How Substance Abuse Can Affect Quality of Life?
Substance abuse has become a curse for today's generation. There is no single aspect of life that abuse of drugs can't hamper! Addiction and abuse ultimately destroy a person, often leading to death. It is a deadly game to play with one's own life. You might be thinking about how substance abuse can affect the quality of life? Read this article to learn about it!
Basically, substance abuse can have an impact on your personal, family, and social life. It can cause deadly effects on your personal health and every system in your body. Mostly, it affects the brain.
If you are a victim of substance abuse, you are not alone. There are millions out there thriving to escape the wrath of abuse. The journey isn't smooth. But you can always get some help from our services at Minor Adjustments. Besides, you must first understand how substance abuse is affecting our lives.
The Impact Of Substance Abuse On Your Life
Actually, substance abuse has become a common problem in our modern world. We have lost so many precious lives in the flames of substance disorder! Even most celebrities are also deadly victims of this!
Basically, quality of life refers to the combination of physical, mental, social, and spiritual wellbeing. When a person is in good coordination of physical, mental, and social health, he will have a good quality of life.
To be fair, the first thing to understand here is that misuse or overuse of anything that affects your day-to-day life is "abuse." Generally, it can be anything. For instance, it can be drugs, cyber-related problems, abuse of prescription medications, etc.
Mostly, the commonly abused drugs are alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine, hallucinogens, LSD, barbiturates, nicotine, opioids, etc. The easy availability and illegal trafficking have led to an increased incidence of drug abuse. Basically, the lack of proper implementation of law and order is to be blamed here.
Effect Of Drugs On Personal Health
Drug abuse is a chronic medical condition. It doesn't develop in a single day. The brain falls the greatest victim to drugs! Certain chemical changes occur in the body, which can cause short-term and long-term effects.
Actually, there is no single system in our body that is not affected by the abuse of drugs. It can damage your heart, your organs that breathe, your liver, kidneys, and all the other organs you can think of!
●Effect On Heart: Drugs like cocaine and alcohol can damage your heart and blood vessels. It often causes problems like- coronary artery diseases, arrhythmia, Myocardial Infarction(heart attack), etc. The chemicals in the drugs slowly poison your cardiovascular system, which ultimately causes these diseases!
●Effects On Lungs: Chronic smoking or chain-smoking is a kind of substance abuse. Smokers don't have a good prognosis in the long run—eventually, lung cancers of deadly variants, COPD, etc., develop. Even inhalation of drugs can cause toxic effects on your body. High doses of opioids can also lead to respiratory paralysis!
●Effects On The Liver: All kinds of drugs and poisons are mostly metabolized in the liver. It is the major metabolic organ in our body. Chronic alcoholics often die of liver cirrhosis, which has no cure in the long run except for liver transplantation. It is an expensive, risky and difficult procedure. You can hardly match a donor for transplantation!
●Effects On Kidneys: Basically, the toxic wastes produced from the abuse of drugs are excreted by the kidneys. When you take bolus doses of these harmful substances, at one point, the kidneys fail to eliminate them. Ultimately, it leads to chronic kidney disease or even renal failure. Life expectancy diminishes to a great extent!
●Transmissible Diseases: Through shared needles, many diseases are transmitted. The common diseases among drug abusers are AIDS, Hepatitis C, Malaria, Syphilis, etc. AIDS and Hepatitis C have the worst prognosis, and in most cases, they often lead to death.
Effects Of Drugs On The Brain
Because the brain is the organ that receives the most insults from drug abuse, this needs to be discussed separately. The first system that is affected by drug abuse is the central nervous system. The chemicals in drugs and poisons release mostly dopamine.
Dopamine is an indigenous hormone in our body. But when it is oversaturated in the blood, it starts to show toxic effects. And when it persists chronically, the dangerous effects of drug abuse begin to show! High levels of Dopamine can impact the prefrontal cortex, Amygdala, and basal ganglia of our brain.
The prefrontal cortex is mostly responsible for conscious thinking and decision-making. It keeps you alert in situations and helps you interact. When you start taking drugs habitually, the functions of the cortex are badly hampered. When you are inebriated, you are unable to make informed decisions and think clearly!
