Drug Abuse and its Negative Effects

Essay by SRhymesatgcuCollege, UndergraduateA, June 2014

download word file, 3 pages 0.0

Name: Stephanie Rhymes

Course: UNV-1048

Date: 05-17-2014

Instructor: DiCarlo

Drugs and Negative Effects

It is all fun in the beginning. The excitement, the anticipation, the "high". The feeling a person gets when the drugs they have taken kick in. It is usually explained as euphoric. However, all good things come to an end. Drug abuse has many negative effects including injury, health issues, and death.

Poor coordination, reaction time, judgment, and impaired motor skills, due to drug use, cause many injuries. There are over 527,000 emergency room visits per year due to drug related issues (Gateway Foundation Alcohol and Drug Free World, 2014). In 75% of domestic violence cases, the victim reported that their attacker was under the influence at the time of the incident (Gateway Foundation Alcohol and Drug Treatment, 2014). Also, many of the injuries associated with drug abuse cause long term medical issues. These issues can affect the abuser long after they have stopped using the drugs, some can even be permanent.

The leading health issue stemming from drug abuse is addiction. Addiction occurs when the abuser develops a psychological or physiological dependence for the substance. When addiction develops, and is at its peak, drugs become the most important part of that person's life. A person with drug dependency will skip meals, develop poor personal hygiene, and conduct in risky behavior to obtain the drugs. These actions can cause the abuser to have a weakened immune system. As a result, the abuser is more prone to develop other medical issues. One of the most common issues is liver disease. One main function of the liver is to filter potentially harmful chemicals, like drugs, from the blood and turn them into harmless chemicals. After prolonged exposure to drugs, the liver becomes damaged and cannot function properly, causing...