Substance abuse as we all know is deadly, but more than this, it can really be dangerous. It is known to cause a permanent damage to the brain. You might survive it, you might still be living, but the effects of it you would have to endure, and a brain damage is one thing you will not want to endure. And this permanent brain damage could also be the cause why it is hard for abusers and addicts to quit.
Brain damage is a real possibility. Drugs are basically cocktails of chemicals bombarding your nervous system with electrically excited neurons which transmit information eventually interpreted as emotions. Prolonged exposure, however, can really damage the cells which, in turn, leads to various diseases and mental disorders. It's mind-boggling what drugs are capable of (no pun intended).
Once you use drugs, your brain will never ever be the same. Although it's possible to recover from drug abuse after a period of time, because your brain has already taken a beaten, some of your brain cells may have already died. Unlike other cells in our body, cell production in the brain is slow so brain cells take time to regenerate.
Remember that whatever goes into our body affects our whole system because of the process of metabolism and absorption. So everything we take either by mouth, vein, nose or even the skin will eventually affect the brain. By the time we take in a drug or substance and we feel its pleasurable effect, we know that it has already been processed in the brain.
It's not surprising that substance abuse can lead to permanent alterations in the brain, including damage. The effects are indeed lasting, which is why it's so important to get sober as soon as possible. Waiting too long to kick a given drug can have permanent negative effects on the brain and the rest of the body. It's something that not many people think about, but they realize how serious things are when such damage shows its face later on.
My dad knew a guy from his neighborhood that did a lot of drugs and did I fact suffer serious brain damage. He got off the drugs at some point. I don't know the story, but my dad mentioned that he had seen him again after maybe 30+ years. Not sure how long he had been clean, but he was not the same at all, I think the reason he wasn't wormy was because he couldn't anymore. It's very sad. I wish they would tell young kids about this more as a warning. Maybe some would have more healthy fear of the consequences of drugs.
Thank you for mentioning this, unfortunately permanent brain damage is one of the terrible side effects of addiction. I have known many long term addicts that even though they may have achieved sobriety the horrible after effects still linger. I wish that this side effect was more strongly stressed to addicts and even more presented in the media and in our school systems.
I think that must be really disclosed to the public to serve as a warning to other people, specially to drug addicts and also those ones who are planning to take drugs. It would be a good deterrent.
People are only too well aware of the effects that drugs can have on them but they still take them. I think it can be used as a deterrent to stop people before they have started. Once your already on the drugs though, I don't think telling a story like this would stop somebody.
Brain damage is a very real possibility if you use drugs, your brain is altered beyond reason and you could not possibly expect to get away tithut any damage, particularly if you are using on a daily basis.
I have seen the effects of a how drugs can affect your brain. A person I know before he and who now is in recover, he is much slower than he was before he started using.
I was sent for a brain scan around 6 months after getting clean and I have to say i was terrified of the outcome. The doctor was very frank about the fact that he wanted to check that I hadn't caused myself any brain damage through doing drugs. Thankfully, everything was fine but it really brought home the risks I had taken in the past.
I don't think this fact is really driven home to the public and feel that if it was, it may make a difference. Everyone knows that drugs cause brain damage, but so can any substance. They do not realize the seriousness of it and the extent that the damage can be. It needs to be advertised more and there will be a difference.
You know, for us this is very scary, but what is even more worrying is that a big portion of drug users -- you tell them this, tell them the risks, and they don't care. They know they could have body or mind problems, know they could die, and they'll keep doing it. Some of them look like they have a death wish -- some even say it, "I hope this kills me" and all. All calls for help, probably, but it's just chilling to hear.