Differences in Physiological Effects Among Various Addictive Substances
Recently, many states have been debating the legalization of Marijuana. Many who are against legalizing it claim that it will serve as a “gateway drug”, and lead to an increase in the amount of drug users in the United States. This idea begs the question of how people become addicted to drugs that ultimately ruin their lives by tearing apart their families, causing them to lose their jobs, and having detrimental and often fatal side effects to their health. There are many differences between addictive substances, including why they are addictive and how addictive they are, how they affect the body while using the substance, and how the absence of the substance affects …show more content…
Methamphetamine can cause dramatic changes in a person’s physical appearance over a long period of abuse that include premature aging, extreme weight loss, and muscle atrophy, as well as “meth mouth”. “Meth mouth” is the term for the dental diseases and tooth decay often associated with chronic methamphetamine users. These diseases and decay are a result of decreased blood flow to the gums, grinding or clenching of the teeth, a lack of saliva, and a poor …show more content…
Short-term effects of drinking alcohol include drowsiness, slurred speech, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, difficulty breathing, upset stomach, impaired judgment, distorted vision and hearing, decreased perception and coordination, blackouts and unconsciousness. The long-term effects of alcohol abuse are even more detrimental to the body. Excessive amounts of alcohol in the body over time dramatically increase a person’s risk for high blood pressure, stroke, anemia, cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, and breast, and severe liver damage. Of the 71,713 cases of death as a result of liver disease that occurred in 2013, 46.4 percent were alcohol-related. In 2011, 48.0 percent of all deaths due to cirrhosis involved alcohol. Long-term addiction to alcohol can also lead to many heart complications, such as cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias, and can weaken a person’s immune system, making the body of the alcoholic much more susceptible to diseases such as pneumonia and
Recently, many states have been debating the legalization of Marijuana. Many who are against legalizing it claim that it will serve as a “gateway drug”, and lead to an increase in the amount of drug users in the United States. This idea begs the question of how people become addicted to drugs that ultimately ruin their lives by tearing apart their families, causing them to lose their jobs, and having detrimental and often fatal side effects to their health. There are many differences between addictive substances, including why they are addictive and how addictive they are, how they affect the body while using the substance, and how the absence of the substance affects …show more content…
Methamphetamine can cause dramatic changes in a person’s physical appearance over a long period of abuse that include premature aging, extreme weight loss, and muscle atrophy, as well as “meth mouth”. “Meth mouth” is the term for the dental diseases and tooth decay often associated with chronic methamphetamine users. These diseases and decay are a result of decreased blood flow to the gums, grinding or clenching of the teeth, a lack of saliva, and a poor …show more content…
Short-term effects of drinking alcohol include drowsiness, slurred speech, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, difficulty breathing, upset stomach, impaired judgment, distorted vision and hearing, decreased perception and coordination, blackouts and unconsciousness. The long-term effects of alcohol abuse are even more detrimental to the body. Excessive amounts of alcohol in the body over time dramatically increase a person’s risk for high blood pressure, stroke, anemia, cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, and breast, and severe liver damage. Of the 71,713 cases of death as a result of liver disease that occurred in 2013, 46.4 percent were alcohol-related. In 2011, 48.0 percent of all deaths due to cirrhosis involved alcohol. Long-term addiction to alcohol can also lead to many heart complications, such as cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias, and can weaken a person’s immune system, making the body of the alcoholic much more susceptible to diseases such as pneumonia and