The Amygdala controls our emotions. When a person takes drugs for a few days and then decides to quit, he becomes stressed and anxious. The withdrawal of the drugs makes him
frustrated. He can't decide to do anything other than take drugs to relieve his stress. The withdrawal causes the Amygdala to produce emotional changes that lead to taking more drugs.
Moreover, the Basal Ganglia is a producer of dopamine. Overuse of drugs causes overproduction of dopamine in the body. Dopamine helps to feel pleasure or happiness. But when the levels are spiked, the user feels a state of "high" when he can't feel the happiness or pleasure from anything else. He will depend on a greater intake of drugs to increase his pleasure.
Effect Of Substance Abuse On Family And Social Life
The abuse of drugs leads to dysfunctional families, domestic violence, broken families, etc. Many kids suffer from depression at an early age due to the bad effects of drugs on their families.
The Facebook celebrity Laura Clery talks openly about how drugs have damaged every aspect of her life. Luckily, she overcame it, and she has written about her journey proudly in her books. However, a drug abuser slowly starts to fade away from society. He has no family or social life to look back on.
How To Understand If You Are Abusing Drugs?
A number of symptoms can be observed among the abusers. Even if you are no expert, you can tell by these symptoms that a person is abusing drugs.
There are some obvious changes, and some changes require a physician to justify. Below are some common symptoms-
●Dry mouth
●Increased sense of happiness
●Palpitations
●Insomnia or somnolence
●Difficulty in breathing
●Paranoia
●Changes in sleeping patterns
●Sudden seizure
●Stroke
●Hallucinations
●High blood pressure
●Changes in appetite
●Mood swings
●Increased sexual urge
●Inability to control one's emotions or urges
●State of confusion
●Tremors
●Loss of pain perception
●Depression
●Anxiety
●Schizophrenia
Which Generation Is Affected Most By Substance Abuse?
If one generation is to be named, it is definitely the young. Adolescents and young adults, typically aged 18–29, are the most commonly affected individuals. Due to various factors, teens often fall victim to substance abuse.
Basically, it starts with an urge to try out drugs. Teenagers, often from peer pressure, try to indulge in the abuse of drugs. They take drugs illegally from their mates and sell them. It is often a source of pocket money and a way to show off as the cool guy. Mostly, high school boys and girls fall victim to this trend.
Some boys and girls learn self-control and realize the damaging effects before it's too late. But for some, it turns into a very serious addiction and lasts a lifetime! Many celebrities even start taking drugs in their teen years. Many precious lives have ultimately faded into thin air because of this heinous practice.
Also, family plays a great role here. Many kids develop the habit of taking alcohol from a very young age, learning from their parents. Although it may seem like an innocent act of entertainment initially, later it develops into a bad habit. It becomes hard to get rid of these addictions. So, parents and peers need to be educated well about this.
Many teens and adolescents start acting out. They even indulge in crimes and delinquencies. Rape, murder, suicide, homicide, thievery, robbery, trafficking, etc., are some of the most common crimes. Drugs can totally destroy a person. So, you need to be careful what your younger ones are indulging in!
Can Drugs Affect Your Mental Health?
Yes, drugs have this severe problem that ultimately ruins your mental peace and health. A person may become severely depressed and suffer from many psychiatric disorders as a result of substance abuse. Actually, substance abuse disorder is itself a mental health hazard!
Many people start taking alcohol in moderation. But you never realize when it turns into an addiction! Alcohol is the worst drug to affect your mental health. When you try to withdraw from this habit, you become anxious and depressed. The cravings set in, and you can find nothing in the world to satisfy your needs but alcohol!
Also, the chemical changes produced in the body by these drugs cause altered chemistry in the brain. Your neurological functions do not work in the same way as before. Depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, obsessions, compulsions, etc., are very common in substance abusers.
Can You Cure Drug Addiction?
Curing any disease is not an easy task. Drug abuse is one of the deadliest diseases in the world right now. Over 7-8 million people are victims of this condition. If you are diagnosed early and receive proper treatment, it may be possible to cure addiction. Besides, our services are always there to help you out!
Our services can help you on your path to salvation. If you are anxious that you can't overcome this phase of your life, then we are here to show you the right direction. Addiction isn't easy, and the journey to sobriety takes a great deal of patience, love, and care. It isn't easy for anyone alone to get rid of this in a day or two.
