Methamphetamine or Meth, like other drugs, can short circuit the survival system by artificially stimulating pleasure areas in the brain. As this happens, it leads to increased confidence in meth and decreased confidence in normal everyday life. When this occurs the user becomes more interested in meth related activities, people, and environments. Withdrawals of meth use: fact or fiction? Much to contrary belief meth users do suffer from withdraws as well as any other addict would.
Illicit use of these drugs can lead to low birth weight, breathing difficulties, death, and of course the possibility of the baby being born addicted to the drug. Drug addictions in infants present themselves as irritability, fevers, and piercing cries. More specifically, cocaine use during pregnancy can cause physical deformities in the child’s eyes, bones, genitals, urinary tract, kidneys and heart and acute growth retardation. They may also experience seizures and hemorrhages. While many people believe that marijuana may not be as harmful as these other drugs, it can still affect the infant in a few ways.
Although heroin is even more effective as a painkiller than morphine and codeine, it is so highly addictive that its use is illegal. Heroin can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the preference of the user and the purity of the drug. Heroin can be injected into a vein or a muscle, smoked in a water pipe or standard pipe, mixed in a marijuana joint or regular cigarette, inhaled and smoked through a straw, known as "chasing the dragon," or snorted as powder. The most feared drug by many, yet for others its powerful "high" offers the most dramatic way of escaping the realities of everyday life. It is the drug that immediately comes to mind when people talk about substance dependence.
Impaired judgments due to decreased levels of inhibitions can lead to risky sexual activity. As well, those users that use intravenously increase their chances of contracting HEP B or C or HIV/AIDS. Crystal methamphetamine is not necessarily an aphrodisiac, but through increasing the level of dopamine through triggering the release of powerful brain chemicals, it may increase sex drive. Ironically, while desire and stamina are increased, it ultimately decreases the users’ sexual desirability and performance (PBS, n.d.). 6connected with the fact that crystal meth can suppress one’s appetite.
The third principle is, the size and quality of the drug’s effect depends on it’s dosage. For example, if someone were to use cocaine (an illicit drug) as a local anesthetic, it would be a small dosage and would numb the area for a small amount of time. However, if someone were to take a large dosage of cocaine, there heart rate will increase, they will feel more sociable and active. But the main feeling they will experience is euphoria. The dosage of the drug can be very critical on it’s affect.
NIDA supported research illustrates that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from the abuse of anabolic steroids. Researchers report that steroid abuse can instigate wild mood swings leading to violent, even homicidal acts. When the drugs are stopped, depression may transpire and may contribute to dependence on steroids. Researchers also reported that the users may experience paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment. Steroids devastate one’s life and
This happens because the sudden elimination or decrease of a hormone in the body can lead to very serious health effects that can result to injury or even death. That is why discontinuation of anabolic steroids too quickly is an improper way to evade the effects of steroids as the withdrawal process comes with side effects of its own. These withdrawal symptoms are the long term effects that the athlete (steroid taking individual) will have to live with in the long run. Examples of some of these include apathy and depression, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, a decreased sex drive, joint and muscle pain &
After a while, users need higher doses to get the same effect. This leads to dependence and addiction for those users of the drug. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 43 percent of ecstasy users become dependent on the drug. Users are aware of the negative consequences of ecstasy, but their dependence on it prevents them from stopping to use the drug. However, Ecstasy is used medicinally to relieve victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Energy drinks may seem to give you a jolt of energy, but that are in fact very harmful to your body. Consumed in large quantities, health experts say, the drinks can cause nervousness, irritability, increased blood pressure, insomnia and when mixed with alcohol, especially whisky, they could lead to strokes. The high levels of caffeine and sugar have negative effects which include sleep deprivation, heart attacks, elevated blood pressure , dehydration, diabetes, strokes , and seizures. Energy drinks are simple beverages that contain some form of vitamins and other chemicals which boosts your energy for very short span. These energy drinks have lots of sugar & caffeine which provides us with energy.
We need to make ourselves knowledgeable about all of the effects of prescription medications in order to make good decisions for our overall health because if we do not, then we are merely playing dice with our health just like the users of illegal drugs. Prescription pain medications are used by patients to relieve extreme pain or discomfort. Although pain relievers are legal, increasing the frequency or amount that you use can cause harm to your body that was not originally intended. Pain medications release opiates that act in much the same way as the opiates found in heroin. Opiates can make your body feel relaxed, drowsy, and numb in place of those feelings of pain and discomfort.