Excessive use of alcohol or drugs can cause serious damage important body organs such as the brain, heart, lungs and even the liver. If addiction treatment is not received and drugs or alcohol is continually abused, it may eventually lead to death.

Did you know that addiction is a brain disease? Dr Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in the US believes that the brains of addicts have been altered by their addiction suffered. “Absence of the drug makes a signal to their brain that is equivalent to the signal of when you are starving.” She says that the signal is so powerful that the individual’s state of deprivation causes him to believe that it is absolutely necessary to take the drug for survival.” When someone becomes addicted to drugs and alcohol, all that the addict will think about is when, where and how they will be able to use the narcotic substance again. Also, when alcohol or drugs isn’t available, the individual may become moody and irritable.

When someone abuses drugs or alcohol, the individual won’t be able to focus at work. This may lead to poor decision-making and a lack of productivity. The addict may even begin to simply stay away from work, in order to find more time to fund their addiction. Should this trend continue, it’s only a matter of time before the addict will eventually lose their job.

Addiction is often known as a family disease, as it doesn’t just affect the addict but also the people closest to them as well. When family members are hurt by their loved one’s addiction, the respect levels for that person will dwindle daily, until the relationship has been completely broken. The addict will also be avoided by their peers in society and in the workplace as it’s thought that “who would want to spend time with a drug or alcohol addict?” The addict will be seen as an annoyance and those around them will often try to exclude them as much as possible.

Alcohol and drugs are not cheap and when someone is addicted to it, the financial costs built up over time can be humongous. When money isn’t available for drugs or alcohol, the addict may eventually resort to loaning or even stealing money from the people around them.

Those who abuse drugs or alcohol will have a shorter lifespan than those who do not use these narcotic substances. The health complications that come with addiction and even drug overdoses can all cause death.