Drug Addiction

The Physical and Emotional Effects of Long-Term Drug Abuse

By April 24, 2015No Comments

Where Long-Term Drug Abuse Does the Most Damage

When someone you love is involved with drugs it can be difficult to know what to do. Yet the reasons to intervene early are myriad. Among them is the fact that long-term drug abuse can damage a person’s physical and emotional health. Here are just a few ways that untreatedlong term drug abuse drug abuse can affect the person that you care about.

Emotional Health

The more a person uses drugs, the more they feel dependent on them in order to cope with everyday situations. Because of this, long-term drug abuse can spark a problem with anxiety. It is common for users to spend more and more time thinking about using, planning how and when to use again. Eventually, this fixation becomes an unmanageable anxiety in between times of using.

Over time your loved one may need more drugs to find the same “good” feeling. At the same time, the lows in between the highs get lower. Depression is another common side effect.

Physical Health

Tobacco is not the only substance which can harm the lungs; meth, crack cocaine and marijuana all can damage the lungs.

Kidneys are filters for the human body. Whatever goes into the body passes through the kidneys for safety treatment. Long-term drug abuse repeatedly pushes toxins through the kidneys and can ultimately lead to kidney failure.

Heart problems can happen the first time a person uses some drugs. It can also be weakened by repeated drug use.

These are not comprehensive lists. But you can see how long-term drug abuse can affect both your physical and your emotional health. At Family Guidance Center we can help you to plan an intervention. Call us today, our addiction treatment services program is the only local program offering outpatient and inpatient treatment along with a social detoxification treatment program.