Drug consumption affects various parts of your body. Despite the known potential mental, physical, and psychological consequences, many still use substances. Many reports indicate that millions of people in the US aged 12 years and above engage in illicit drug use every month. While drug use can harm your body in various ways, seeking early treatment helps prevent these dangers. Atlanta Detox Center can provide useful drug addiction treatment programs to mitigate drug abuse effects on your body.
Physical Effects of Drug Use
Drug abuse can change your physical appearance. Some drugs reduce your appetite, causing eating problems. When you do not eat, your body can become unhealthy and thin.
For example, users of meth lose skin luster and elasticity, making them look older. You can also develop meth mouth, whereby your teeth rot and break. The drug dries the salivary glands, causing you to develop teeth grinding. Users focus on looking for more drugs, forgetting their self-care routine.
Most other drugs can damage your liver, reducing your ability to fight infections. As such, you can experience an irregular heart-beat, increased body temperature, and stroke.
In the worst cases, drug use can cause permanent physical damage.
Developing Drug Tolerance
When you start using drugs, there is a likelihood of becoming tolerant. It means your body gets used to a certain amount of the drug, forcing you to consume more for the desired high. While some may interpret this as acceptance of the drug in the body, it means the body parts that resist these chemicals have become dysfunctional. Tolerance is both dangerous and expensive, as it forces you to look for more drugs, thus straining your finances.
Drugs can affect how you react to particular situations. They can alter the way you make decisions, increasing unsafe behaviors. For example, those with substance use disorders can engage in risky behaviors like driving while intoxicated, stealing to get money for drugs, and having unsafe sex. Drug abuse can expose you to diseases like HIV and hepatitis C, especially when you share syringes. If you are at this stage, start your recovery journey through drug addiction treatment in rehab.
How the Use of Drugs Affects Your Brain
Drugs have chemicals that affect your brain. They impact its reward system by releasing dopamine in large quantities, causing euphoria or pleasure. The extreme sensation causes the user to continue with the habit, and after long-term use, the brain experiences permanent changes.
At some point, your brain cannot release a substantial amount of dopamine without drugs. At this phase, you will start struggling with anxiety and depression.
There are other ways in which long-term drug abuse impacts your brain, such as:
- Altering how the brain perceives pleasure
- Impairing its cognitive function
- Memory changes
- Altering brain connections
- Killing some brain cells
Why Choose a Drug Addiction Treatment Program?
Some people try to quit drug use without a medically-assisted program. The move is risky because of the severe withdrawal symptoms you can experience—most people who do not find professional treatment relapse due to the inability to cope with uncomfortable feelings.
Doctors, nurses, therapists, and psychologists understand what withdrawal entails. Some of these symptoms are life-threatening, but your service providers will monitor you to keep your condition stable.
There are many proven therapy programs you can expect at a rehab center, including:
A combination of these programs can help your body overcome the effects of drug abuse.
Overcome the Effects of Drug Abuse
Drug abuse can affect your body in several ways. If you do not want to experience substance use disorders’ fatal consequences, seek professional assistance through drug addiction treatment. Contact Atlanta Detox Center at 844-658-0927 today to start your recovery journey.