Introduction
Many people continue to abuse drugs and consume a lot of alcohol even as the campaign against them continues. An approximate of 500,000 people die from drug abuse and alcoholism on a yearly basis. The two are highly addictive and form part of what is affecting the society most. The paper will discuss the effects of drugs and alcohol and examine their negative effects on the individual and society. Drugs and alcohol pose negative effects on people’s health, their interactions with others in the society and inhibits them from leading a successful life.
The negatives of drugs and alcohol
First, the two have adverse effects on the heath of an individual. A lot of alcohol consumption weakens a person’s immune system and could lead to death when body organs eventually fail to work. They cause liver cirrhosis because they scar the liver tissues which replace the normal functioning ones. Women, especially, who drink a lot are at a higher risk of getting liver cirrhosis. The kidney, also, is a victim to the excessive consumption of alcohol and drug abuse. After a while it ceases to function and leads to many kidney complications, the worst being kidney failure. In addition, research has indicated that the abuse of certain drugs such as cocaine and Marijuana leads to infections in the inner body organs. The lungs are crucial to the supply of oxygen. When they are infected, a person may develop breathing problems because the infections will hinder the inhalation and exhalation process that happens in them. Drugs such as methamphetamine lead to difficulties in breathing. The drug is common on the streets and is referred to as crank. It also causes skin irritability, panic attacks and often results in tooth loss because of dehydration of the body and mouth. The panic attacks of sleeplessness that is damaging to a person’s health.
Second, drug abuse and alcohol consumption can result to an abuse victim’s failure to succeed in life. Most of the time, people argue that a little puff or gulp of drugs and alcohol cannot be harmful. The observation is true but is limited by the fact that the two are highly addictive. Most addicts start of as social drinkers, smokers or sniffers. They do so on rare occasions, but they become perpetual alcohol drinkers or drug abusers overtime. In the end, their productivity in life is limited, and they end up failing in everything they do. For instance, most young people drop out of school because of drug abuse. In states such as New Orleans, many teenagers have dropped out of school because of cocaine, heroin and Marijuana use. Moreover, there are people who get fired from their jobs or lose their families because of alcoholism(Klingner, Donald, and Nancy, 7). Others misuse their savings and end up being poverty stricken because they waste their resources on alcohol and drugs. The recklessness caused by the two can have adverse effects on individuals who use them. For instance, drug and alcohol use leads to instances of unsafe sex practices and accidents. Most people who are high never take precautions in their lives and end up ruining them. The misconception about drugs is that they affect people who have no control or somehow belong to a lower class in society. Drugs affect everyone who uses them and can damage the most honorable of people. They lead to the spread of diseases such as HIV, which can ruin an individual’s life. Research has shown that 30% of car accidents are the result of drunk drivers. Such recklessness is what destroys good lives and is mostly perpetrated by drugs and alcohol. Besides, individuals tend to lose focus of their life goals when they abuse drugs and consume alcohol. Theylead to short-sightedness in life because an individual exists in a careless state when he or she is high of drugs and alcohol.
Third, drug and alcohol affects how people interact with other around them. Often, victims to alcoholism and drug addiction live a solitary, lonely life. The reason is that they fail to mingle with other people. They are prone to violent outbursts and irritable behavior that makes them dangerous to those around them. The only company an addicted individual can keep is with other addicts. Their substance use makes them unacceptable in the society. In some cases, addicts and alcoholics lose the people in their close circles and end up alone, or with strangers who also use drugs and are alcoholics. The violent nature they adopt is not healthy for building of close relationships with the people around them.
Also, drug use and alcoholism leads to involvement in criminal activities and prostitution. The reason is that is the only company that can accept addicts and alcoholics. Once an individual becomes broke, and they have to have drugs, they will do anything to acquire the money needed to finance their lifestyles. Most will end up doing despicable things in a bid to get high because the withdrawal symptoms that are hard to control. They will be involved in a series of thefts, robberies and sexual trades that will earn their money. The sad end is death or a prison term. Some individuals completely change and become hard core criminals when they are deeply rooted to alcoholism and drug use. Some are redeemable.
Conclusion
Alcohol and drug use is bad because of what it does to its victims as discussed in the above paper. However, it is not incurable. Rehabilitation centers exist to ensure people who are willing to change get cured and go back to live normal lives in the society. Also, therapy exists as a means of helping victims to establish where the origin of the problem is for them to find complete redemption. The methods of cure only exist for the individuals who stop living in denial and take responsibility for that in which they indulge.
Work cited
Klingner, Donald E, and Nancy G. O'Neill. Workplace Drug Abuse and Aids: A Guide to Human Resource Management Policy and Practice. New York: Quorum Books, 1991. Print.
