Ill Effects of Addiction
I would like to know more about the physical and psychological ill effects of addiction?
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Ill Effects on Body, Mind and Spirit
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. 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. 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 effects of addiction 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 Emergency Rooms 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. |