Doctors explain how substance abuse wrecks the body and ways counselling can help
Ways substance abuse can affect our body
Addiction can take a serious toll on a person's physical and mental well-being, and in some cases it can even prove fatal. Substance abuse is a form of addiction wherein a person misuses drugs to the extent of losing the ability to stop when needed. Mostly, people start using drugs to experiment or to experience something new, it is almost harmless initially. However, once it becomes more frequent, the body and the mind becomes accustomed to the substance, making it more difficult to resist.
Why do people indulge in substance abuse?
It is important to understand that substance abuse or drug addiction is not only about heroin, cocaine, marijuana or any other illegal drugs, but it also involves overconsumption of prescribed medications, stimulants, opioids, alcohol, nicotine and legal drugs.
Initially, it is all about how the drugs make you feel. You may believe that you're in control and have the sense and sensibility to manage how much and how often you use the drug. But over time, as it becomes more frequent, your brain may be affected in a way that it is deprived of its cognitive powers and you may lose the ability to reason.
In many ways, substance abuse not only affects your mind and behaviour, but it may also impact different parts of your body. Keeping aside the sociological aspect of how it disrupts relationships, self-identity and much more, it can take a great toll on people's body and health.
That being said, we have well-established doctors from different medical fields elaborate on how substance abuse can disrupt our bodily functions and can cause severe damage to various parts of the body. Read on to find out.
The impact of substance abuse on the brain
Substance abuse aggressively targets the human brain.
According to Dr. Nithin Kumar N, Consultant – Neurology, Fortis Hospitals, Cunningham Road, Bengaluru, "The brain is the most delicate organ in the human body and the center of all human activity." Substance abuse, on the other hand, "is attributed to both short and long-term detrimental effects on the human brain, leading to the destruction of brain cells and an influenced mind and body upon the drug's interaction with the brain's limbic system altering its chemistry."
Given that the drugs target the brain's reward system, inducing the nerve cells to release an excessive quantity of a chemical called dopamine, it produces a high intensity of pleasure, leading to a constant urge to do more drugs, which can be detrimental.
Prolonged use of drugs may also cause certain changes in the brain circuits and chemical systems, which may damage one's decision-making abilities, judgement, cause memory problems and impact a person's ability to learn.
Can it increase the risk of cancer?
As far as substance abuse is concerned, it can increase the risk of chronic health conditions, including cancer. As per the American Cancer Society, substance abuse and addiction sum up about 30% of all cancer deaths.
Dr Niti Raizada, Director - Medical Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore suggests that long-term abuse of any drug can make people prone to numerous health problems, including the risk of developing cancer. "Tobacco is the leading cause of lung cancer and accounts for 80% of cancer deaths; 3,500 per day in India alone," she says.
Furthermore, as per the Lancet Oncology Journal, heavy alcohol use was associated with 5% of cancer diagnoses last year while the National Cancer Institute attributes 3.5% of deaths due to the same, Dr. Raizada explains. According to her, it interferes with DNA repair leading to cirrhosis and sex hormone deregulation leading to breast cancer.
That said, when it comes to cancer patients particularly, besides the general risks associated with substance abuse, Dr. Raizada says, "cancer patients face complications specific to the disease and its treatment like reduced efficacy of treatments or therapies in some, while side effects such as nausea and vomiting in others."
The link between ketamine abuse and kidney damage
Our kidneys play an important role in removing wastes and extra fluid from the body. It helps maintain a healthy balance between water, salts and minerals in our blood.
Having said that, while substance abuse in all its forms is bad for your overall health, ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used on animals, abused for recreational purposes. It is a sedating drug which induces unconsciousness in a patient. Due to its dissociated amnesia effect, it's also known as a "date rape drug", says Dr. Vinod S Dibbur, Consultant – Nephrology, Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore.
Delving deeper into the effects of ketamine on the kidney, the doctor says, "Upon prolonged abuse of Ketamine, the byproducts of Ketamine accumulate in the urinary bladder, which results in chronic, usually irreversible damage (in early stages)."
"However, with continued exposure, other complications can occur such as a small shrunken urinary bladder, hydroureteronephrosis (excess fluid in the kidneys), which is found in 50% of the cases. This inevitably affects the overall functioning of the kidneys", he adds.
Burning micturition, incontinence, increased frequency of urination, and bloody urine are some of the symptoms associated with it.
The role of counselling in managing drug cravings and preventing a relapse
Substance abuse is more than just a physical urge to do or misuse drugs. It is also an illness of the mind, driving a person to give in to the cravings.
Having said that, counselling plays an important role in curbing drug cravings and may even make a person proficient in resisting it. "Detoxification, or the removal of drugs and toxins from the body, is the first step in which one learns to control drug cravings while avoiding relapse", says Akanksha Pandey, Consultant Clinical Psychology, Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore.
Given that the chances of a recovering patients/addicts experiencing a relapse is high, as per Ms. Pandey, "Counselling assists one in overcoming cravings and learning to cope with life's challenges, aims to change people's behaviors and attitudes as well as strengthens life skills, and supports other treatments."