Dangers of Drug Addiction

The dangers of drug addiction all too often ruin lives. Unfortunately, despite the risks associated with drug addiction, large numbers of individuals continue to experiment and regularly use one or several forms of dangerous substances. Being informed about the dangers of drug addiction, the most commonly used drugs and their long-term effects can be useful.

What do you consider to be a drug? Does it have to be illegal? Does it have to be eaten or drunk? Think about your definition. Most experts agree that a drug is any substance that you drink, eat, inject, inhale or otherwise put into your body that changes your brain chemistry and makes you act or feel differently from when you are not taking the substance. A drug is something that is addictive - that is, a user's body can come to depend on the drug in order to feel normal. Within this definition, alcohol is a drug (that's right - beer, wine coolers, whiskey and rum are all drugs), so is crack, heroin and amphetamines (speed). So are prescription drugs (like Valium and Xanax) and also aerosol sprays and glue, when they are inhaled to create a "high."

It's hard to understand why someone you love would keep taking substances with all the known dangers of drug addiction: destroyed health, devastated the families, and putting one's life in jeopardy. The reason lies in the power of addiction. To a substance abuser, the desired drug truly becomes the center of their world. It's more than just the surge of elation and escape that comes with drug use; more, too, than the physical pain that comes with withdrawal from the drug. It's the physical and emotional craving for the drug that comes to control the substance abuser's thinking and emotions, blotting out everything else. Substance abusers may sell their bodies, hurt their families, and endanger their children, if that's what it takes to feed their addiction.

Dangers of Drug Addiction: Mood Altering Drugs
The Stimulants: Cocaine, crack cocaine and meth are mood altering drugs that belong to the "stimulants" drug classification. These stimulants work by increasing neural activity in the brain, causing the user to feel confident and euphoric.

• Cocaine: Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of the cocoa plant and mixed with a variety of other chemicals to form a white powder. The dangers of drug addiction to cocaine are that when it is absorbed by the body, a variety of pleasurable neurochemicals are released into the system. Dopamine, one such chemical, produces such euphoria that a great number of first-time users want to repeat the experience. Cocaine addiction is prevalent due to its highly addictive nature.
  The dangers of drug addiction to cocaine are long-term physical and psychological effects. It is not uncommon to overdose on cocaine when high doses are taken. An overdose of this drug can cause a heart attack or stroke, kidney failure, or brain hemorrhage. Long-term effects may include: depression, aggressive or violent behavior, hallucinations, tumors, sleeplessness, tremors and muscle pain.
• Crack Cocaine: Crack is the name that is given to cocaine that has been processed using baking soda or ammonia and then transformed into a more powerful rock form. It is highly likely that a user will become addicted to the drug after one use. Crack cocaine is generally smoked, but it is possible to inject or snort the drug.
  The dangers of drug addiction to crack cocaine in the long-term include both physical and psychological effects. Crank cocaine can cause severe depression, mood disturbances, aggressive and paranoid behavior, psychosis, heart attack, heart disease, stroke, respiratory failure, brain seizure, sexual dysfunction, reproductive damage and death.
• Methamphetamine: Commonly called speed, meth or chalk, this is an incredibly powerful and addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. The drug can be made quite easily in illegal home laboratories, using inexpensive, over-the-counter ingredients. Methamphetamine is odorless and colorless and is taken orally or smoked.
  The dangers of drug addiction to meth are extreme. The long-term physical and psychological effects include extreme fatigue, increased appetite, mental illness, suicide, hallucinations, aggressive and violent behavior, brain damage, behavior similar to paranoid schizophrenia are related to the use of methamphetamine.

The Dangers of Drug addiction: Depressants

• Heroin: Heroin is processed from morphine which is a naturally occurring substance taken from the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant. On the street heroin is commonly known as skag, H and junk. The drug is usually injected, snorted, or smoked. It is so highly addictive that it is possible to get hooked after just one use.
  What are the long term dangers of drug addiction to heroin? Long-term physical and psychological dangers of heroin include infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, infection of heart lining and valves, arthritis, collapsed veins and abscesses.
• Alcohol: Much time has been spent educating people on the dangers of drug use, but it should not be forgotten that alcohol are also addictive and can have life-threatening side effects. The dangers of drug addiction to alcohol include severe liver damage, often resulting in death. For people who are unable to stop drinking on their own, alcohol rehabilitation may be the only way to quit this potentially fatal habit.

Dangers of Drug Addiction: Club Drugs

The term "club drugs" refers to a number of drugs that are commonly used at all-night parties such as raves and in dance clubs and bars. The most common ones include LSD or Acid and Ecstasy (MDMA). These drugs are no less dangerous than cocaine and heroin, and often have the same destructive effects.

• LSD: Also known as tabs, trips or sugar cubes, LSD is the most commonly used hallucinogen and one of the most powerful mood and behavior altering chemicals on the market. LSD is usually found on blotter paper and taken orally.
  What are the long term dangers of drug addiction to LSD? The long-term physical and psychological effects of LSD include: most chronic users of LSD experience intense flashbacks after prolonged exposure to the drug. In addition, the user may see trails of light or color even when not using the drug. The drug has the ability to significantly increase heart rate and can cause damage to their heart.
• Ecstasy: Also known as E, Roll and X, ecstasy is a synthetic drug with amphetamine and hallucinogenic-like properties. The drug is officially classified as a stimulant and can be taken in pill form.
  The long-term physical and psychological dangers of drug addiction to ecstasy include: sleeplessness, depression, and anxiety. Repeated use of the drug will eventually damage or destroy the cells that produce serotonin which helps to regulate mood, appetite, pain, learning and memory.