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.