There are endless studies on how drugs affect the brain, both short-term and long-term. Knowing this information helps us understand how to better help in recovery. Drug treatment centers in Kansas City, such as Gold Bridge Treatment Center, can provide you with a wealth of knowledge to empower you to know more about the disease of addiction and how to recover.
So how do drugs affect the brain? Drugs change the way chemicals interact, fire, and signal in the brain. This can affect everything from the nervous system, neurotransmitters, hormones, and all organs of the body. Basically, the entire body is affected by the ingestion of any drug.
Getting evaluated at a drug and alcohol inpatient treatment center in Kansas City, such as Gold Bridge Treatment Center, is key to recovery. Temporarily or permanently damaging the body’s natural process can have detrimental effects on your health.
Mental Health
Mental health and drug abuse often go hand in hand. Not only are some of the symptoms similar, but most of the time, they are comorbid, which means drug addicts usually have some form of mental health disorder. So, what are some signs you might be dealing with someone that struggles with a mental health issue?
- They have excessive worry to the point it changes their daily life
- Extremely low or extremely high
- Makes excuses for not going out or being around friends
- Does eat, or eats so much they get sick
- Suicidal thoughts, behaviors, or ideation
- Doesn’t sleep at all or sleeps all day and night
- Warped thinking, perception is not reality
All these signs point to mental illness but can also be signs of drug abuse. Or, like most people, a combination of both mental illness and drug or alcohol abuse. At drug treatment centers in Kansas City, such as Gold Bridge Treatment Center, you can rely on trained and licensed professionals to help you get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan in place.
Short Term Drug Use
Everything you ingest, whether it be prescribed to you or not, has an impact on your health. Prescription drugs are one of the most abused drugs out there because of its addictive nature and their passage as “okay” because a doctor gave it to me. Using for a purpose and for a short time under the care of a doctor is okay but using on your own terms is not a safe choice. Nonprescription drug use, even when used short term, can come with heavy consequences. It can cause cognitive impairments, learning delays, anxiety, and sleep cycle issues. All of these symptoms can look like mental health or physical symptoms, so it’s important to be evaluated by a professional.
Long-Term Drug Abuse
Addiction is the most obvious form of long-term drug abuse’s negative effects. Drug abuse can cause long-term irreversible damage to your brain and your body. At drug treatment centers in Kansas City, such as Gold Bridge Treatment Center, we evaluate both short and long-term damage due to drug use. Organ failure, blood disease, strokes, heart attacks, brain damage are among the many long-term side effects of drug abuse. In order for drugs to stay useful to the addict, over time, they have to use more and more, and high levels of drugs in their system can be deadly.
At Gold Bridge Treatment Center, the best drug and alcohol inpatient treatment center in Kansas City, we provide treatment in various forms and methods to deliver you a unique recovery plan. Evaluating and treating clients with the best methods possible is our goal. Give us a call at 913-837-4653 or visit our website today.