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Effects of Addiction
What are the major effects of addiction?
It is everybody’s problem. An addict might say: “I’m not hurting anybody. I’m only hurting myself.”
A failed war For over 30 years the United States government has had its “War on Drugs,” but in that time frame we have seen in increase in crime, increase in healthcare costs and an alarming increase in the use of dangerous drugs such as cocaine, heroin, crack and methamphetamine.
However, we can quickly see that the statement is false, because there is no such thing as an addict who is only hurting him/herself. The problem is found everywhere, from the rich and privileged, to the lost members of society. The “War on Drugs” has also brought on new research, a greater number of treatment facilities, new and sometimes controversial theories on treatment, advances in drug addiction medications, but are we winning?
The effects of drug addiction are far reaching and can be seen in the home, on the job, in churches and in schools.
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What are the effects of addiction on health?
If left unchecked, the drug is going to win. Drug abuse is a disease of the brain, and the drugs change brain chemistry, which results in a change in behavior. Aside from the obvious behavioral consequences of addiction, the negative effects on a person’s health are potentially devastating.
While addicts use drugs to “feel better,” the unintended consequences include but are not limited to overdose, HIV/AIDS, stroke, cardiovascular disease and a host of related maladies.
To understand this better you may want to read "Get Sick to Feel Better" a story of the negative effects of addiction...
What are the effects of addiction on the family?
One of the saddest aspects of the insidious nature of drug addiction is that by the time an addict realizes he/she has a problem, that problem has already taken a heavy toll on the family. Parents in treatment centers tell counselors and therapists that they want to “get their kids back,” as drug addiction has taken over to the point where the courts have been forced to remove the children from the home.
Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and sadly children are all impacted. Families can be sources of strength and support, or they can passively enable the addiction to advance.
Families can share in the victory over drug addiction, or they can be the victims of it.
What are the effects of addiction on our society?
The National Library of Medicine estimates that some 20% of all people in the United States have used prescription medication for non-medical purposes. We’re not talking about cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine use, but doctor-prescribed medication. You can easily see that if you group the two together, illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse, we have a huge problem.
What are the effects of addiction on the Law?
The news media reports daily struggles with theft, drive-by shootings, drug busts, illegal trafficking and manufacturing of drugs, and arrests for crimes ranging from child neglect to murder. Look closer and chances are great that you will uncover a drug addiction component to any of these stories.
What are the addiction effects on the economy?
Beyond the personal health issues, beyond the devastating effect on families, beyond community crime statistics, drug addiction has a major impact on the American economy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that some $67 billion per year is the impact that drug addiction has on this country.
This total includes the cost of law enforcement, incarceration, treatments, traffic injuries, lost time in the workplace, etc. Drug addiction causes impaired reasoning, and therefore the crime rate is dramatically impacted by drug use. Addicts have a much higher likelihood of committing crimes than others.
Put some of the factors together--
the alcohol-related deaths on our streets and highways, the abuse of the healthcare system by addicts showing up at the ER looking for drugs, the absenteeism on the job and the serious risk of HIV infection for those using needles,
and you can quickly realize this problem is enormous and that there are no quick fixes to solving it.
Have a question or story about the effects of addiction?
Please ask your question or share your story About drug or alcohol addiction.
News... The Effects of Drug Addiction
Click below to see contributions about the effects of addiction.
Panadol is dangerous
bro it messes with ya head when ya have 1 and 1/2 packets. grrrrr!!!!
My meth addiction.
I was 24 the first time I snorted a line of crank at a party. I've never taken anything that made me feel that good. It completely enhanced my personality …
He admits the problem, but...
I've been with my husband for 7 years and tomorrow, married for 5. I knew about his drug use before we were together and accepted him because I know who …
Am i addicted to weed?
I started smoking weed about a year ago to try and find a substitute for alcohol as i had been abusing it and it doesn't suit me. I'm 19 and me and my …
My daddy used to down 1000 pills in a month
My daddy used to be fast, he took speed acid and experimental pills he used to get aggressive and beat me, he used to abuse me and hit me. When he was …
Husband is an addict
My husband was addicted to Vicodin and OxyContin in his teenage years. He was trying to get clean and was going thru withdraw symptoms. He ran into someone …
Can't afford rehab for my heroin addicted 22 year-old son?
Need to find help for my 22 year-old son who is addicted to heroin, Methadone and sometimes Xanex! Getting help isn't easy because our insurance is never …
Morphine destroying her life
I have a partner addicted to morphine due to pain management from back surgeries. The behavior is erratic and startling. She is always right, her thoughts …
How to continue a marriage with a husband in a recovery period?
I am a newly married girl.. I knew before hand that he is addicted to Crystal meth but he was my love! He never agreed to treatment.
After our wedding …
How my addiction is affecting my life today
Who am I
By: Hope Taylor
May 22, 2015
Who am I you ask? What did I do in my past that has been affecting my life and choices I make in my daily …
Lost everything I ever loved!
