart from the carcinogens produced by smoking it. Use of smokeless tobacco, such as e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or snuff, is still associated with:

Drugs and pregnancy

When a pregnant woman uses drugs, so does the developing fetus. If the drugs are addictive, whether legal or illegal, then the child can be born addicted to them. If medical professionals do not manage this condition properly, then the child can experience neonatal abstinence syndrome, or neonatal withdrawal. This includes the same withdrawal symptoms that an adult would experience, which can be much more severe in a newborn.

Use of drugs while pregnant can also cause a variety of effects.

Alcohol

Tobacco

Marijuana

Cocaine

Methamphetamine

Heroin

Getting help for addiction

Drug abuse can take a terrible toll on the body, and we want to help you or your loved one get clean quickly and safely. Using our progressive, specialized treatment plans, we’ll guide you on the path to rebuilding a new, drug-free life. Call us today to speak to our trained intake specialists to learn more about what we can do for you.