INTRODUCTION:-
Drug & Alcohol addiction has become a worldwide problem, especially in teenagers. Drug addiction is the most severe form of a Substance Use Disorder (SUD). An SUD develops when a person’s continued use of alcohol or drugs causes significant issues, such as health problems, disability and failure to meet responsibilities at work, school or home. An SUD can range from mild to severe drug addiction and refers to taking substance’s that are harmful to our bodies.
CAUSES OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION:-
They cause changes to a person’s behavior. Many people take drugs to feel happier & better about themselves. Drug or alcohol provide instant pleasure & stress relief. Many people start taking drugs as an escape from their painful reality. There are a number of reasons why youth & teenagers are addicted to drugs or relatable substances. Lack of self confidence is considered as one of the primary causes of drug & alcohol addiction. There are many causes of drug & alcohol addiction, including financial difficulty, sleep disorders, family & environmental factors, chronic pain, family history addiction, poverty, trauma, peer pressure and social disorganization.
HOW DOES DRUG & ALCOHOL AFFECT YOUR HEALTH?
It should go without saying that drugs & alcohol can have bad consequences in your life. Although it may be difficult to comprehend at times, the usage of these substances has the potential to changes everything about your body. The long-term consequences of alcoholism on the body & overall health can be devastating. There are many effects of drug and alcohol addiction on physical and mental health such as liver damage, cognitive impairment, memory loss, cancer, psychosis, pancreas, anxiety and depression. These are four ways in which drugs and alcohol affect your mental health.
1. How drug & alcohols affect your brain?
The brain is the most complicated organ in the body. Drugs obstruct the normal transmission, reception, and processing of information by neurons. A separate area of the brain is affected by each type of medication. Even if you have a brief rush of pleasure, the adverse effects can be long-lasting. Impaired learning and a lack of self-control are just a few of the side effects.
2. How substances affect your memory?
When you drink too much, you may have problems recalling certain aspects of the night the next day. People may even tell you what you said or did, but you have no recollection of it. These “blackouts,†as they’re known, are a sign that you have had too much to drink and while having one doesn’t always imply your memory cells have been harmed, heavy drinking on a regular basic might permanently harm your memory cells.
3. Relationship between substances and depression & anxiety:-
There is a clear link between substance abuse and these mental diseases, which implies that while substance abuse can cause anxiety and depression, anxiety and depression can also contribute to drug and alcohol addiction. Alcohol & drugs is a condition that produces severe grief and a loss of interest in previously enjoyed activity. It might cause problems in your personal life, relationships, career, or education if not treated. Anxiety is characterized by persistent, intense, and overwhelming concern and terror about ordinary circumstances. These emotions are difficult to manage and out of proportion to the actual threat. These conditions can lead to substance abuse as a means of self-medicating in order to feel better.
4. Substance can cause stress:-
To cope with the daily stress in our life, we frequently turn to alcohol, and in some cases, drugs. While there’s nothing wrong with a glass of wine after a long day, using alcohol or drugs to deal with stress on a regular basis can be harmful. Even if you have feel relaxed for a few hours after using a substance, after the impact wears off, you are back to dealing with the same stress, which might lead to you using again, establishing a vicious cycle. When you are drunk or high, you are more likely to make poor judgments like maxing out your credit card, getting involved with someone you shouldn’t, damaging a relationship, getting into a violent altercation, and so on. As soon as the effects of the substance wear off, you will be faced with these situations, which will inevitably make you feel more agitated.
WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL ON THE SOCIETY?
According to some estimates, the global drug trafficking trade is worth up to $650 billion and our national drinking habit costs society $249 billion a year. The economic impact is only one facet of drug & alcohols-related costs to society, which include:-The spread of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C either through sharing of drug paraphernalia or unprotected sex deaths due to overdose or other complications from drug or alcohol use effects on unborn children of pregnant women who use drugs crime, unemployment, domestic abuse, family dissolution, and homelessness.
CONCLUSION:
Drug and Alcohol addiction is fatal. We must take steps to control drug addiction of drugs, alcohol or other substances. Behavioral counseling is the most effective way to treat this disease. It is very important to have counseling with the user and motivate them to quit. Addiction can take his/her life. Hence, creating awareness about the harmful effects of drug and alcohols and helping people to get rid of this addiction can help save lives.
BY – RASHMIREKHA DAS
Masters in Social Work, 1st Division
N.C. Autonomous College, Jajpur
REFERENCES
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/drug-abuse-addiction#1
https://www.foundationswellness.net/drug-abuse/how-drugs-affect-the-brain/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/drug-addiction/symptoms-causes/syc-20365112
https://footprintstorecovery.com/drug-use-addiction/underlying-causes/
