What Are The Short-Term Effects Of Drug Addiction?

Drugs are chemicals that impact the body and brain. Various drugs can have multiple effects. Some effects of drugs contain health consequences that are long-lasting and enduring. While some result in short-term effects of drug addiction. There are some ways a person can use drugs, such as installation, injection, and ingestion. Depending on how the drug is used, it alters how drugs affect your body. All misused drugs influence the brain. They induce large amounts of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter. It helps to regulate emotions, and feelings of pleasure, to flood the brain and give the feeling of being high. Ultimately, drugs can alter how the brain works and impede a person’s decision-making capacity, leading to severe cravings and compulsive drug use. Over time, these short-term effects of drug addiction can turn into a substance dependency.

Short-Term Effects Of Drug Addiction 

People often ignore that common prescription medications can influence their brains and bodies. For instance, many drugs have warning labels about the possible effects of dizziness or drowsiness. So people who take them and then drive result in thousands of car crashes yearly. Also, drugs may blur vision, modify depth perception, raise or lower blood pressure, and even cause hallucinations. The short-term effects of drug addiction are given below. 

Opioids

Short-term effects of opioids are:

  • Relaxation 
  • Constipation
  • Indifference to emotional or physical pain 
  • Drowsiness 
  • Slow breathing 

CNS (Central Nervous System) Depressants

Short-term effects of CNS Depressants are:

  • Slows normal brain functions 
  • It gives a drowsy feeling. 

Stimulants

Short-term effects of stimulants are:

  • Alertness 
  • Focus 
  • Loss of appetite 
  • Sleeplessness
  • Increased heart rate and blood pressure 
  • High body temperature

Dangers Of Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is associated with many short- and long-term health effects. They can differ depending on the kind of drug, how often it is taken, and the person’s general health. All around, the dangers of drug addiction can be far-reaching. They can affect almost every organ in the human body.

Dangerous effects of drug addiction may include:

  • A weakened immune system raises the risk of infection and illness.
  • Abdominal pain and nausea, which can also lead to modifications in appetite and weight loss 
  • Heart conditions vary from abnormal heart rates to heart attacks, crumpled veins, and blood vessel ailments from injected drugs.
  • Seizures, stroke, mental confusion, and brain damage
  • Lung disease 
  • Global impacts of drugs on the body, like breast development in men and a rise in body temperature, can lead to other health issues.
  • The high strain on the liver puts the individual at risk of severe liver damage or failure.
  • Attention, memory, and decision-making problems make daily living hard.
  • The most severe health consequence of drug addiction is death. 

Dangerous Effects Of Drug Addiction On The Brain

All drugs- cocaine, nicotine, marijuana, and others impact the brain’s reward circuit, part of the limbic system. This region of the brain influences instinct and mood. Drugs target the limbic system, which causes significant amounts of dopamine, a brain chemical that regulates feelings of pleasure, to flood the brain, producing the sense of “high.” It’s one of the leading causes of drug addiction.

Although initial drug usage may be voluntary, drugs can modify brain chemistry. This can change how the brain functions and interfere with a person’s decision-making capacity. In addition, it can lead to severe cravings and compulsive drug use. Over time, this can turn into a substance dependency or drug addiction. Brain damage may also happen through alcohol-induced nutrition deficiencies and liver disease.

Dangerous Effects Of Drug Addiction On Behavior 

Drug addiction can lead to numerous behavioral problems, both in the short-term and long-term, which are:

  • Loss of Self-Control
  • Paranoia
  • Hallucinations
  • Addiction 
  • Aggressiveness
  • Impaired Judgment
  • Impulsiveness

These dangers of drug addiction have serious health consequences. Drugs and alcohol are partly to blame for an estimated eighty percent of offenses in the U.S.

What Is The Treatment For Drug Addiction?

Effective treatments are available for drug addiction. However, treatment is highly individualized; one person may require different types of treatment at other times. Suboxone program for drug addiction often need continuing care to be effective, as it is a chronic situation with the possibility for both recovery and relapse. In addition, people with drug addiction often have co-occurring mental health ailments, so treating them together rather than individually is generally better.

The three major types of treatment include detoxification, cognitive and behavioral therapies, and medication-assisted therapies. In addition, there are numerous treatment settings, such as inpatient and outpatient treatment, sober living communities, etc. 

Detoxification 

In detoxification, a person stops taking the drug, allowing them to leave the body. Then, relying on the severity of the substance, the substance or an alternative may be lowered to reduce the effects of withdrawal. It is the first step of Suboxone treatment for drug addiction. 

Cognitive And Behavioral Therapies

Psychotherapy can help treat substance use disorders and other co-occurring mental health ailments. Therapy also acquaints healthy coping means. Healthcare providers may suggest cognitive and behavioral therapies solely or in combination with other medications. Some of the effective treatments for adults include the following:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy 
  • Dialectical behavior therapy 
  • Assertive community treatment
  • Therapeutic communities
  • Contingency management 

Medication 

Medication may be a component of your treatment plan. Medications can help alter your brain chemistry to help treat particular substances. They can also lessen cravings and withdrawal indications.

Medication-assisted treatments are for:

  • Opioids: Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone are FDA-approved for the Suboxone treatment of OUD (opioid use disorder).
  • Alcohol: Three FDA-approved drugs are acamprosate, naltrexone, and disulfiram.
  • Tobacco: A nicotine patch, spray, or gum can help. 
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