Experimenting with drugs is common amongst teenagers and young adults due to the euphoric feelings most drugs temporarily produce. However, the feeling of the drug distracts users from it’s long-term and possibly permanent effects on the body. Understanding the negative impact of drugs may help individuals make better lifestyle choices to live a long, happy, and healthy life.
How Cocaine Negatively Affects the Body
Because there are numerous drugs that negatively affect the body, we’ll just focus on one of the most dangerous drugs for now —cocaine. There are a few factors that determine how much of a negative impact this drug will have in the long run, which include the length of time an individual spent using the drug, the type of cocaine, how the drug was consumed, the amount of each dose, and the individual’s mental health status at the time of taking the drug.
Taking cocaine excessively over an extended period of time can lead to a loss in bone density and muscle mass, which could result in osteoporosis. Because cocaine suppresses the appetite, it could also cause eating disorders. Cocaine alters the body’s metabolism, which causes people who constantly use the drug to have significantly less body fat than people who don’t.
Cocaine also negatively effects the upper respiratory and pulmonary systems, which leads to difficulty breathing. Over time, breathing issues can interrupt the supply of blood needed to reach the heart muscles. Eventually, a chronic cough could develop, along with chest pain and fatigue as a result of lung damage. Long-term users have been known to develop at least one of the following: pulmonary hemorrhage, pulmonary barotrauma, obliterative bronchiolitis, asthma, and foreign body granulomas.
If users are constantly snorting cocaine, the tissues in the nasal linings and sinuses can become permanently destroyed.
How Cocaine Negatively Affects the Heart
Cocaine can also dangerously affect the heart and possibly lead to death. Research has proven that excessive cocaine use causes an abnormal flow of blood to the heart’s vessels. Because users aren’t able to immediately detect the damage, they may take cocaine for a long time before realizing something is wrong. Cocaine makes the heart pump blood faster than usual, which results in chest pain and shortness of breath. The heart also has to work harder because of how much cocaine raises blood pressure levels. Eventually, the heart becomes damaged and causes aneurysms, heart attacks, and eventually death.
If you suspect that your loved one may be suffering from a substance abuse disorder and are unsure what to do, it’s important to seek professional help from a rehabilitation center or an alternative treatment center. It’s important for addicts to stop while they’re ahead. If not, their bodies can become seriously damaged by excessive drug use, and they could potentially lose their lives.
Alternative Treatment Centers in Tennessee
If you have a loved one who is suffering from addiction, call Discovery Place to set up a free consultation to discuss some of our treatment options. Because we are an alternative treatment center in Burns, Tennessee, our methods are nontraditional with high success rates. Some of our services include a 30-Day Alternative Residential Addiction Recovery Program and a Long-Term Addiction Recovery Program. For more information, call us today at (800) 725-0922.
