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Professional treatment and rehabilitation are critical to the recovery and long-term well-being of a drug user.
Typically, drug addicts suffer myriad legal, financial and social consequences. These may include the loss of close relationships with friends, family members and significant others.
An drug user often isolates himself or herself from loved ones, breaking ties and losing close bonds. A habitual drug user may also get into significant financial trouble while trying to fund a drug addiction.
This can lead to legal problems if the person turns to robbery or fraud to get the money to continue using. Furthermore, an addict can lose a job from failing to show up, arriving late all the time, or falling asleep or performing poorly at work.
Illicit Drug Effects and Abuse. Many illicit drugs pose serious health risks, even when taken in small doses. Some drugs can cause an addiction after a single use. People who become addicted to certain illicit substances are at a high risk of overdose, which can be fatal. “Individuals with a mental disorder could have impaired judgment and consume higher amounts of a drug or alcohol, says Dr. Garbutt.” Drug Abuse and Mental Illness: Underlying Causes. The other illnesses, in descending order, are related to anxiety, illicit drug use, alcohol use, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, developmental disorders, childhood behavioral disorders and eating.
Different drugs have fallen in and out of popularity over the years. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit substance in the United States, with 49 percent of all Americans admitting to trying the drug at least once.
Also, the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health showed that more than 34 million Americans had used marijuana within the previous year.
Marijuana impairs memory, ability to focus, coordination and learning. Other common illegal drugs in the U.Like most other mental-health problems, drug use disorders have no single cause. However, there are a number of biological, psychological, and social factors, known as risk factors, that can increase an individual's vulnerability to developing a chemical use disorder.
As mentioned above, illicit drug use affects HIV risk, HIV/AIDS complications, HIV/AIDS treatment efficacy, and long-term HIV/AIDS prognosis. Illicit drug users have increased risk of contracting HIV through the use of used needles, shared injection supplies, contaminated injection drugs, and reduced judgment leading to a heightened chance of high risk behavior.
People with addiction often have one or more associated health issues, which could include lung or heart disease, stroke, cancer, or mental health conditions. Imaging scans, chest X-rays, and blood tests can show the damaging effects of long term drug use throughout the body.
For illicit drug users who have HIV/AIDS, the complications due to the illicit drugs and the conditions associated with their use lead to poor treatment. Illicit drug users with HIV are less likely to have access to effective treatment options.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, percent of Americans older than 12 years met the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence, and the prevalence of illicit drug use in the same year was as high as percent.
1 Similarly, sleep disorders are also very common. Illicit Drug Effects and Abuse. Many illicit drugs pose serious health risks, even when taken in small doses. Some drugs can cause an addiction after a single use.
People who become addicted to certain illicit substances are at a high risk of overdose, which can be fatal.