Short Term Effects Of Drug Use

Drugs can be helpful—in many ways. They have the ability to help someone combat a sickness, and can even help people with mental illnesses; these are helpful drugs. Though they are helpful, they must be taken in moderation, for even good drugs are harmful if abused. However, there are also drugs that can harm people if they choose to take them. People may choose to go down this path for many reasons—for instance, they may be doing it to escape reality, or put their lives on pause for a while. By doing this, these people are willingly allowing these drugs to wreak havoc on their bodies and minds. One drug that is able to do this with ease is heroin.
Heroin is injected into a person’s arm with a syringe (Amsden 1). It can also be smoked or snorted …show more content…
A short-term effect of a drug refers to the effects that the person taking them will experience soon after taking the drug. A long-term effect refers to what the one taking the drug can face after a period of time of taking the drug. Drugs can affect both the body and the mind. Heroin has a number of short-term effects, as well as long-term effects. Short-term effects the minds of those who use heroin may face include drowsiness and “nausea” (“Short Term Effects” 1). People who use this drug may also face short-term effects on their bodies, such as: “dry mouth,” “severe itching,” and sometimes a “rush” (Pat Moore …show more content…
Some long-term effects on the bodies of heroin users are: “decreased dental health,” “severe constipation,” and a weakened immune system (Patterson 1). After using heroin for a period of time, one will start to depend on it. This is called “heroin dependence” (Watkins 1). Over time, as one continues to use the drug, that person will become more and more used to the doses that they’re taking (Watkins 1). This means that they will have to take more of the drug to achieve the desired effect. This can lead to a drug overdose, as the user continues to up the dose as they please (Watkins 1). They then face “physical withdraw” and “psychological withdraw,” which both happen when the user isn’t on the drug (Watkins 1). Later, the user experiences the “failure to quit” (Watkins 1). One way that heroin affects a user’s mind in the long-term is that the user may face insomnia (Torres 1). Evidently, heroin has the ability to cause a lot of problems for those who decide to use it—it even seems as though the negative effects outweigh the positive