The health consequences of drug abuse vary according to the user and the drug in question. With the vast numbers of drugs available, there are undoubtedly drugs which are far more dangerous than others when abused. However, most illicit drugs present damaging physical and mental health risks when abused over the long-term. Addiction is more likely with sustained use of a drug. It leads to dangerous drug-seeking behaviors, wreaking havoc on one’s psychological health. Addiction can also place the user at great physical risk, from organ damage to death by overdose.
The Physical Manifestations of Drug Abuse
Long-term drug abuse often leads to a host of physical symptoms that affect the body’s immune system. For example, the health of essential organs such as the heart and lungs, and even the physical structure of the brain itself, can be impacted. Meth addicts often experience severe dental issues, skin sores, compromised immune systems, and more serious medical complications.
Heroin users may deal with pneumonia and other lung issues from the drug’s respiratory effects. They also have greatly increased risks for diseases like HIV, collapsed veins, and clogged blood vessels, among other symptoms. 
Malnutrition is common in drug addicts, with many health conditions resulting directly from drug use and resulting behaviors. For example, some users abuse drugs in “runs,” where they often neglect food or sleep in attempts to keep a high going. Even drugs often perceived as “softer” – benzodiazepines – can cause a host of physical symptoms when abused, such as shakiness, headaches, or high blood pressure.
Addiction’s Cognitive and Emotional Damage
The cognitive and psychological damage caused by drug addiction can be as destructive as any physical symptoms. Many drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, cause physical changes to structures in the brain related to cognition. This can have profound effects on a person’s memory, coordination, decision-making abilities, and emotional control. Most of these changes in the brain result from long-term use that is associated with an addiction – classified by medical experts as a disease that changes how the brain works. 
Along with cognition, an addict’s mental health is often damaged due to drug abuse. This can result from a deterioration of social relationships, damage to neurotransmitter function that regulates moods, and co-occurring mental disorders that both fuel addiction and are worsened by it.
The Threat of Drug Overdose
A final health risk of long-term drug abuse is overdose. Many drugs, in particular opioids like heroin or fentanyl, present high risks of overdose to users. Overdose can result in unconsciousness, permanent brain damage, or even death. Many losing their lives due to a single bad dose of fentanyl-laced heroin or cocaine. Overdoses from opioids can be treated if one acts quickly, with the opioid antagonist known as Naloxone, or Narcan.
Getting Treatment for Your Drug Addiction Before It’s Too Late
The health risks of long-term drug abuse are often profound, and affect every part of a person’s life. Rehabilitation and recovery are achievable, no matter how much one has struggled with substance abuse. Even in cases where drugs have caused some degree of cognitive damage, much of it can be repaired with long-term abstinence and treatment. Treating addiction requires a multifaceted approach that targets the individual’s drug use as well as their underlying reasons for the addiction.
Granite Recovery Centers has several drug rehab centers in NH. We combine the time-tested approach of the 12 Steps with numerous clinically-backed models of psychotherapy to treat substance abuse and any co-occurring mental disorders. Granite Recovery Centers provides the environment, tools, and guidance you or your loved one need to overcome addiction. You will develop healthy habits and coping strategies as well as heal the damage to body, mind, and soul. If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, please call our admission specialists at 855.712.7784 . We can help.