Today I'm rocking 78 days clean I'm insane and scared to leave the house suffering depression but I'm clean thank you to the rooms of NA that keep me clean …
My life
I'm 16, my parents divorced two years ago. When they were together... the were both addicted to pills. But the both had a plan and their plans didn't match, …
Living and breathing are a pain in this present darkness
I will try to be brief, apologies a forehand: Growing up I was, or it seemed, to be out to prove everyone that I am capable of doing this or that, making …
My addiction and my kids!!
As I sit here and think about my family, I wonder what it's like to live with an addict. I know it must be hell, cause it's pure hell being the addict. …
Why do I continue to use knowing the harsh consequences??
I am 42 years old. I have been using for over 25 years, from weed to now Dilaudid. I am currently on a GPS monitor with a five year prison sentence hanging …
Friend doesn't think ice is bad for them?
Someone I know doesn't think that smoking ice everyday is a problem. Also, they're always angry and really don't think they're lying when they are, and …
I want to stop!
I want to get rid of the habit of taking drugs. I've had this addiction for the last 20 years and I am feeling so much strange? I really want to get rid …
Familial Impact of Addiction through the Years
I need this for class, working on becoming an addictions counselor, "Familial Impact of Addiction through the Years".
How do i help my dad?
My dad has been addicted to pills and whatever else for a long time. He was clean for a few years and then in the summer of 2014 he met a girl that i regretfully …
Husband and wife are both using.
I do occasionally use for fun. However my husband since before addiction is very possessive & jealous. He has always been so aggressive he constantly is …
Confused Wife of Addict
I have been married to a man that has been addicted to rx pills for 5 years. He is in recovery mode and doing well. He attends outpatient therapy. I feel …
How Do I heal sores from snorting pills?
I've been snorting 10-15 Vicodin 10mg & percocets 10mg and sometimes the Percocet 30mg everyday for 8-10 years. The last. 2-3 years I don't even eat them …
Does shooting meth make it harder to quit?
Thank you Debbie for your advise there was something I forgot to mention about my husband the way my husband does meth is by shooting up. Doesn't that …
She takes my pain away...
I've been using crystal for about 4years I'm 20 years old. I'm a college student and work part-time. Ugh i feel like crap... i know it sounds stupid but …
Click here to submit your question, story or listing.
Need to cut ties with friends that still use?
I am not in a 12 step program.
My name is Lisa. I am working my recovery through counseling. It's been 3 months and thank God I'm working it! …
Strength Needed in the Face of Tragedy
I want to tell you a story about a 26 year-old Chadd Michael. He had gotten this infection that collected in two valves of his heart a few years ago. This …
Can I get help with meth addiction and still continue to work?
I'm addicted to meth and have been for over 15 years. I've been able to keep a job, but have lost a couple of jobs because of meth. I can't quit on my …
Even the Rich and Famous!
There is a stigma attached to drug addiction that other diseases do not have. If a person is diagnosed with cancer, receives treatment and becomes a survivor, …
Spouse/Wife is a heroin addict! From Pain Pills to Heroin. 8 years now. HELP NEEDED
I am living with this addiction my wife has to heroin and can't take it anymore. She will not let me be and always wants money for heroin and I refuse …
Need to end my methamphetamine addiction?
Am suffering from methamphetamine addiction, I hate my recent actions, I need to stop immediately to end the horrible effects?
Please help me!
I need some advice on my husbands addiction
Hello, I love my husband and I recently found out that he was addicted to pills. He thought he didn't have a problem but then when he realized it and he …
why ?
Why do you do this to me again and again
I am your family I am your friend
but it just seems you only love it
the thing that's turning your life to …
My husband is an addict and refuses to get help?
My husband and I have been together for more than four years. He is a drug addict and he's constantly stealing my anxiety medicine diazepam and my pain …
I swore never again!
I started using drugs at a very young age. I took my first bit of weed when I was 6. And turned into the everyday smoker by the time i was 11. " thanks …
“I Love My Brother” a Drug Free children’s book production
Dear Debbie,
I’m writing you to ask for your support in publishing a Children’s book. I wrote a children’s book in 2008 with a very important message. …
Actress In Recovery To GRACE
While honing my acting skills in class, I was inspired by a teacher I was studying with who gave us a Call To Action. We ALL have a story to tell...So …
USING STEROIDS
I BELIEVE MY BROTHER IS USING STEROIDS... FOR A LONG TIME, BUT THERE IS NOT INFORMATION ON THIS PARTICULAR DRUG. ANY HELP? HE HAS CRAZY OUTBURST OVER …
What are the negative effects of addiction?
What are the negative effects of addiction and why are they negative? Are there any good or positive effects of some kind of addiction?
ATTACKED AND RELAPSED NOW WHAT?
I was attacked on my job April of 2010 by a co-worker, he jumped on me and just started choking me, got in his truck and left, I went inside and told management …
Marijuana Changes The Brain Even With CASUAL Use
Malcolm Ritter, the science writer for the Associated Press, reported that a recent study showed signs of brain changes in casual marijuana smokers. …
He needs to stop, NOW!
He's a drugy who smokes a lot of pot and needs to stop !!
My brother is a drug addict
My brother is addicted to cocaine and prescription drugs and has been addicted to crack cocaine on and off since he was 16 years old.
