Recreational drugs are the substances taken not for medical reasons, but for a person’s relaxation and pleasure. It is currently one of the most common problems states and societies have to deal with, as recreational drug consumption is hugely popular around the world. It is also a topic for major public debates regarding legalization or complete ban. The thing is that recreational drug consumption significantly affects people’s social life along with their personal psychological and physical health. Here are some of the most popular drugs used to relax nowadays and the consequences consumers have to deal with.
Volatiles
The easiest to get, glues, paints, nail polish, various aerosols and other toxic substances are, therefore, extremely common among drug users, particularly young ones. These are the things severe addiction can start from, resulting to further switching to ‘harder’ drugs. Most often sniffed of breathed in, they give short-term feeling of joy and boost in self-confidence. After primary effect wears off, they cause dizziness, nausea, hallucinations, loss of consciousness or self-control, feelings of tiredness of sleep disorders. In extreme cases, may lead to throat spasms of heart failure right during the process of consumption.
LSD
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, commonly presented in pills of liquid, belongs to the class of hallucinogens and represents one of the most widespread drug substances. Unlike any other drug, it can have both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ effect, driving the consumer either to feelings of happiness and well-being or fear and tension. Aggravation of perception, also quite a common condition, may cause significant disorientation, hallucinations, loss of one’s physical and psychological balance. These polar effects lead to developing mental symptoms such as panic attacks, increased anxiety, paranoia or confusion, inability to interact with people and objects. LSD consumers are highly likely to have flashbacks for a long time even after they stop taking drugs, and are at risk of dealing with memory and attention issues long afterwards.
Mushrooms
Just like LSD, mushrooms may have polar impact on consumers. Great variety of species makes the main danger not simply using them, but picking the ‘right’ ones that will not turn out to be toxic enough to kill one with their poison. They are taken by cooking, eaten fresh, consumed dried or even added into drinks. The effect starts shortly after consumption, has pretty similar traits and consequences with LSD. Also, one is always in a great danger by severely or even fatally harming oneself while being disconnected from reality under the effect of mushrooms.
Cannabis
Also referred to as weed, grass, marijuana, leaf etc., cannabis to significant extent belongs to depressants, but has a variety of other effects. Mostly smoked, it causes feelings of joy and relax, but distorts one’s perception (sight, hearing, smell and touch). It also leads to increased anxiety, panic attacks, hallucinations, loss of concentration and increases probability of developing mental illnesses, specifically schizophrenia. Prolonged use may end up with heart failure.
Cocaine
Made from coca leaves growing in South America, cocaine is currently one of the most common drugs to be consumed in the United States. It can be sniffed, smoked of injected. While the effect of the drug on one’s body and mind lasts from just a few minutes to a few hours, it is highly addictive. Its physical effects include increase of body temperature and heart rate, sexual arousal, acceleration of some kinds of brain activities. Psychologically it contributes to feelings of confidence and alertness, but also to loss of judgment and aggression. Among withdrawal symptoms are muscle pain, nausea, depression, shakes, sleep problems. Long use and overdose may lead to chronicle headaches, increased violence, suicidal mood, lung of heart failure, brain hemorrhage.
Amphetamines
Known as a speed drug, amphetamines come in powder form and can be consumed by smoking, injections, sniffing, mixing with drinks etc. Ecstasy (MDMA) derives from this group of substances and has quite similar effects. Being a stimulant, in a short time after taking a dose it gives feelings of super confidence, alertness and reduced fatigue. However, among consequences are psychoses, irresponsible sexual behavior leading to STDs, huge risk of becoming liable to mental illnesses, malnutrition, sleep disorders, risk of getting infected with HIV of Hepatitis C through needle sharing for injections, abscesses. Long use and overdose cause brain hemorrhage, high fever, heart attacks, blood vessels’ bursts and, occasionally, death.
Heroin
Heroin derives from opiates and is a highly toxic depressant affecting central nervous system. Having been used as an extremely strong painkiller at first, it has later become one of the most addictive and destructive drugs. Commonly consumed by sniffing, smoking or, most often, injecting, it causes intense feelings of happiness, comfort and euphoria, creating false reality. Withdrawal is followed by severe pain, shakes, nausea, breath problems, decrease of heart rate, high risk of self-harm while resisting the need to take another dose. Overdose most often leads to grave illnesses and fatal conditions, such as HIV/Hepatitis C infections, respiratory standstill, blood vessels damage, and even coma.
Any of the drugs listed above are highly likely to result into developing a quick and severe addiction. Their time-limited ‘positive’ effect, which normally lies in increasing people’s self-esteem and false facilitating of life conditions and personal problems, in reality leads to the very opposite. Beyond the periods one is under drugs, one experiences harsh physical and psychological consequences, problems with further social interactions, particularly with colleagues, friends and family, financial needs, and is quickly and significantly worsening one’s condition. And it is only possible to take a way back if one realizes one’s addiction, sincerely wishes to get rid of it and has support to overcome it.
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