5 Physiological Effects of Alcohol, Drugs, and Tobacco

When was the last time you discussed your history of drug and alcohol abuse with a professional who provides healthcare? Do you self-medicate with substances such as alcohol or drugs? Our mission at the Laguna beach rehab is to promote wellness for all of our patients and to educate the local community in order to empower each individual.

1. The effects that medications have on the brain

The human brain is the organ with the highest level of complexity. Through a communication system in which neurons carry information back and forth among various structures inside your brain and other regions of your body, it is responsible for the regulation and coordination of each and every activity that occurs within your body. Drugs have the effect of disrupting the normal transmission, reception, and processing of information that occurs inside neurons.

A particular region of the brain is affected by the medication depending on the kind of substance that is being taken. And despite the fact that you could experience fleeting pleasure, the negative repercussions might be long-lasting. A few of these impacts include, amongst others, problems with learning and cognitive function, loss of memory, and an inability to exercise self-control.

2. The impact that alcohol has on a person's brain

Alcohol, much like other substances, may wreak havoc on the communication systems in your brain. Alcohol has a depressant effect on the nervous system, which can be seen when, after a few drinks, you start having trouble coordinating your movements and speaking in a fluent manner. Although alcohol can initially make you feel energized, happy, and inhibited, it actually works as a nervous system stimulant. Abuse of alcohol may have devastating long-term repercussions on a person's physical and mental health, including damage to the liver, an increased risk of developing cancer, cognitive impairment, memory loss, psychosis, anxiety, and depression.

3. The ways in which different drugs alter one's memory

When you have had too much to drink, you may wake up the following day unable to recall some events that occurred the night before. Even if other people tell you what you said or did, you may have absolutely no memory of these occurrences, even if they are recounted to you. Even though having one of these "blackouts," as they are often referred to, does not indicate that the cells in your brain that are responsible for memory are harmed, engaging in heavy drinking on a regular basis may really damage your memory cells in a way that cannot be reversed.

4. The connection between some drugs and mental health disorders such as anxiety and sadness

There is a direct correlation between substance addiction and these mental illnesses, which means that substance abuse can be what causes anxiety and depression, but having anxiety and depression can lead to becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol. Both of these mental illnesses have a direct correlation with one another.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is a mental disease that leads to feelings of extreme melancholy as well as a lack of interest in things that one previously found pleasurable. It is possible for it to create issues in your personal life, relationships, career, and education if it is not handled. Anxiety is characterized by recurrent episodes of acute, uncontrollable, and unyielding concern and terror about seemingly little matters.

5. Substances may create stress

As a means of relieving the tension and anxiety that we experience on a daily basis, many of us turn to drugs and alcohol. Consuming alcohol or drugs often as a means of coping with stress may really be counterproductive, despite the fact that there is nothing inherently wrong with treating yourself to an occasional glass of wine at the end of a particularly trying day. Even if you feel calm for a few of hours after using a drug, after the impact wears off, you are forced to deal with the same stress again.

This might cause you to use again, which creates a vicious cycle and encourages more substance abuse. Consider this as well: while you're under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you have a greater propensity to make poor choices, such as maxing out your credit card, becoming involved with someone you shouldn't have and destroying a relationship, getting into a physical altercation, and so on and so forth.