Alcohol and Drugs: Are You Putting Yourself at Risk?
We have all heard the effects of alcohol and drugs, but what are they? Are they both identical or different, right? In terms of definition, drugs are medicines or substances which have psychological effects on humans when ingested. Cocaine, Cannabis, GHB, Heroin, inhalants and Hallucinogens are a few examples of drugs. These substances give a sensation of euphoric feelings and suppress anxiety and depression in humans. To repeatedly experience that pleasure, people eventually become hooked on alcohol and narcotics.
However, the abuse of these substances is considered to be when drugs and alcohol begin to alter one’s brain. Combining drugs and alcohol in your bloodstream can significantly increase your risk of overdose and can result in severe damage to your brain, heart, and other vital organs. Besides, several other common health issues may be the risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if drugs are from shared needles. Anyhow, a person who has become hooked on them cannot overcome them alone. Let’s dive into how alcohol and drugs induce the human body and how they function.
Can alcohol and drugs be considered as the same thing?
Alcohol and tobacco are considered dopes, yet still, they are different from drug abuse, as they are legal, while street drugs are not. Drugs such as tobacco and alcohol both possess psychological effects when consumed. Though alcohol and drug usage have similar outcomes, they are not equivalent in the sense of legality. When ingested, alcohol can have various side effects on the human body, such as cirrhosis (liver problems), certain types of cancers, high blood pressure, heart diseases, and even more.
Alcohol interrupts the brain’s communication pathways, making it harder for the brain to control speech, judgement, and balance and triggers learning and memory problems. In the long run, this chemical alteration in your brain can mentally lead to negative emotions such as anger and more severe effects like sadness and anxiety.
Can alcohol or drug use during pregnancy increase the risk of autism in the child?
Some individuals might assume that the usage of alcohol and drugs during pregnancy can result in autism. Fortunately, studies indicate that alcohol use has not been linked to the development of autism.
Nevertheless, unlike alcohol, drugs can increase the risk of autism in the child. Research shows out of a group of 70 kids, 11.4% of children ended up with autism when mothers consumed cocaine during pregnancy. In many cases, the usage of antidepressants in pregnancy could be a reason for autism. Further, drug addiction can halt a child’s womb growth and make labour challenging. Sometimes, in critical cases, the child might pass away. Due to drug abuse, women can experience infertility too. Miscarriage, preterm labour, stillbirth, premature birth, low birth weight, and heart defects are other issues that pregnant ladies may undergo. On the safe side, pregnant women should avoid drugs to abstain from any complications.
How does drug usage affect an individual?
Drugs boost the amount of dopamine, which tends to interfere with how the body works. The particular changes drugs cause in the body vary on the drug type, method of management, dosage, amount and duration of use, plus individual characteristics.
Do you know why your body requires the proper quantity of dopamine?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to happiness, reward, motivation, and reinforcement. Many drugs can raise dopamine levels in the brain, which frequently helps explain why they have enjoyable or rewarding effects. Humans engage in a variety of daily activities, and some of these activities provide them satisfaction and joy. It might be participation in sports activities, hoteling to try out new food, exploring new places, or any other desire that causes you pleasure the human body produces dopamine. You may argue that the feelings that make you feel happy trigger the brain’s creation of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Additionally, dope helps you feel mentally satisfied and forces you to continue the activity to feel the same pleasure.
In medical terms, dopamine is essential to the human body and the brain. Nerve cells in the brain are liable for generating it. It transmits messages to other nerve cells of the brain. Dopamine allows the human body to adequately carry out body functions, including body movement, memory, mood, sleep, and attention. Although, it is fatal for the human body whenever its production is low or too much. As regular drug use causes your brain to adapt and change to tolerate and deem it vital to function, it elevates dopamine levels in persons with drug addiction. Schizophrenia is a disease in which delusions and hallucinations or lack of motivation could develop in a drug-addicted person. Thus, drug abuse significantly increases the risk of anxiety, depression, and paranoia in humans.
What are the potential long-term negative impacts on an athlete’s health if they use performance-enhancing drugs?
Alcohol and drug addiction results from ongoing abuse, which is terrible for one’s health. Few athletes in sports use prescription medicines, also known as performance-enhancing drugs. These medicines increase athletes’ neurological or physiological activity. Anabolic steroids are among them that are illegal to use and are now banned by sports leagues. In the short term, steroids increase an athlete’s power and physical performance, but in the long run, they harm health.
The adverse reactions of anabolic steroids, which may include high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease, and liver damage, are disregarded by athletes while they use them. For greater strength and performance, some athletes use stimulants as well. Losing weight, having high blood pressure, having hallucinations, having a heart attack, and having difficulties sleeping are all potential side effects of long-term stimulant usage.
How do doctors inspect if a person is alcohol and drug-addicted?
Doctors use various approaches to assess if a person is addicted to alcohol or drugs. These methods typically involve a combination of medical evaluation, interviews, and laboratory tests. The doctor begins with the symptoms of the health problem, gathers the patient’s medical history, and asks about the use of drugs and alcohol. Physical assessment can be helpful for doctors in noticing as well. Side by side, in labs, different biological samples are taken to detect the types of drugs. Substances can be analysed through small samplings of your blood, hair, saliva, breath, and urine. Similarly, alcohol can be tested through breathalyzers or blood tests. It assists in measuring blood alcohol concentration in an addicted person.
We can conclude that alcohol and drugs have various negative impacts on the human body and brain. You should be aware of the necessary knowledge regarding drugs and alcohol before deciding to consume it. Be careful and stay safe!