Author: Contributor

Drug abuse is the consistent ingestion of drugs that have the potential to make you addicted. When an individual starts taking drugs, they become dependent and they always look forward to taking drugs irrespective of the consequences.

Substance abuse can lead to many unpleasant effects, both short-term and long-term. And it is important to know more about these effects so that we can help people suffering from them.

• Weakened immune system

Consistent drug abuse can make your immune system less resistant to contracting diseases. This means that the individual is likely to fall sick often because their immune system cannot fight back any infection.

• Appetite loss/Excessive eating

Someone who abuses drugs is likely to lose their appetite or start eating excessively. You will notice that their new eating pattern is different from what they are used to. Their strange eating habits can either make them gain weight excessively or lose weight drastically.

• Changes in sleep habits

When drug abuse is in play, an individual’s sleep habits can be messed up. Such people might sleep at the wrong hours. When they sleep, they can either sleep excessively or insufficiently. These signs are typical of drug dependence.

• Mood swings

Another effect of drug abuse is the inability of the individual to manage their emotions. The extrovert might be dealing with depression more often while the introvert could be hyper almost every time.

When you notice that they cannot control your emotions when necessary, they might be struggling with mood swings.

• Lack of productivity

Drug abuse makes an individual less productive in different aspects of their lives. They will lose interest in activities that they are used to. If they are teenagers or young adults in school, their academic performance will drop drastically.

For those who are working-class adults, they will not meet up with targets at their workplace. They will also lose interest in work which will make them less productive.

If you notice that someone is addicted, and they are exhibiting the common signs, you need to help them seek help. When it comes to drug abuse, many people don’t like accepting the fact that they are addicted. This is why approaching them has to be done with genuine love and care.

Sometimes, drug abuse often begins with experimentation, especially in social settings. People who start abusing drugs want to have a feel of what to expect.

It is important to mention that not all drugs have the same level of dependence. However, when you abuse these drugs, you will most likely experience some of these signs.

Here are some signs of drug abuse

• Loss interest

When an individual is abusing drugs, you will notice a general decline in interest as regards activities they used to be interested in. The reason is that their focus is more on their drug abuse. They will continue to fuel their energy towards using drugs.

• Private behavior

Another sign that an individual abuses drugs is when they put up a secret or private behavior. Such people would not want others to know that they are abusing drugs. Therefore, they would not want people to get into their private space because they would find out their secret.

Hence, they will lock doors, or spend extra time in their rooms. Additionally, they would not give details about their public engagements so that they won’t be monitored.

• Physical appearance

When someone abuses drugs, it can become glaring if you observe their physical appearance. Some of these signs are Bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, sudden weight loss or gain, absence of personal grooming, loss of appetite, etc

• Mood swings

Another way to know when someone is abusing drugs is when they cannot manage their emotions. One moment they are all over the place and the next moment, they are feeling depressed.

If you notice that an extrovert is usually moody and the introvert is now hyper, drug abuse might be at play.

• Change in sleep routines

One of the profound effects of drug abuse is changing sleep patterns. You will notice that the individual might find it difficult to sleep at night, but they will prefer to sleep during the day. Also, they sleep for more hours than the usual time frame.

Drugs are one of the most abused substances in the world along alcohol. People abuse alcohol for various reasons with the end result being pleasure.

Below are some reasons why people abuse drugs

Stress

When it comes to substance abuse generally, stress comes to mind. We live in a world where people find it challenging to manage their stress levels. Hence, when people discover it is already difficult, they rely on drugs to help them manage stress.

With time, they discover that these drugs are not sufficient and then, they increase the dosage. Some of them go the extra mile of lacing the drugs with other substances to increase its effects.

To deal with stress, the best health measure is to rest properly and remain physically active. Also, it would be beneficial to eat a healthy diet for beneficial reasons.

Peer Pressure

Another reason why people abuse drugs is due to peer pressure. When you see your mates taking drugs, there is a tendency for you to join in especially if you are viewed upon as the black sheep. It takes a resolute mind not to accede to your friend’s pressure to take drugs.

To avoid abusing drugs, it would be better to stick to friends who are sober. Staying with sober friends prevents you from abusing drugs thus ensuring your health.

Escape from life’s problems

For some people, taking drugs is their way of escape. When they are faced with the challenges of life and it looks like they cannot have a breakthrough, they start abusing drugs. This makes some of them plunge deeper into debts because they use every financial supply they have to fund their addiction.

If you are in this position, one way to help yourself is to seek help by talking to a professional counselor. The counselor assists you in figuring out the next line of action, and they encourage you to desist from abusing drugs.

Abusing drugs is not the way to go when it comes to various life challenges. It is best to seek help from the right sources.

Drug abuse is the indiscriminate use of both legal drugs (without the doctor’s prescription) and illegal drugs for various purposes. Even though it is not completely possible to stop anyone from abusing drugs, there are measures that can be implemented to forestall this.

Below are top ways to preventing drug abuse

Deal with peer pressure

One of the primary reasons why people venture into drug abuse is because of peer pressure. When they see that their peers are using drugs, there is this willingness to also join in their use. Typically, no one likes to be left behind and this is why people do certain things even if the end-result is disastrous.

To prevent drug abuse, it is best to move with friends who would not pressurize you into abusing drugs.

Handle life pressures the right way

Another reason why people abuse drugs is their approach to life’s issues. When people face challenges, they feel like they are overwhelmed and they look to other options for help. Usually, they take substances like drugs and alcohol to help them avoid these challenges and focus on other things.

If you are in this position, the best way to go about it is to remain positive and relax, as it would help you stay off drug use. Also, it is best to talk to someone who you are sure will help. It would be a great idea to discuss with a counselor because of their trusted level of expertise.

Live a balanced life

You need to ensure all aspects of your life are balanced. Eat the right diet! Exercise! Rest well Take lots of water, etc. When an aspect of your life is dysfunctional, there is a tendency that it is related to any of the above-mentioned health practices.

Seek help for mental health problems

If you are experiencing mental health problems like anxiety, depression and the likes, the last thing you need is drugs. You need to seek help from the right sources to help yourself.