Long-Term Drug Effects

People begin using drugs for many reasons without understanding their long-term effects. It is easy to become dependent on drugs but difficult to stop using them. The long-term effects of drug use are often irreversible, causing severe damage to vital organs and leading to death. Drugs can also be used as a coping method to mask depression or guilt as well as a life-altering situation without solving the underlying issue. This method of coping can also lead to addiction.

Types

• There are thousands of drugs with short and long term effect, but the most common ones are methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and marijuana. Methamphetamine is known as "meth" or "crystal meth." It is an addictive synthetic chemical that can be injected, snorted, smoked or swallowed. Cocaine is a stimulant drug that comes from the coca plant and is either snorted or injected. Crack is a type of cocaine that is in the form of a rock crystal and smoked. Ecstasy is a chemical that is similar to stimulants and hallucinogens. Heroin is a power or tar drug that is made from opium poppies. It may be snorted, smoked or injected. Marijuana is a part of the hemp plant and is considered a mind-altering drug.

Function

• Methamphetamine increases the heart rate and creates a sense of energy. Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system by increasing a chemical in the brain called dopamine, which is associated with pleasure. Cocaine prevents dopamine from being recycled back into the neurons that is was released from which causes excess dopamine to build up in the nervous system. The result is cocaine's euphoric effect. The chemicals found in ecstasy causes large amounts of serotonin to be released from the brain into the body. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that controls mood, sleep, pain and behavior. Heroin is converted into morphine when it enters the brain and binds to opioid receptors. Opioid receptors are located in the parts of the brain that deal with pain and affect breathing and blood pressure. Marijuana contains tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, which alters how the brain works.

Effects

• A few of the long-term effects of methamphetamine include damage to the blood vessels in the brain, liver and kidney failure, lung damage, unhealthy weight loss, dental problems and heart failure. The long-term effects of cocaine are paranoid psychosis, loss of smell, chronic runny nose, heart attack or stroke, bowel gangrene (when the intestine tissue dies) and malnutrition. People that use ecstasy may experience depression, sleep problems, muscle break down, kidney failure and heart failure. The effects of heroin are collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, liver and kidney disease, clogged blood vessels and arthritis. Marijuana may cause depression, schizophrenia, memory and learning disorders and heart attack.

Prevention/Solution

• The best prevention is to understand what drugs are and the short and long term negative effects. Many people that are addicted to drugs will require drug rehabilitation, therapy, hospitalization, relapse prevention therapy, life skill development and holistic healing. Finding a meaningful purpose, decreasing stress and becoming involved in an active support group will also help prevent a relapse. To overcome a drug addiction, it is important to seek the help of a trained professional.

Warnings

• All drugs can be addictive and may have the ability to kill you on the first usage. The combination of cocaine and alcohol is the most common drug combination-related deaths. There are no specific treatments of an addiction to ecstasy. Younger people who use marijuana on a weekly basis are at a double risk for becoming depressed later in life. The risks of contracting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis are higher in people who inject the drug.