What Drug Addiction does to you

According to Wikipedia addiction is defined as a biopsychosocial disorder characterised by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences. It means that someone suffering from an addiction might not always be able to exercise control over their actions. They simply must do drugs, no matter the cost. They are willing to stake their career or their relationships with their friends and family in exchange for drugs.

Why is Addiction so complicated?

Modern science reveals that addiction is not just a matter of making the decision to abstain or having the willpower to stay in recovery – but more complex than that. Recent studies prove that addiction re-wires the brain and it takes some work for it to go back to the way it was before. Persistent long-term use of drugs such as MDMA can affect the activity of Serotonin, Dopamine and Norepinephrine in the brain. The resultant changes in the brain over extended periods of time can be dilapidating and difficult to reverse. Furthermore, drug use has been linked to reduced activity in the frontal cortex of the brain that can affect their decision making ability and therefore their chances of recovery. 

Drug Addiction can be Relapsing

The changes in the brain of an individual that is caused by long-term use can make addiction a disease where relapsing or consuming drugs while in a period of recovery is common. A user in recovery may relapse at any point in time during the recovery – it could be a week or a month or after years in recovery. They may need to seek professional help when they relapse to help them get back. Established Rehabs such as Phoenix Rehab would tailor the treatment according to the user and their history.

What happens to a user when they take Drugs?

Drugs can hijack the brain’s reward system and promote unhealthy behaviours that can cause them to constantly seek out and consume drugs. Persistent use can lower the affects of the brain’s reward system and thereby lead a user to consume more drugs to feel the same effects as before – a phenomenon called “Tolerance”. The tolerance to a drug built up over time can lead a user to consume large quantities of the drugs to feel the same high as before and can be devastating to their bodies. Persistent drug use can cause several dilapidating affects in a user. We highlight some of them below:

Mental Health Effects in a User

Drug use is linked to several mental health effects in a user such as euphoria, depression, anxiety, hallucinations, lowered inhibitions and impaired judgement that could lead to risky behaviours. Drug use in teenagers is associated with difficulties in learning, memory retention and recall and overall academic delinquency. Drug use can also prematurely trigger mental health conditions such as Psychosis or Schizophrenia in users that might be predisposed to the conditions. 

Cardiovascular Health

Most drugs can cause increased heart rate and blood pressure in the body. Persistent, long-term drug use in individuals can result in heart diseases such as high blood pressure, irregular heart beat, heart attacks and stroke.

Risk of Adulterated Drugs

Most illegal drugs sold in India are adulterated with other dangerous chemicals to increase their quantity. Most commonly used adulterants include sugar, glucose, baking soda, caffeine, paracetamol, amphetamine, benzocaine, opioids, etc.. Since there is no discernible way to find out the mixture or the toxicity of an illegal drug before consumption, the risk of overdose or dangers of exposure to toxic substances is extremely high.

Drug use during Pregnancy

Drug use during pregnancy can be devastating for the health of both the mother and the unborn child. It can lead to improper development of the foetus and also increase the chance of complications for the mother during child birth.

How can one recover from a Drug Addiction?

Getting structured help from a licensed rehab is the most helpful and time-tested way of recovering from a Drug Addiction. Top rehabs such as Phoenix Rehab will start treatment of drug addiction with detoxification which is the first step in addiction treatment. Detoxification can help the body purge the toxins from the drugs. It also provides the foundation for the preceding treatment that aims to address the physical, emotional, social and spiritual ailments caused by the addiction. To learn more about our treatment for drug addiction, call our counsellor at +91 77999 19293.