What Are the Side Effects of Drug Abuse?

Before diving into the numerous ways drug abuse affects your life physically, mentally, emotionally, and collaterally, let’s first understand the difference between drug abuse and drug addiction.

Drug Abuse vs. Addiction

Abuse

Drug abuse is the intentional misuse of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, or illegal drugs. This also includes intentionally inhaling household or industrial chemicals. The term can also be used to describe occasional excessive alcohol use, but more often that is simply referred to as alcohol abuse.

When a person begins to use drugs for more than their intended use and it starts to affect aspects of their daily life and obligations, it becomes drug abuse.

blurry photo of man seemingly high and smoking smothing.

Drug use can lead to neglect, physical danger, loss of custody, and generational drug use.

Addiction

Many addictive drugs cause your body to build a tolerance, requiring you to take more and more to achieve the same results. Because of this, drug abuse can quickly turn into drug addiction.

Addiction actually creates physical changes in your brain chemistry and is known as a long-term brain disorder. It is, therefore, more accurately diagnosed as a substance use disorder.

Once a person is at the point of a substance use disorder, they are no longer in control. They are entirely dependent on the drug or alcohol and the cravings are both mental and physical. Despite understanding the negative consequences, they continue to seek out the drug.

However, it should be noted that not everyone who abuses drugs will develop a substance use disorder.

What Are the Side Effects of Drug Abuse?

You hear it said time and time again when you abuse drugs you are not just hurting yourself, but also the people who love and care about you. If you’ve ever known someone who misused drugs, especially to the point of addiction, you may have witnessed firsthand how far the ripples of their substance abuse extend.

drop of water creating a ripple effect.

Legal and illegal drug abuse can have a ripple affect on many areas of your life.

Substance abuse and addiction have a myriad of effects on your life, your body, and your family. Physical effects on your body will depend on specific factors like what type of drug you are using. However, the broad effects of drug use and addiction that occur irrespective of the details are:

Effects of drug abuse

  • Cause cravings, feeling like you have to use it daily or even multiple times per day
  • Strain your relationships with your family, friends, and co-workers
  • Affect your finances
  • Cause legal troubles
  • Decrease professional or academic performance
  • Make it difficult to maintain personal hygiene and physical appearance
  • Increase impulsivity and risky behaviors
  • Cause a loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities

The effects of drug abuse can truly be devastating and all-encompassing.

Short- and Long-term Effects on the Body

Effects of drug abuse on the body differ based on the type of drug, how much and how many drugs are used, how often, and if you have any other existing health conditions.

Long-term use of drugs causes long-term health effects. Particularly, it can alter the brain’s structure and how it processes and functions.

Whether you’re suffering from chronic drug abuse, recreationally misusing a prescription drug, or occasionally partaking in illicit drugs, there are numerous physical and mental health effects. These are some of the short- and long-term symptoms you may experience:

Short Term

  • Changes in appetite
  • Significant weight loss
  • Sleeplessness or insomnia
  • Increased activity and wakefulness
  • Slurred speech
  • Difficulty in decision making
  • Euphoria/Rush
  • Loss of coordination
  • Rapid or irregular heart rate
  • Mood swings
    person with a blanket wrapped around them that reads HELP and another man leaning on them looking saddened.

    Short- and long-term effects range from physical problems to mental illness.

Long Term

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Panic disorders
  • Increased aggression
  • Paranoia
  • Hallucinations
  • Trouble remembering
  • Difficulty learning
  • Lack of concentration
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Arrhythmia
  • Heart attack
  • Chronic respiratory infections and diseases
  • Slowed breathing & heavy snoring
  • Tremors/shakes
  • Kidney damage or kidney failure
  • Liver disease
  • Stroke
  • Cancer (various including prostate, colorectal, liver, and lung cancer)
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Hepatitis
  • Other infectious diseases

Effects of Drug Addiction on the Family

Once you’ve begun misusing drugs, your focus starts to shift away from priorities like family and work or school. The effects of drug abuse on the family, in particular, can be detrimental, especially if the abuse turns to addiction.

parents arguing on staircase while child sits behind them covering ears

Don’t let illicit drug use destroy your family.

Those who eventually seek treatment and recover from the substance use disorder can always find a new job, go back to school, or meet new friends. But your family will always have to remember the pain and suffering, and unfortunately, some relationships can never be repaired.

Before it gets to that point, get help!

