Jane Eubanks — Over the past twenty years, our country as well as the world has changed dramatically. Along with many positive changes and exciting new advances, there also has been a large rise in substance abuse problems.If you think about your neighbors, friends, or family, you probably have some idea of what their immediate problems are. On a smaller scale, most people have similar concerns: money, children, work related problems, etc. How do they choose to cope with these problems?
Now, people have many more options available to them, as far as their health and happiness is concerned. However, not all of these options are going to lead to the desired result. In fact, some options we are led to believe will help us actually lead us down a path with more problems and more unhappiness than we began with.
How substance abuse affects U.S. citizens
In the past few years, the number of people being treated for substance abuse has increased significantly. Substance abuse can apply to many drugs and can vary from person to person.
With substance abuse comes a long list of problems. When abusing drugs, people can experience altered moods or personality changes. They can have trouble at work or even lose their job. Drug users often have an inability to experience joy in life and develop low concentration skills. Worse, a person may be at risk for a possible overdose.
According to various studies, in one calendar year, approximately 23 million people over the age of 12 have needed treatment for a drug or alcohol problem. Out of those 23 million, 10 percent actually received treatment. Current studies show that more people are visiting their doctors for help with substance abuse than ever before.
A person addicted to a drug, either street or prescription, may not be brave enough to approach the subject of help with their family or doctor. Regardless of this, they probably know that they need help. As well as causing problems with everyday life, substance abuse also causes you to have problems with your physical health and well-being.
These physical complications and medical side effects are often unknown to both new and seasoned users. For example, marijuana users can expect to suffer from side effects like memory loss and increased heart rate. Long-term effects can include such things as infertility and lung damage.
There is a long list of things that one can expect to experience after experimenting with drugs or abusing prescription medications, as well. These are things such as:
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Rapid heart rate
- Dizziness
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Blurred vision
Complications over a longer period may include:
- Memory loss
- Psychosis
- Cancer
- Heart Failure
Your role in stopping substance abuse
It is not surprising that substance abuse is higher than in the past and that it doesn’t show signs of turning around any time soon. By educating yourself and others of the problems and side effects associated with abuse, you can however help to lower the statistic.
In this new day and age, while the statistics are currently high, people are becoming more aware of these complications and more concerned about protecting their families. It is important to do your research and become truly educated on what these drugs are and how they affect both the body as well as the mind. Hopefully, now that people are more aware of the facts, they will also become aware that what once seemed like a quick and easy solution is, in reality, a dark and troubled path.
For more information on this topic, go to narconon-news.org.
About the Author
Jane Eubanks is a health and wellness writer who has contributed to several publications on the subject of substance abuse. In her professional life, she has worked as an addiction counselor.
