Addiction is a type of disease and, as such, it can lead to a series of events for a person that are quite negative. The consequences of being an addict might have an effect on your professional life, physical health, and well-being. There are quite a few different forms addiction might take, and each one of these has its own risks. That said, let’s look at a few of the consequences of being addicted to alcohol and drugs.

Legal Consequences

It’s critical that if you need help for women’s addiction, you get it. It might just keep you out of jail. Many substances that are addictive are highly regulated. In some cases, these substances are even banned by federal and local governments. This is because the government is attempting to lessen the consequences of addiction and protect your well-being.

Being caught with these substances can result in you going to jail, sometimes for many years…especially for something like heroin. On top of this, you might end up being involved in a civil lawsuit as well. If you happen to be found guilty, you can end up in prison, lose the right to vote, have difficulty finding employment when you’re released, and even lose your family.

Health

Some of the consequences of substance abuse have to do with overall health. Cravings that are compulsive and combined with abuse that’s prolonged can lead to negative long-term consequences for health throughout the entire body. Many substances can cause strain on your organs along with both the respiratory and venous system following prolonged abuse. Quite a few forms of addiction can even alter the physical make-up of the user, at times after only a few weeks of abuse.

Mental Health

On top of the medical concerns just mentioned, using certain substances chronically can also lead to things like long-term impairment neurologically speaking, like exacerbating or leading to mental health issues. Emotional and neurological effects of abusing substances can include things like depression, memory loss, mood swings, psychosis, and more. 

Socially Speaking

Addiction is something that can be difficult to hide. As the abuse of the substances goes on, it can and will affect nearly every single aspect of the life of the user. They might lose their ability to concentrate, they will more than likely experience fluctuations in their mood, and what interests them might change as cravings for the substance becomes stronger and stronger.

The social effects of substance abuse will typically include tension in the family, if not a complete rift, even if whoever is using is quite good at hiding their intake of the substance. Dynamics in friendships will more than likely also change, as friends who don’t happen to also be users will tend to find less in common with friends who do use and can struggle to enjoy being in their company. This means that with the passing of time, the user will end up only being able to be comfortable around other users.

Deal With It

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please get assistance now before it’s too late and you have a worst-case scenario on your hands. Most of the time, the first step will be medical detox. This is especially true if the substance being abused is something like prescription drugs, cocaine, meth, heroin, or even alcohol. Do this now before the user ends up harming themselves or someone else and needing to find an attorney or winding up in jail or funeral home. No substance on earth is worth that.