Addiction Causes And Effects

Over the year’s addiction has been spreading like wild fire. I never realized how many individuals turned to certain things to numb the pain of reality; in fact, I began noticing how many people suffered with this mental illness when I became part of the statistics. Addiction can be brought on by many things; such as, emotions, life, and even death of a loved one. Addiction comes in numerous different forms; such as, a physical item, a certain emotion, or certain behavior. Addiction can affect the mind and body, it can cause birth defects, and it will change an individual’s life; in fact, it could lead to a point of no return. Many individuals think addiction is only caused by drugs or alcohol; however, this isn’t true. The official definition of addiction according to Webster dictionary is "a compulsive need for and use of a habit forming substance characterized by tolerance, and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal" (“Understanding different”, n.d.). Meaning, an individual begins to

Some researchers have found many drugs; for instance, cocaine, nicotine, and methamphetamine. Can affect the cardiovascular system causing abnormal heart beat, or even a heart attack. Drugs that are injected, such as heroin could lead to collapsed veins, and infections throughout the heart (“Cardiovascular Effect”, n.d.). The second structure in our body that’s effected is the respiratory system. Some drugs like prescription opiates, and marijuana can lead to asthma; in fact, certain drugs could block the airway to the lungs causing respiratory arrest. The gastrointestinal tract is the third system that is effected by addiction. The GI tract is lined with a mucous membrane that helps break down food. When an individual continues to use, the mucous membrane begins to deteriorate causing ulcers and damaged organ walls (“The Effects”,