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What are the short and long-term effect of drugs on the body and mind?
The effects of drugs will vary from person to person depending on the person's characteristics (such as physical size, gender, mood, diet, fitness, age, expectations and health), the drug itself (such as the amount used and its purity), and how it is taken and the environment a person is in when using the drug. Some people become depressed, angry, aggressive, sleepy, unmotivated, paranoid, anxious or talkative. Drug use can also lead to social and emotional problems and negative effects on relationships with family and friends.
What signs do you look for to detect if someone may be using drugs?
Drugs effect everyone differently. There are many signs that you may notice if someone is using drugs. These can include changes in their behavior, a change of friends, withdrawal from family, suspicious activity, changes in eating and sleeping patterns, or deterioration in health. However, everyone responds differently to drug use and these type of changes can sometimes be a normal part of development (e.g., during adolescence)and not related to drug use at all.
What Is a Trigger?
Triggers are things that give you the urge to use drugs again. These include places, people, things, smells, feelings, memories, or anything that you relate to drugs and getting high.
What are Depressants?
Depressants, sometimes referred to as downers, are drugs that decrease alertness by slowing down the activity of the central nervous system (e.g. heroin, alcohol and analgesics).
What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism is when you have trouble controlling your drinking, you are preoccupied with alcohol, you continue to use alcohol even when it causes problems in your life (job, relationships, health, etc.), you have to drink more to get the same effect, or you have withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking.
What happens to your brain when you use heroin?
When heroin enters the brain, it attaches to molecules on cells known as opioid receptors. These receptors are located in many areas of the brain and body, especially areas involved in the perception of pain and pleasure, as well as a part of the brain that regulates breathing. Short-term effects of heroin include a rush of good feelings and clouded thinking. These effects can last for a few hours, and during this time people feel drowsy, and their heart rate and breathing slow down. When the drug wears off, people experience a depressed mood and often crave the drug to regain the good feelings.
What are Stimulants?
Stimulants, sometimes referred to as uppers, are drugs that increase the body's state of arousal by increasing the activity of the brain (e.g. caffeine, nicotine and amphetamines).
What is drug addiction treatment?
The best drug addiction treatment is based on the individual and the type of addiction. Addiction treatment can include a combination of detoxification, medication (i.e., Suboxone), and behavioral therapy. Because drug addiction is typically a chronic disorder, it is usually a long-term process in order to avoid relapse.
What happens to your body when you use heroin?
Opioid receptors are located in the brain, the brain stem, down the spinal cord, and in the lungs and intestines. Thus, using heroin can result in a wide variety of physical problems related to breathing and other basic life functions, some of which may be very serious. Here are some ways heroin affects the body: dry mouth, warm flushing skin, heavy feeling arms and legs, feeling sick to the stomach and throwing up, severe itching, clouded thinking, a temporary feeling of intense happiness, going "on the nod," switching back and forth between being conscious and semi-conscious, increased risk of HIV and hepatitis (a liver disease) through shared needles and poor judgment while “high” leading to other risky behaviors. (read more about the link between viral infections and drug use)
Can regular use of non-prescription medicines harm my health?
Non-prescription medicines can be dangerous if they are misused. All medicines contain drugs that can lead to a variety of health problems when they are taken in doses above what is recommended, too often, or for purposes for which they are not suitable. For example, the use of minor analgesics (such as aspirin or paracetamol) over the long term can lead to a variety of health problems, including kidney disorders, anemia and gastric ulcers.
Is drinking worse than smoking weed?
While some teens may argue that weed is safer than alcohol, research shows that teens don’t typically use alcohol OR weed; they use both, often at the same time — a dangerous combination. The biggest impact of mixing marijuana and alcohol is the significant increase in impairment in judgment. The level of intoxication and secondary effects experienced can be unpredictable. Some people may be more prone to episodes of lightheadedness and fatigue. Also, because marijuana is an anti-emetic (used to treat nausea and vomiting in medical situations), it may be easier to drink alcohol until dangerously high blood alcohol levels are reached, as the normal body defense of vomiting when drunk may be muted by the marijuana.
How many teens use heroin?
It is mostly adults who use heroin and although its use is rather low, the number of people starting to use heroin have been steadily rising since 2007.4 The greatest increases appear to be in young adults aged 18–25. In contrast, heroin use has been declining among teens aged 12 to 17.5
How do drugs function?
A drug is any substance (with the exception of food and water) which, when taken into the body, alters the body's function either physically and/or psychologically. Drugs may be legal (e.g. alcohol, caffeine and tobacco) or illegal (e.g. cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin).Depending on the drug, how it functions will affect everyone differently depending on a person’s (size, gender, mood, expectations), the drug (amount used, strength, purity) and what environment the drug is used in.If there is a particular drug you are inquiring about, or are after any specific information, please let us know. You can do this by submitting a new question.
What happens when you mix alcohol with marijuana, sedatives or prescription painkillers?
Any time you mix two drugs, it is dangerous. The most dangerous combination is alcohol and sleeping pills or prescription painkillers. A person taking these drugs may stop breathing or have heart failure, or may choke to death on his or her own vomit. Alcohol and marijuana taken together can cause a person to become very disoriented and to have an even slower reaction time than if either drug were taken alone.
What is alcohol poisoning (or alcohol overdose) and how can I help someone who may be suffering from it?
Alcohol poisoning (also called alcohol overdose) occurs when there is so much alcohol in a person’s bloodstream that areas of the brain controlling basic life-support systems—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down.