Drugs are a widespread reality all over the world and throughout many different social and ethnic groups. To date there are near countless varieties of drugs with just as many synthetic variations on known drug compounds and types. While drugs are all designed to produce a certain effect which is often as varied as the myriad types of drugs themselves, the one common denominator among all drugs is the often devastating effect that they have on not only the user of those drugs but their families and friends as well.
The excessive abuse of either an illegal drug such as cocaine or heroin, or the excessive abuse of prescription medication such as pain killers or anti-depressants can be seen as drug abuse. The main purpose of taking any drug is for the specific effect that that drug will produce within the body and mind. Drugs that create a feeling of buoyancy or high energy are generally called uppers while drugs that tend to relax or dull the senses are referred to as downers. The common mistake or misconception is that drug abuse is an urban issue involving illegal drugs; the truth of the matter is that drug abuse occurs anywhere, from the inner cities to the suburbs and also involves prescription medications as well.
Regardless of the drug or chemical substance that is being taken excessively, the effects are always the same. Drugs directly affect the quality or level of the individual’s health, various drugs naturally will have a different effect on a different part of the body but whatever the effects are they will most likely be severe and in many instances also permanent. Drugs and drug abuse can severely affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver as well as the nervous system and can also result in permanent brain damage. Drug overdoses can lead to long term comas, seizures and even death unless an intervention is made such as drug rehab at a certified drug rehab treatment center.
Drug abuse has many consequences and not all of them relate directly to the effects that drugs have on the human body. Drug abuse can also have many long term and far reaching social consequences, for example, drug abuse is also associated with behavioral changes which in turn affect judgment and responsible behavior. Drug abuse removes common sense and inhibitions allowing higher possibilities that drug users will have unprotected sex which in turn could result in the contraction of a deadly disease such as HIV AIDS.
The body or system of a drug user also builds up resistance to the effects of those particular drugs, these results in the drug abuser having to up the dose, in many cases this eventually results in a dose that is too high for the body to cope with which results in the all too common death by overdose. Substance abuse rehab conducted by experienced professionals trained in addiction recovery is most often the only solution.