Drugs aren’t all bad, and it’s important to remember that. For instance, Marijuana has been approved as a medical treatment for various conditions, from cancer to multiple sclerosis. However, just because drugs can be used to improve your health, that doesn’t mean that recreational drug use is any less dangerous.

When it comes to your health, drug use can have a range of impacts, including a combination of short and long-term ones. The effect that drugs have on your health depends on what drugs you use, how you use them, and how often you use them. The stronger the drug and the more often you use them, the more detrimental the effect. (Of course, that’s not to say that using drugs one time won’t kill you, because as it’s been reported in the media many times before, just one drug use can, in fact, kill you.)

The main issue with drugs though is addiction, and the health consequences that come with it, both mental and physical. When it comes to drug use and stepping back into the light after going down the dark path that comes with addiction, there’s a lot that you need to be aware of. With that in mind, below is a guide to dealing with addiction and the steps that you need to take to get your life back on track.

How do drugs impact your health?

Drugs can have short and long-term impacts on both your mental and physical health. Short-term effects can include changes to appetite and weight, higher blood pressure, stroke, psychosis, increased heart rate, and in some cases, death. Longer-term effects include higher rates of cancer, lung and heart disease, HIV, hepatitis, and mental illness such as anxiety, OCD and depression.

Did you know that drugs can change how the brain works? These brain changes can impact people’s ability to find pleasure in things like food, control their stress levels, their ability to learn, and their ability to make sound decisions. For instance, most drug crimes, such as burglaries and violence are a result of the impact that drugs have on the brain’s chemical balance. Drugs change your entire mentality, and can cause you to do things that in normal circumstances you would never consider doing.

What are the steps to breaking a drug addiction?

Drug addiction is something that can be incredibly difficult to break the cycle of. However, with the right treatment and long-term support, it is possible to break the cycle once and for all.

One of the most significant parts of overcoming a drug addiction is learning how to manage triggers – AKA things that trigger you to want to use drugs. An example would be when spending time with friends that use drugs or going to a party where everyone is drinking and using drugs. These are the kinds of situations that need to be avoided.

Of course, not all triggers are external; some are internal – AKA are within your own mind – that’s why undergoing therapy to determine the emotional problem that has caused your drug use is so important. While you are undergoing treatment for your addiction, you will learn how to manage these triggers.

An important part of recovering from a drug addiction is looking to the future and planning a life for yourself that doesn’t include drugs. This means taking steps that allow you to move your life forward, such as finding a job or signing up to study.

The hardest part of breaking the cycle of addiction is staying ‘clean’ once you are off of drugs, as temptation can be everywhere. However, it is possible to break the cycle once and for all and step back into the light, instead of going down the dark path that comes with drug addiction.