Effects Of Alcoholism And Drug Addiction On Health

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effects of alcoholism and drug addiction on health

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What is Alcoholism?

 

Alcoholism is the most severe form of alcohol abuse. It’s a condition in which an individual is unable to control their drinking habits. This condition is also referred to as the alcohol use disorder. It can be categorized into three parts, based on the level of severity. These are mild, moderate and severe. Each of these categories is bad and have side effects on people’s health. This condition, in left unmanaged, can ruin not just the mental and physical health of the individual, but also the life of the person, including relationships, jobs and so on. People suffering from alcohol use disorder find it impossible to live without it. Asides this, alcoholism is closely linked to depression. Getting off alcohol might be difficult for chronic drinkers. This is why it’s imperative to seek the help of trained therapists and counselors. Before going into details, it’s important to know about opiates and alcoholism. At this point, only a rehabilitation center can help people with an addiction to alcohol.

On the other hand, drug addiction is a condition in which an individual has lost the ability to stop himself from consuming a certain drug. This condition is characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, and difficult to control, regardless of the serious, dangerous effects. Drug addiction usually starts when an individual decides to take a drug, probably for the treatment of pain, or a cough. However, the repeated consumption of this drug might lead to a tolerance in the system of the patient. This means that the patient would need to take more of the drug, to achieve the desired result. Drug abuse has become an epidemic in the society. Most cases of drug abuse stem from dependence on a prescription drug, that later precipitated into an addiction. Opiates are one of the most abused medications. Examples include morphine, heroin, codeine, fentanyl and so on. A lot of people have died as a result of a drug overdose. Those addicted to drugs, also find it impossible to live without them.

Both alcoholism and drug addiction have a lot of side effects.

Below are some of them;

What Are the Warning Signs of Alcoholism?

 

The warning signs of alcoholism are generally evident. This condition is easy to treat if discovered early. Below are some of the common signs and symptoms of alcoholism;

  1. Individual find it difficult to control his/her consumption of alcohol.
  2. The affected person would have a high appetite, and a strong urge for alcohol when he’s not drinking.
  3. They tend to choose alcohol over their personal responsibilities.
  4. They instead drink, until they become unconscious, or pass out.
  5. They spend a significant amount of their earnings on alcohol.
  6. They act irrationally after consuming alcohol.

 

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Why Do People Drink Alcohol?

 

People drink alcohol for different reasons. Alcohol isn’t bad. However, it becomes bad when people abuse it. Below are some of the reasons why people drink;

  1. To relieve stress: This is one of the most common ways people get addicted to alcohol. Depending on alcohol to relieve stress, will have you wanting more. Alcohol is a depressant, and consuming it is accompanied with a good feeling. However, the more an individual drink, the more tolerance one develops for it. This would cause the person involved to consume more until they develop an alcohol use disorder.
  2. To reduce anxiety: Some people naturally have anxiety disorders. Some of the resort to drinking, to help calm their body. However, this can easily lead to an addiction.

What Are the Side Effects of Alcoholism?

 

Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol regularly, and lacking an ability to control your drinking can take serious tolls on one’s health. The side effects of alcoholism can be divided into 2 parts. These are the minor and major or life-threatening side effects. Also, there is the short-term and long-term side effects. Below are some of the short-term side effects of alcoholism;

  • Reduction in the activities of the brain.
  • Poor reflexes
  • Anxiety and restlessness
  • Reduced inhibitions
  • Problems breathing

Asides this, consuming an excess amount of alcohol also has an effect on the long-term health of people. Some of these might be subtle for long until they resurface later. Below are some of the chronic effect of alcoholism on health;

  • Liver diseases: This includes fatty liver, liver cirrhosis and so on
  • Diabetes mellitus and complications
  • Heart diseases.
  • Visual problems
  • Loss of bone density
  • Encephalopathies
  • Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

As earlier mentioned, opiates are one of the most abused drugs in the world. Opiates are drugs that are derived from opium. This is a chemical that can be obtained from poppy plants. Opiates are used mainly for the treatment of pain. They can be used for the treatment of the various kinds of pain, ranging from mild, moderate and severe pain. However, people tend to get addicted to opiates because of the “extraordinary soothing and calming effects. Below are some of the examples of commonly abused opiate drugs;

  • Morphine: Morphine is used for the treatment of severe and chronic pain. However, it’s very addictive, and also the cause of a lot of addiction cases. This drug has been responsible for a lot of substance abuse-related deaths.
  • Methadone: This is an opioid, that is used for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. This is the drug administered to people who’re trying to get off an addiction to other drugs such as heroin. However, despite its use for the treatment for addiction, people still find a way to get high off these drugs and become addicted to them.
  • Codeine: The drug was manufactured for the relieving of a cough and pain. It’s present in a lot of cough syrup. However, codeine abuse has almost become an epidemic in some parts of the world. While it can only be gotten by prescription in some countries, it can be bought over-the-counter in some other countries. It mostly abused by young people. It’s popularly referred to as Sizzurp
  • Percocet: This is also a heavily abused drug, that was manufactured for the relieve of pain. This drug has been responsible for a lot of emergency cases, and deaths due to overdose. Although these drugs are no longer prescribed, there is still a black market for it.

One of the effective ways of getting off an addiction is by checking into a rehabilitation center.

 

 

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References

Maskey, R. (2011). Alcohol consuming habits and its effect on adherence and blood glucose level in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Health Renaissance, 9(3).

Molloy, E. (2015). This Ad is for You: Targeting and the Effect of Alcohol Advertising on Youth Drinking. Health Economics, 25(2), pp.148-164.

Dethmers, M. (2010). Ambulante opiatendetox met Suboxone®. Verslaving, 6(2), pp.50-54.

HUNTER, W. (2007). Suboxone for Opiate Withdrawal in the Hospital. Clinical Psychiatry News, 35(1), p.54.

Platt, A. (2014). Suboxone: A Harm Reduction Approach. Journal of Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, 02(05).

Sander, G. (2007). Suboxone® im Alltag – Erste Erfahrungen. Suchttherapie, 8(4), pp.162-163