A growing number of people are abusing stimulants across the nation – up to five million per year. And these drugs are just as problematic as depressants like heroin or opium. In this light, stimulant abuse is a real problem. As a result, you must understand why people abuse these drugs, get a glimpse of the common side effects, and better acknowledge the real risks. Doing so may save your life.
Why People Abuse Stimulants
Although some stimulants do have medical uses – such as treating ADHD – many more do not. And, unfortunately, even medical stimulant abuse is a common problem. Typically, people abuse stimulants for a variety of different reasons, including:
- The need to study – Students often take stimulants to study for difficult exams or tests
- Travel difficulties – During long trips, people may take a stimulant to stay awake longer
- Personal focus – Many stimulants increase your focus, which makes it easier to pay attention
- Party fun – Stimulants can make a party seem more “fun” by decreasing your self-control
- Improve athletic skills – Some athletes may abuse stimulants to increase their performance capabilities
Whatever the reasons, stimulants are a dangerous drug. Even worse than these reactions, you may overdose on stimulants, and could even die. Therefore, you must fully understand the side effects of stimulant use. Doing so can help you avoid this problem and educate others who may abuse stimulants around you.
Common Side Effects of Stimulant Abuse
Stimulant abuse will trigger a multitude of reactions in your body that may be harmful. Some of these are a worsening of the benefits some medical stimulants offer. Other issues include more adverse effects that can put your general health and even your life at risk. Just a few symptoms that you may experience when you take stimulants include:
- Restlessness and an inability to fall asleep
- Hyperactivity that makes it hard to settle down
- Extreme loss of appetite that may lead to weight loss
- Mood swings that can be very hard to predict
- Risky behaviors that may cause legal troubles
- High blood pressure that may trigger heart problems
- Very high levels of confidence and a sense of well-being
These issues can impact your life in a variety of ways. And some might even seem positive at first. After all, who doesn’t want to feel better about themselves? However, this sense of well being is a false and temporary one. It doesn’t manage the underlying issues that affect your emotional problems. As a result, you may increasingly turn to stimulants to feel happy. And, sadly, you may put your life at risk without the help of treatment.
The High Dangers of This Abuse
The longer you abuse stimulants, the more damage you do to your body. While the controlled medical use of these drugs may not cause any problems, sustained and excessive abuse always will. And the results can not only be problematic but also even deadly.
For example, people may experience an irregular heartbeat during stimulant abuse that triggers heart attacks. Others fall into seizures that may threaten their lives if they are alone. And some may experience more problematic long-term effects that otherwise impact their lives.
These effects include kidney and liver damage that may require replacing these organs, if possible. Others may even damage their blood vessels and increase their risk of stroke. As a result, a high-quality rehab center is an absolute must. This treatment option may save your life.
When to Get Help
If stimulant abuse has affected you or someone you love, please contact us at Northern Illinois Recovery today. We are an outpatient and sober living facility that can help you recover from drug abuse. Our extended care program offers many recovery modalities, such as dual-diagnosis, personalized treatment, medication-assisted care, and more. So please call 855.786.1978 to get the help that you need. And verify your insurance to get financial aid, if required.