But if it is at that point, don’t lose hope! With the right efforts, time can truly heal some deep wounds. It’s best to work through issues with a family therapist, especially if provided by your drug treatment facility. Effects of drug use on the family may include:

  • Job loss
  • Money problems
  • Losing your home
  • Domestic violence
  • Child abuse
  • Arrests / prison
  • Complicated health problems
  • Death (particularly by overdose)

Children

When children are present, the situation becomes even more complicated. Your children not only need you to take care of their basic needs, but they require love and attention to flourish into good human beings. They look up to you as their role model.

small boy hiding under bed cuddling a stuffed animal

Drug use can lead to neglect, physical danger, loss of custody, and generational use from an early age.

When drug addiction is consuming your life, you can’t fulfill these obligations as a parent and your children don’t have a choice in the matter. Some ways that drug use affects kids are:

Neglect – forgetting or being too distracted to take care of your kids.

Unsafe Living Conditions – you might be left jobless or spend your money on drugs instead of food, electricity, or rent/mortgage.

Physical Danger – the risk of physical danger ranges from parents not being alert enough to prevent or handle accidents, to a child accidentally ingesting the drugs, to physical abuse. Drug use, especially dealing, is also more prone to crime and your children could become unfortunate casualties.

Loss of Custody – once it’s become evident that your children are not being cared for, it’s only a matter of time before someone reports a possible issue to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and your child(ren) could be taken away from you.

Generational Drug Use – when children are raised by drug users, the physical and environmental impacts not only make them more likely to use drugs in the future, but their initial drug use is often at a much earlier age. This can become a vicious cycle from one generation to the next.

Unborn Babies

If you become pregnant while abusing drugs or alcohol, the implications on your unborn child are very serious because those substances pass through your body to the baby.

Sadly, babies can be born and suffer from withdrawal symptoms. This condition is known as “neonatal abstinence syndrome” or NAS. The most common drugs that cause these symptoms are alcohol, prescription opioids, illegal opioids (heroin), and some anxiety or sleep medications like Xanax or Valium.

pregnant woman crying, holding tissue to eyes.

There are many risk factors of substance abuse while pregnant.

If you’re using drugs while pregnant, your baby could:

  • Be born prematurely
  • Or with severe medical conditions
  • Have problems eating, sleeping, seeing, hearing, and moving
  • Have developmental delays
  • Grow up with memory problems
  • Have attention and learning difficulties
  • Require special education or additional therapies
  • Have trouble with socialization
  • Develop an addiction when they’re older

Seeking Substance Abuse Help When Pregnant

There are programs that can help pregnant women recover from their drug use. As soon as possible, you should seek help from a doctor. It can be dangerous to try and stop using drugs on your own, particularly while pregnant because it can hurt the baby.

It’s understandable that you might be scared or hesitant to admit your chronic drug use and get help. You might be afraid of getting in trouble or having your baby or other children get taken away, especially if using illegal drugs.

But know that by taking the right steps to seek treatment, you are proving that you want to do better and are willing to be there for your kids. That has tremendous weight. There are great treatment programs available for pregnant women, the sooner you can make that step, the better.

top down view of two people's hands holding.

Addiction help for pregnant mothers is available!

Drug Addiction Treatment

From disrupting your home and family life to physical health consequences like affecting your central nervous system or inducing mental illness, the side effects of misusing legal and illegal drugs are plenty!

Drug and alcohol rehabs in the United States are plenty and their offerings vary just as widely. Two things you definitely want to look for are individualized care plans and a well-rounded approach to recovery.

In a bare-bones facility, you’ll likely find some forms of behavioral therapy, which help to build positive coping techniques, group therapy, and individual therapy.

In more comprehensive behavioral health rehab centers such as St. John’s Recovery Place, you could also have access to medical detox, medication-assisted treatment, dual diagnosis / co-occurring mental health disorder treatments, holistic therapies, and after-care services.

scrabble tiles reading what you do matters.

Comprehensive behavioral health rehabs can treat your addiction and mental health issues.

Each person has unique circumstances and a “one-size-fits-all” approach to rehab can equate to a higher risk of relapse. Well-rounded programs that offer individualized care plans typically see better success rates in recovery because their multi-faceted approach leads to more thorough healing of both their physical and mental health.

Call SJRP Today for Addiction Treatment

Call our office today at 1-833-397-3422, to find out how our comprehensive, holistic treatment center can help you get on the path to recovery from drug and alcohol addiction! We’re here for you 24/7!

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SJRP – Your Journey to Recovery Begins Here!

The content for this article has been reviewed by health professionals but should not be used in place of professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.

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