Stockton- Throughout life, some of us have had opportunities to see the effects of alcohol. They were all asked if it was a big or a small effect. Addiction is a serious topic, and it is not limited in any regard. People can be addicted to many things, but I am going to focus on the addictions of alcohol and drugs.
We are first going to look into the effects of drug addiction. Drug addiction can vary from specific drugs to who it affects. However, we know that the addiction will always result in something negative, even if that’s the addiction itself. There was an assembly recently where we could see some of its effects. Many effects were shown through families. We saw the impact that it had on babies. There were videos of police raids where young children and babies were exposed to the chemicals and the effects of drugs. Addiction affects everyone around you, not just you.
There is always a negative side to being addicted to drugs, and there are many health problems that could be created because of that addiction. Some of the effects that drug addiction can create are lung/heart disease, getting a stroke, cancer, or even mental health problems or conditions. It can even create mood swings and make you more vulnerable to doing impoverished things.
People may view people with an addiction as lesser people, thinking they are stupid and can quit when they want to. However, that is not the case. The drugs do things to their brains, which can make quitting hard, even for people who do want to leave. Initially, taking medications for the first time might be voluntary; however, repeated drug use can lead to harmful effects on the brain, which can damage it profusely. Changes in the brain can be very persistent. That’s why relapse is so strong and why drug addiction is considered a relapsing disease.
The other piece of addiction we are going to look at is alcohol addiction. There is a lot of relevance seen between the effects of alcohol addiction and the effects of drug addiction. The only differences that are more perceptible are car crashes, alcohol overdoses, violence, homicide, and suicide.
Alcohol can have many different effects on the body, such as the one on the brain. It can impair judgment, memory, and coordination. However, this isn’t the only thing that alcohol hurts in the body. Alcohol is known as a poison for the entire body. It is known to damage the liver heavily with excessive drinking, and liver cancer is prevalent among alcoholics.
While brain damage can be reversed with many drugs, that is not the alcohol case. Some long-term effects being an alcoholic can cause. These effects are cancer, heart disease, brain damage, liver disease, and pancreatitis. While these effects may range from person to person and they may not always happen, there is always a chance of them occurring in people with an addiction.
Throughout all of this, we can see how damaging addiction can be to oneself as well as other people. So I advise you to stay away from drugs and alcohol in every way. You don’t know what it will do to you.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call 988 if you need help
