Effects of drug abuse and

addiction ON Society
Drugs are chemicals that affect the body and brain. Different drugs
can have different effects. Some effects of drugs include health
consequences that are long-lasting and permanent. They can even
continue after a person has stopped taking the substance.
There are a few ways a person can take drugs, including injection,
inhalation and ingestion. The effects of the drug on the body can
depend on how the drug is delivered. For example, the injection of
drugs directly into the bloodstream has an immediate impact, while
ingestion has a delayed effect. But all misused drugs affect the brain.
They cause large amounts of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that
helps regulate our emotions, motivation and feelings of pleasure, to
flood the brain and produce a “high.” Eventually, drugs can change
how the brain works and interfere with a person’s ability to make
choices, leading to intense cravings and compulsive drug use. Over
time, this behavior can turn into a substance dependency, or drug
addiction.
Today, more than 7 million people suffer from an illicit drug disorder,
and one in four deaths results from illicit drug use. In fact, more
deaths, illnesses and disabilities are associated with drug abuse than
any other preventable health condition. People suffering from drug
and alcohol addiction also have a higher risk of unintentional injuries,
accidents and domestic violence incidents.
The good news is: Substance use disorders are treatable.
What is drug abuse?
Clinically known as substance use disorder, drug abuse or addiction is
caused by the habitual taking of addictive substances. Drugs include
alcohol, marijuana, hallucinogens and opioids. Substance use
disorder is a disease, causing people to compulsively use drugs
despite consequences.

THE EFFECT OF DRUG ABUSE ON

HEALTH
Substance use disorders are associated with a wide range of short-
and long-term health effects. They can vary depending on the type of
drug, how much and how often it’s taken and the person’s general
health. Overall, the effects of drug abuse and dependence can be far-
reaching. They can impact almost every organ in the human body.

Side effects of drug addiction may include:

 A weakened immune system, increasing the risk of illness and
infection
 Heart conditions ranging from abnormal heart rates to heart
attacks and collapsed veins and blood vessel infections from
injected drugs
 Nausea and abdominal pain, which can also lead to changes in
appetite and weight loss
 Increased strain on the liver, which puts the person at risk of
significant liver damage or liver failure
 Seizures, stroke, mental confusion and brain damage
 Lung disease
 Problems with memory, attention and decision-making, which
make daily living more difficult
 Global effects of drugs on the body, such as breast development
in men and increases in body temperature, which can lead to
other health problems

EFFECTS OF DRUG ADDICTION ON

THE BRAIN

All drugs–nicotine, cocaine, marijuana and others–affect the brain’s

“reward” circuit, which is part of the limbic system. This area of the
brain affects instinct and mood. Drugs target this system, which
causes large amounts of dopamine—a brain chemical that helps
regulate emotions and feelings of pleasure—to flood the brain. This
flood of dopamine is what causes a “high.” It’s one of the main
causes of drug addiction.
Although initial drug use may be voluntary, drugs can alter brain
chemistry. This can actually change how the brain performs and
interfere with a person’s ability to make choices. It can lead to
intense cravings and compulsive drug use. Over time, this behaviour
can turn into a substance dependency or drug and alcohol addiction.
Alcohol can have short- and long-term effects on the brain and
disrupts the brain’s communication pathways. These can influence
mood, behaviour and other cognitive function.
Brain damage may also occur through alcohol-induced nutrition
deficiencies, alcohol-induced seizures and liver disease. In pregnant
women, alcohol exposure can impact the brains of unborn babies,
resulting in fatal alcohol spectrum disorders.
It is reported that alcohol-induced brain problems can often be
corrected with proper treatment. Abstinence from alcohol for
months or years can help partially repair thinking abilities, like
memory skills.

EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE ON

UNBORN BABIES

llicit drug use poses risks for pregnant women and their babies.
Drugs may contain impurities that can be harmful to an unborn baby.
Pregnant women who use drugs may be more likely to harm the
foetus with risky behaviours and poor nutrition. Drug use can lead to
premature birth or low birth weight. It can also cause the baby to
have withdrawal symptoms (sometimes in the form of neonatal
abstinence syndrome), birth defects or learning and behavioural
problems later in life.
An estimated 14 percent of adults with an illicit substance use
disorder reported receiving treatment in the past year. At Gateway
Foundation