He is now 31 …
We have been threatened by drug dealers?
What do we do, our son owes £800 and drug dealers have threatened us?
Domestic Violence Outreach Program
I've been conducting research for a domestic violence outreach program I've been working on with in the community. I was checking out this page on your …
How can I help my sister??
My sister went from weed, to pills, to crack, to heroin to heroin and prostituting herself:((
OMG, someone please help!!
She went to 4 failed rehab …
Helping a person recovering from meth addiction?
My daughter has be in prison for 3 yrs. She started with pills & then began using meth (home made)and went down hill fast. She used meth for about 7 months …
Diabetes and Drinking Don’t Mix
We all wondered why “Ron” kept drinking, even after his doctor told him that he had developed Type II diabetes and that he should stop drinking.
The …
Please help...I need to know if I just need to move on? Any spouses of addicts that can help?
I've been with him 25 years and the last 8 have been drugs.....and all that comes with it. I've gone from mad, to sorry, to angry, to bitter, to hatred. …
The Strangest Drug Side Effects
Whenever you get a new prescription, the pharmacy provides a breakdown of the possible side effects of the drug. You might expect to see nausea, vomiting, …
Click here to submit your question, story or listing.
She Said No, No, No
It’s another senseless death. No matter how many warnings are put out there, no matter how many red flares are sent screaming into the air, no matter how …
We Want to be Offended
Alec Baldwin has been taken off of MSNBC because of an alleged gay slur. Others have been taken off the air because of alleged racial slurs. Still others …
Pancreatitis, Alcohol and Denial
She just couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Karen was admitted to the medical unit of the hospital, through the Emergency Department, after …
Harm Reduction: A non-12 Step approach to recovery.
Harm reduction is a form of psychotherapy that reaches out to addicted individuals or even non-addicted individuals in a non-judgmental way, using an alternative …
Wife is a crystal meth addict?
My wife was a crystal meth addict, before we got married .. I didn't know about this until 6 months before our marriage.. She agreed to get help and quit …
Driving Under the Influence
Drunk driving is the main contributing factor for most of our country’s traffic fatalities, and repeat Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is an epidemic …
Alcohol Poisoning often starts with binge drinking.
One of the ways to insult someone in the American culture is to say they can’t hold their liquor, and we see this kind of mentality played out in movies …
Unintended Consequences
The Associated Press reported recently on the death of a baby boy who died because his mother’s breast milk was laced with Xanax, methadone and Opana. …
Jail a good place to find addicts
Today we offer an article reprint by Vanessa Miller about Chaplain Joe Herzanek from Colorado. Herzanek has spent more than fifteen years working in the …
You Have To Go Thud!
I was always told there are two ways to do anything—the easy way and the hard way. It seems in so many cases a person chooses the hard way. It’s not …
Questions about Oxycontin?
I have been on Oxycontin prescribed since 1999. I was as high as 240 milligrams a day at one point. I have managed to reduce my intake to 80 milligrams …
Restoring your Driver’s License
A major obstacle that people battling with addiction face is a suspended or revoked driver’s license. While it is technically considered a privilege, it …
That concludes our page on the effects of addiction visit our home page for more information.
Also find out more about drug abuse causes.
and Finally Remember:
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
- Matthew 7:7-8
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The key to dealing with drug addiction is the right information. If you've ever wondered how drug addition impacts your life this site is for you.
** We're also launching four new classes which will help you learn how to use motivation, affirmation and encouragement to end addiction in yourself or a loved one. Each class will focus on an evidence-based concept, explaining how to illicit positive change in yourself or in someone you love.
We will teach you practical techniques that research has shown to be effective for achieving change and successfully ending addiction. We'll begin offering these classes this September through Learn-It-Live (Learn-It-Live is easy to use teaching tool and you don't need to download anything to use it). Click Register Now! below to join one of our classes. The registration process includes setting up an account, but you determine your screen name to protect your confidentiality.
Four new addiction classes:
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- Addiction 101, a FREE 60 minute course introducing key substance addiction recovery concepts. This seminar examines many aspects of drug addiction, including symptoms and treatment. It also introduces the Stages-of-Change as a building for recovery. It will be held on October 3 at 6:00pm central-time. |
Addiction 101 Register Now!
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- Intervention, introduces you to Change-Talk as an alternative to "tough-love". Change-Talk is a method, which you can learn, to get an addict (including yourself) to move away from addiction and toward recovery. This is a 2-hour class that meets October 5, at 10:00 am central-time at a cost of $10. |
Intervention
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- Change-Talk, is a building-block for addiction recovery. This course teaches you to recognize, listen to, and encourage Change-Talk in yourself and others. Research has shown it helps lead to positive change. This is a 2-hour class on Thursday, October 13 at 10:00 am central-time, for a cost of $10. |
Change-Talk Register Now! | |
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- Effective Conversations, teaches how to use conversation to connect for recovery. Productive, change-focused conversations facilitate positive change and addiction recovery. This is a 4-week, 60 minute class that meets each Wednesday beginning on Wednesday, December 6 at 6:00 pm central-time, at a cost of $29. |
Effective Conversations Register Now! |