Physical Effects of Drug Abuse on the Human Body

Drug abuse produces physical effects on nearly all parts of the human body. The physical effects of drug abuse may be short-term or may be long-lasting and permanent. Physical effects of drug abuse on the body may worsen with increased frequency and longer duration of use, although even a single episode of drug use may be fatal.

Significance

• According to the National Institutes of Health, in 2005 more than 8 percent of Americans age 12 and older used any illicit drug in the past year. A survey by the National Institute on Drug Addiction in 2007 showed that 14.8 percent of 8th- through 12th-graders had used illicit drugs in the past month. Although drug abuse is a mental health issue, drug abuse can have severe consequences on the body.

Types

• According to the National Institute on Drug Addiction, the physical effects of drug abuse on the body may vary depending on the method of drug use, the drug used and the frequency and duration of drug use. Brain changes from drug abuse include paranoia, hallucinations, memory problems, aggression, depression, seizures, stroke and brain damage. Respiratory effects of drug abuse include asthma, emphysema and lung cancer. Cardiac effects of drug abuse include abnormal heartbeat, collapsed veins and heart attack. Effects of drug abuse on unborn babies include miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and behavioral problems. Gastrointestinal effects of drug abuse include nausea or vomiting, pain, and liver and kidney damage. Drug abuse during childhood may result in shortness or hormonal problems.

Time Frame

• According to the National Institutes of Health, physical effects of drug abuse can occur after just one time of using drugs or may require prolonged drug use to fully manifest. Use of narcotics such as cocaine can result in a fatal heart attack after the first use. Drugs may have short-term effects such as high blood pressure and increased appetite, longer term physical effects that last weeks or months such as chronic cough, and permanent effects such as organ damage or cancer.

Features

• According to the National Institute on Drug Addiction, drug abuse increases risky behaviors such as sharing needles and having unprotected sex, which may spread infectious diseases including HIV and hepatitis B and C. Physical effects from drug use may be permanent and irreversible such as infertility caused by steroids and liver or kidney damage caused by multiple types of drugs. Steroids may cause significant hormonal problems, resulting in men developing breasts and women growing facial and body hair like men.

Considerations

• Physical effects of drug abuse may be worse if more than one drug is abused at the same time. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, synergistic effects of alcohol and heroin may significantly damage the liver. Brain changes that result from drug abuse may increase the likelihood of attempting suicide or aggression on others.

Prevention/Solution

• Preventing physical effects of drug abuse on the body begins with stopping use of drugs. According to the Centers for Disease Control, decreasing other risky behaviors associated with drug use such as sharing of injection needles and equipment may lessen the risk of spreading infectious diseases or getting bacterial skin infections. Treatments for drug abuse may also minimize the physical effects by substituting less harmful substances such as methadone for more harmful substances like heroin.

Warning

• Drugs that act quickly on the brain such as inhalants are toxic and may cause rapid loss of consciousness or death, although many people do not perceive them to be as dangerous as other types of drugs. According to the Mayo Clinic, some substances may result in a physical dependence on the drug to function even though the drug is not being abused.