Several things normally harm the bodies of human beings, the drug being the major one. A drug is perceived to be any substance that, when consumed into the body, changes a person’s mind and body. However, drugs sometimes do not cause harm to the body, but they can alter a person’s behavior, which can easily influence other people around them. In the contemporary world, drugs are manufactured and exist in various forms ranging from drinking to smoking, for example, illegal substances like illicit and legal drugs, which the doctor prescribes. Across the globe, several concerns have been raised on how drugs have affected the lives and health of individuals. Drug misuse affects the body’s normal functioning at this juncture, leading to adverse health effects. The essay aims to discuss the impacts of drugs on health, mental health, physical appearance, and life span in support of significant statistics and evidence.
Consequently, drugs’ effects on the body vary according to the consumed drugs, frequency, and dosage. There are various noticeable mental effects of drugs on the health of individuals, with essential statistics highlighting how the health of drug users has been affected immensely. However, drugs have led to an increase in infectious diseases, affecting drug users’ overall health (Lim et al., 2022). Individuals who tend to involve themselves in drug use and have a high risk of behaviors linked to drugs are at higher risk of contracting viral infections such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The vi us is regarded to be spreading at a higher rate because it is transmitted through blood or body fluids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2019 that 24.7 % of HIV diagnoses in China were attributed majorly to drug injection use (Zhao et al., 2020). The co traction occurs mainly through injection and sharing sharp objects like needles and when people engage in unprotected sex. Drug use has been inseparably linked to HIV/AIDS because AIDS was discovered years ago.
As an overall health effect, drugs lead to increased deaths across the globe because the majority of people have succumbed to the use of drugs in the wrong way. The consistent use of drugs contributes more to causing early death to an individual despite being avoided for many years back (Allik et al., 2020). However, every consumed drug has its own psychological and neurological effects on a user’s body. Major y of drugs changes the normal brain functioning of an individual, which is long-lasting. The c ranges that occur in the brain overall affect the mood of a person leading to the great depression, which lessens the ability of an individual to lead a healthy life. Accor ng to the statistics of the united states, 106000 individuals died in 2021 because of drug overdose (Allik et al., 2020). Gener ly, the brain purposely regulates the body’s basic functioning like heartbeat and breathing.
The use of drugs has adverse effects on an individual’s mental health, which can alter how to perceive things, mood, and behavior. The l g term use of drugs leads to pre-existing mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Actual y, most drug users are subjected to depression, affecting their overall living. Accor ng to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, it is reported in 2019 in America, 19.6% of adults had encountered an episode of depression (Qato et al., 2018). Individuals who are addicted to drugs depict various signs of depression. For example, loss of interest, irritability, suicidal ideation, hopelessness, dysregulated emotions, and sleep disturbances. According to the lives of individuals who have not been associated with any form of drug use, it is significantly different compared to people who are addicted to drugs because the drug users encounter great depression at a higher rate.
Anxiety is another way in which the mental health of an individual addicted to drug usage is affected broadly. Anxie entails a disorder of fighting response in the care where an individual perceives danger that does not exist. A person with anxiety because of drug addiction displays signs and symptoms, such as mood swings, tension, insomnia, sweating, and excessive worrying. In 2019, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health recorded that 14.9% of adults 18 years and above in America who are drug addicts have an anxiety disorder (Esmaeelzadeh et al., 2018). As such, the continuous use of drugs is regarded to trigger anxiety disorders. Anxie always accelerates when central nervous depressants are used, and they can calm an individual’s nerves. Therefore, the majority of drug addicts do experience anxiety, and they tend to hide their behaviors.
When an individual is subjected to continuous use of drugs, it can affect their physical appearance. This can be traced from the studies published in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, whereby it has been found that drugs like alcohol, heroin, and methamphetamine vividly affect the physical appearance of drug users (Peckham, 2022). It is a person’s physical appearance that can determine if one uses drugs or not. Drugs vividly affect the appearance of a person in both subtle and drastic ways, which can be in terms of hair, teeth, skin, bones, and muscles (Sanchez et al., 2021). Drugs affect the skin since it is the body’s largest organ, which sometimes uncovers the physical signs of serious health issues. The u of drugs like methamphetamine makes one appear older because of the wrinkles and dark spots which develop in the skin. For example, the use of methamphetamine scratches and picks the skin because of fornication, which s a tactile hallucination of the parasites crawling beneath the skin. Skin is often the first physical appearance that makes an individual be noticed as a drug addict.
Drug use also affects the bones and muscles of a drug addict, altering the normal functioning of the body organs. Muscles and bones are categorized as part of the musculoskeletal system, composed of joints and tendons (Márquez-Grant et al., 2022). The d traction of the system affects walking and movement and the general presentation to other people. Drug age can generate significant causes on the musculoskeletal system directly and indirectly. Indirectly, the muscles of a drug user can break down because of the chronic exhaustion and sleeping challenges experienced mostly by individuals addicted to drugs (Márquez-Grant et al., 2022). When the muscles break down indirectly, the drug users normally encounter pain and cramping, which can cause problems in balance coordination resulting in falls and injuries. Direct causes of musculoskeletal challenges are connected with the toxicity of drugs. Alcohol leads to the absorption of calcium and significant nutrients in bone density. It can easily release toxins into the bloodstream, affecting the body’s organs and muscles—drugs like heroin lead to infectious diseases in the bones, and opioids decrease muscle tone.
Finally, drugs affect the life span depending on the drug consumed, health factors, and variables. Consumption of alcohol leads to adverse health challenges like liver diseases, mental health difficulties, and cardiovascular diseases. Annually y, in the united states, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that 98000 deaths are recorded which occurs because of alcoholism (Glei & Preston, 2020). Such heavy use of alcohol or long-term use of alcohol leads to early death. Besides, prescribed drugs are also regarded to affect an individual’s lifespan. For example, when the prescribed drugs are used wrongly or abused, it can lead to severe health problems like complications of the body’s functioning and damage to its organs. Therefore, prescription drug abuse or misuse contributes to a short life span.
In conclusion, the use of drugs has raised numerous concerns worldwide because most people, especially the youth, have engaged in drug addiction. However, drugs have affected the body in various ways, including overall health, mental health, physical appearance, and lifespan. Various drugs have varying adverse effects on health in general perspectives. The c continuous consumption of drugs leads to weak bones and muscles, increased deaths, depression, anxiety, and contraction of infectious diseases. It is important to consider the crucial procedures for handling these adverse effects because there are increased deaths, especially in the United States, purposely to save more lives. To recommend, it is important to follow medication strictly, limit the use of drugs that are harmful to the body and health, and above all, it is paramount to seek advice and guidelines from professional medics.
References
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