Effect of Substance used disorders on the

family

Many studies and reports document adverse effects of substance use

disorders (SUDs) on the family system and individual members,
including children [1–8]. These disorders clearly affect many people
in addition to the individual with the problem, often creating a
burden for the family and its members. These effects on the family
may include:
 Emotional burden. Members may feel anger, frustration,
anxiety, fear, worry, depression, shame and guilt, or
embarrassment.
  Economic burden. This may be caused by money spent on
substances, or money problems associated with the loss of jobs
or reliance on public assistance.
 Relationship distress or dissatisfaction. Families may experience
high rates of tension and conflict related to the SUD and
problems it causes in the family.
 Family instability. This may result from abuse or violence, or
family breakup due to separation, divorce, or removal of
children from the home by Children and Youth Services.
 Effects on the developing fetus and children. Alcohol use during
pregnancy can harm fetal development causing birth defects
and problems in child development. Infants born to opioid-
dependent mothers are at increased risk for neonatal
abstinence syndrome, which can contribute to developmental
or cognitive delays. Children of parents with SUDs are at
increased risk for abuse or neglect, physical problems, poor
behavioral or impulse control, poor emotional regulation,
conduct or oppositional disorders, poorer academic
performance, psychiatric problems such as depression or
anxiety, and substance abuse.
 Effects on parents. Mothers with SUDs may show less
sensitivity and emotional availability to infants. Parents of a
child with a SUD may feel guilty, helpless, frustrated, angry, or
depressed.
The effects of a SUD on a specific family or concerned significant
other are determined by the severity of the disorder, the presence of
other serious problems such as psychiatric illness, behaviors
exhibited by the family member with an SUD, support available for
the family, and the family members’ coping strategies. Some family
members are more resilient than others and less prone to the
adverse effects of the SUD.
2. SOCIAL EfFECts of substance use
disorders
SUDs impact the social functioning of individuals and create a burden
for society as well. These disorders contribute to medical or
psychiatric conditions, disability, and death as a result of accidents or
diseases caused or worsened by substance use, or higher rates of
suicidality, all of which affect society. Other social problems
associated with SUDs include housing instability, homelessness,
criminal behaviors (victim or perpetrator) and incarceration, the
transmission of HIV due to IV drug use or high-risk sexual behaviors,
and unemployment or dependence on welfare. The costs associated
with these social problems are staggering, creating an economic
burden for governments or payors who spend considerable sums of
money on treatments for addiction, medical or psychiatric disorders,
and other related problems such as those associated with welfare
dependence, unemployment, or involvement in the criminal justice
or social service systems.

3. Interventions for school and family

problems
Components of comprehensive treatment for SUDs include a
continuum of professional addiction and related services
(assessment, detoxification, rehabilitation, counselling or therapy,
continuing care, substance use monitoring, medications, case
management, and mutual support programs) . Social, family, and
other problems can be addressed through the use of family, child
care, vocational, mental health, medical, educational, HIV/AIDs,
legal, financial, housing, and transportation services in addiction
treatment agencies or within the community.
Many individual and group treatments for SUDs address social
recovery issues in recovery, as these have implications for relapse
and quality of life. These interventions may address issues such as
how to: avoid or minimize contact with high-risk people, places or
events; resolve relationship problems; develop new friendships;
develop a recovery network of sober friends and supportive people;
resist social pressures to use substances; improve communication or
assertiveness skills; ask for help and support from others; engage in
substance-free social activities; engage in mutual support programs;
and/or make amends to those harmed by one’s SUD.
Family interventions can help the family influence or pressure the
member with the SUD to enter treatment and get help, address the
impact of the SUD on the family system and members, help the
family support the member with the SUD, and help the family
address their own reactions and problems associated with their
loved one’s SUD. The latter may involve participation in treatment,
family support programs, or both.
There is considerable literature supporting couples and family
approaches to SUDs . These may reduce the emotional burden for
family members and enable them to cope more effectively with the
affected family member. The following are strategies adapted from
the literature on engagement, treatment, and recovery to help
families.
Engage the family in Care : -
When possible, engage the family in the assessment process and
early in treatment. Outreach efforts may be needed to engage
families in treatment. A number of effective interventions have been
used with families to increase their rates of involvement with the
family member with the SUD in treatment [8, 9, 22].
Provide Education : -
Families benefit from education on SUDs (symptoms, causes,
effects), treatments (including medication-assisted treatments),
recovery challenges for members with a SUD, relapse, mutual
support programs, the impact of SUDs on families and members, and
professional services and mutual support programs available for
families.
Provide or Facilitate Family Treatment
Couples or family sessions can help families address their questions
and concerns, change how they interact within the family system,
and improve communication. Families can also benefit from
addressing their own emotional burden and behaviours that can
interfere with the recovery of the member with the SUD. Treatment
can be provided in sessions with the individual family or in multiple
family groups, which provide a supportive environment for families
to share their common experiences and concerns. Families can form
bonds with each other and learn what has worked for others.
Reduce the emotional Burden of the family : -
Family members experience a wide range of emotions such as anger,
fear, anxiety, and depression. The burden experienced by the family
can be reduced as they learn about specific disorders, get support
and help for themselves, identify with other families experiencing
similar problems, and share their own feelings and concerns. As
families feel empowered by learning information and acquiring new
coping skills, their emotional burden often lessens.
Help the family support the member with the SUD : -
Members can attend sessions together to learn ways to help the
member with the SUD without “enabling” this individual. Learning
about potential relapse warning signs or actual episodes of
substance use and how to intervene early in the relapse process can
empower family members. So can participating in discussions of a
continuing care plan following completion of a rehabilitation
program.
Help Family members engage in recovery to meet their own
needs : -
Families often benefit from mutual support programs like Al-Anon or
Nar-Anon, which provide them the opportunity to learn from others
affected by a loved one’s SUD. These programs mainly aim to get
family members to focus on themselves and what they can do to
make positive changes. Initially, it is common for families to focus
most of their attention on the member with the SUD. However,
these programs aim to get families to focus on their own needs and
engage in recovery to address these needs.

Focus on Children : -
Families can be helped to understand the impact of SUDs on children
and examining how their own children may have been harmed by
the SUD in the family. Parents with SUDs can be encouraged to talk
with their children about their impact on their family and the
children, and maintain an open dialogue with kids to address their
feelings, questions, or concerns. They can help kids learn about
SUDs, treatment, and recovery. Establishing normal routines and
rituals in the home, taking an active interest in the child’s life,
engaging them in family activities, and facilitating an evaluation for a
child with a psychiatric or substance use disorder are other ways of
helping the family.