It would be beneficial if you could communicate with others who are suffering from the same condition. You need to learn from others' experiences. You can receive help from our Minor Adjustment Programs. Check out the website to see some samples of these programs. It might be helpful for you. Click on this link to see the website!
Besides, behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy, problem-solving techniques, group therapy, etc., are really necessary. Medications can help you, but what you need most is support from your friends and family. At this stage, it can be hard to find help from them. Our support group can help you reincarnate from this life and live better.
Conclusion
Drugs are the worst enemies of humanity. Although designed originally to save lives, the overuse/abuse of these substances for our own pleasure has led to many dangers. It has cost us many valuable lives! So, if anybody asks you now how substance abuse can affect the quality of life, you know what to tell them.
It's never too late to seek help. You need to help yourself first.Contact us to get in touch with a professional. We hope this article helped you learn more in-depth about substance abuse. Thank you for reading the entire article with patience. Stay safe and healthy!
January 16, 2022
You must have an Introduction | Minor Adjustments Program
What is the Program about?
When Mr. Williams first wrote his first book ‘Pushed out the Crack House into God’s House’, little did he realize that it would be used for other things. Pushed out the crack house was his life message that he has shared everywhere he was asked to speak. This workbook is put together with much prayer and heart-searching.
The purpose of this workbook is to teach you how to ‘Allow Your Past to Push You Into Your Destiny’ the term “Crack House” represents a ‘broken place’ or a ‘broken person.’ The term “God’s House” represents ‘something greater.’ God aims to try and take that brokenness that you have inside and use it to push you into something greater!!!!
Mr. Williams’s qualifications are…..
Past:
•A total of 22 years inside prisons/county jails/halfway houses/rehabs
•Substance use disorder/addiction from the age of 16 years old to 38 years of age
•Repeated failure, after failure, after failure
Present:
•He’s a graduate of America’s Keswick Colony of Mercy class of 2010
•He’s a minister at Glory Tabernacle Church
•He’s a Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor
•He’s also a Ten-time Published Author
The things you read in this workbook have been accumulated over the years of his incarcerations and addiction, not to mention the numerous life lessons he’s learned from others. I have to inform you right now that we will be dealing with a lot of Simplicity in this workbook! Experts say the average person is now bombarded with thirty-five thousand messages a day: e-mails, text messages, billboards, television, radio, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. Yes, you read that right; it’s “information overload.” People don’t need more information; they need to learn how to apply the information they already have. The reason why we are doing what we are doing as counselors, teachers, facilitators, and/or instructors is that we can use what we have been through to help stop someone from making the same wrong turn we may have taken early in our lives. If we can reach one man, one woman, or one child then we’ll take that, and maybe that one individual will reach all the others that we couldn’t reach. We want to share the good news with the poor; we want to heal the brokenhearted; we want to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who may be bound(Spiritually, Physically, Mentally, Emotionally, and Sexually); we want to comfort all those who mourn, to give them beauty for their ashes, joy for their mourning, and the garment of praise (something greater) for the spirit of heaviness(brokenness), so that they may be called people of righteousness, people with character instead of criminals and addicts and thugs, etc.
This workbook is designed to…..
•inspire you, motivate you, and lead you to your true destination
•Empower you spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, relationally
•Go inside programs, prisons, jails, halfway houses, rehabs, and homeless centers
•Help men and women obtain and maintain a productive lifestyle
•Help men and women to make Minor Adjustments
The first thing that you will need to have for this process to begin to work is ‘A Willing Mind.' What do we mean by that? It’s up to you to study each unit and make the necessary adjustments in life that you need and put them into action. Mr. Williams started out drinking beer in the sixth grade and ended up smoking crack cocaine at age 38 with other drugs in between, which is why he ended up on probation, then rehabs, then parole, then the county jail, and eventually, the state prison. Normally, those are the ‘Steps’ a lot of us took, and that’s what you call ‘A Process’, so there’s no need to teach you how to go through ‘A Process’ because you mastered that, but to get to your true destination, you must have ‘A Willing Mind’! If you follow the ‘Steps’ in these units, you will witness a transformational change of direction in your life.
Each unit in this workbook represents one of those steps that will be ‘A Process’ that you have clearly mastered! Our focus is always about ‘You’ and what we need you to focus on is “How to allow your past to push you into your destiny.” But remember, you must be willing to go ANYWHERE BUT BACKWARDS!