Drug and Alcohol Addiction – Physical and Emotional Effects

At some point in your life you are given a talk about drugs and alcohol and the effects that both can have. Most of you were taught in school health classes that the effects of drugs and alcohol can be emotional as well as physical and can have a great impact on the people who surround you.  .

In drug and alcohol rehab, the addicts work individually, together and with trained drug and alcohol addiction experts to understand both the physical and emotional demands of overcoming an addiction. The experts in drug rehab programmes have helped many clients get sober and they know how to help people cope as they go through withdrawal and face the emotional truth that contributed to their addictions.

Physical Effects of Alcohol and Drug Addiction

As a person falls deeper and deeper into the throes of alcohol or  drug addiction, friends and family start to notice that the addict is physically changing. Internally his body deals with intense cravings for the addict’s drug of choice. Outwardly, a drug addict can display any of the following symptoms:

– Bloody noses

– Coughing for no reason

– Lack of coordination or unexplainable drowsiness

– Irregular pupil size

– Bloodshot or red eyes

– Smokey smell or other drug smells on clothing

– Physical marks on the skin (track marks, rashes, etc)

– Inability to sit still

– Incessant scratching or rubbing

– Infection on the skin

– Drug paraphernalia in pockets or usually within close proximity to the person

– Hair loss

– Excessive carefulness of one’s appearance and behavior when the person usually isn’t quite so meticulous

Emotional Effects of Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Drug and alcohol addictions are usually closely related to an emotional issue that has existed for quite a while. While it is true that an addiction can be physical-the triggers for that addiction are usually emotional.

A drug addictive can have emotional effects, such as –

– Increased feelings of loneliness and ostracism

– Increased irritability & fatigue

– Unexplainable anxiety

– Inability to concentrate

– Feelings of abandonment (for both the addict and the people in the addict’s life)

– Stress from strained relationships

– Fear that the addiction is out of control or rejection if addiction is discovered

– Fear that even if the addict gets sober, they will no longer be accepted by their social circle

– Anger at people who “don’t get it”

In a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, both the persons with the addiction and the people surrounding the addict will go through counseling sessions to help face and deal with the emotional ramifications of alcohol or drug addiction. The experts and therapists can also help an addict cope with the physical addiction to drugs and alcohol.

The truth is that drug addiction is neither all physical nor entirely emotional. The staff in drug rehabilitation centers understand and work with you to deal with all aspects of overcoming addiction and living a sober life.