Home : health : Substance Addiction – Symptoms, Causes, And Risk Factors
Substance addiction – Symptoms, causes, and risk factors

Substance addiction – Symptoms, causes, and risk factors

Addictions can be described as uncontrollable and strong compulsions to use or consume something. These urges are usually associated with alcohol and substances, which can lead to severe consequences such as death, disability, and emotional suffering of family members. These compulsions are very strong in nature and mostly have destructive results. Some of the life-altering results of addictions can include

  • financial loss,
  • development of a negative personality, and
  • lack of any other interests.

Symptoms of addictions
Substance addictions can have social, psychological, and physical effects. Although the symptoms can be broadly put into these three categories, there are high chances that the symptoms will overlap with each other. One of the main examples of overlapping of symptoms can be seen when substance abuse has psychological effects on a person; they want to put all their resources into buying the substance instead of food and other essentials. This leads to a lack of nutrition in the body.

  • Psychological symptoms
    Addictions can lead one to feel and behave in certain ways, such as
    • Irresistible urges to use despite health problems
    • Taking substances to cope with stress
    • Obsession with substances
    • Endangering one’s life to procure
    • Intake in large quantities
  • Social symptoms
    When a person is addicted, it has a large impact on their social lives. Some social symptoms include
    • Choosing substances or alcohol over meeting family or friends
    • Giving up on fond hobbies with the progression of addiction
    • Having substances stocked up all the time so that there is never a shortage
    • Trying to maintain distance from everyone to maintain secrecy
    • Constant denial that they have a substance problem
  • Physical symptoms
    With regular substance use, a lot of functions of the body can get impacted. And this can result in
    • A dependence that can even lead to withdrawal symptoms
    • Major changes in the appetite
    • Severe diseases such as respiratory illness and lung cancer
    • Insomnia
    • Changes in appearance
    • Increase in the body’s tolerance for the substance

Causes
For most people, the first time use of substances is voluntary. However, there are a lot of circumstances that contribute to making it a full-blown addiction. The changes that occur in the brain after the consumption of substance can take a long time to be reversed. This means that bringing the brain back to its healthy state can take a lot of time.

Consumption of the substance produces a feeling of euphoria in the brain. This happens due to a spike in dopamine levels in certain parts of the brain, which gives a rewarding feeling. Addiction reaches its maximum when the reward circuits of the brain are taken over by substance intake. When this level is reached, the brain starts to crave the same feeling. Hence, the compulsion to consume more of the substance becomes stronger, leading to an addiction.

Risk factors
Just like other conditions, there are certain risk factors associated with addictions. They usually include

  • stress,
  • depression,
  • eating disorders,
  • physical or emotional abuse,
  • genetic predisposition, and
  • peer pressure.

There are many ways through which one can treat substance addictions, and the support of loved ones plays a pivotal role at such times.

Top Reads

Top Tags

Popular Reads

Joint conditions – Symptoms, causes, and risks
health

Joint conditions – Symptoms, causes, and risks

Joint conditions refer to any condition or disease that affects the joints. Arthritis is the most well-known and commonly occurring joint disease, while there are several others that impact the health of individuals across the world. Diseases related to the joints can be both short-lived or they can turn chronic and require surgery and other serious treatment. This condition can be limited to a single joint or it can impact different parts of the body. There are two types in which joint conditions can be classified: inflammatory and non-inflammatory. However, one thing that is common with most joint conditions is that they’re very painful, especially inflammatory diseases. Symptoms of joint conditions There are several symptoms of joint conditions. While most of them will involve pain, some of them might just involve a difference in shape or a bulge around the joint. This will be the earlier stage of any joint condition, and if a person visits a doctor during this stage, treatment can be fairly simple. Let us understand the different symptoms of joint conditions: The area surrounding the joint is swollen or there is prominent redness in the area. If you touch it, and the area is warm, you might want to consult the doctor.
Read More

All you need to know about kidney and liver failure

Hepatorenal syndrome is a condition that is identified as a type of kidney failure that occurs in people who have serious damage caused to the liver, commonly due to cirrhosis. When the kidney stops functioning, toxins begin to accumulate in the body which leads to liver failure as well. Therefore, kidney and liver failures are co-dependent in this case. This condition is of two types: 1 and 2. In Type 1 the kidney failure is more rapid, while type 2 patients tend to move gradually toward renal failure and the symptoms are less aggressive. Symptoms The symptoms caused by the hepatorenal syndrome are a cause of medical emergency in most cases. If any of the symptoms associated with the condition occur, the patient must be rushed to a doctor without any delay. The common symptoms associated with the condition include Nausea Increase in body weight Confusion Reduced urination Change in the color of urine, which usually becomes dark-colored Swelling in the abdomen area Jaundice Dementia Vomiting Delirium Causes and risk factors In most cases, the hepatorenal syndrome is a complication associated with liver disease. Almost in all patients, the condition is caused as a result of liver cirrhosis. When a person suffers from cirrhosis of the liver, there are several factors that can cause the hepatorenal syndrome, such as Infections, especially the ones that affect the kidneys Digestive tract disorders such as gastrointestinal bleeding Use of diuretics, the substance used for increased production of urine The primary reason behind the condition is mostly any kind of disease related to the liver.
health

Menopause – Symptoms, causes, and risks

Menopause is a stage that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles and fertility, and it is diagnosed when a woman doesn’t menstruate for 12 consecutive months. Usually, menopause occurs in women between the ages of 40s and 50s, but in some cases, early onset may cause a woman to reach menopause in her late 30s as well. Menopause can lead to the development of several symptoms and can cause a lot of discomfort, but no medical attention is required in most cases. This article outlines what you need to know about menopause. Symptoms of menopause The time that leads up to menopause is also known as perimenopause, and it can be accompanied by various symptoms, including the following: Irregularities in the menstrual cycle Vaginal dryness Hot flashes and night sweats Cold chills Sleep-related problems Mood swings Increase in body weight Reduced metabolism Hair thinning Skin dryness Reduced breast fullness The symptoms caused by menopause, including the irregularities in the menstrual cycle, can vary from one woman to another. During perimenopause, it is common as well as expected for a woman’s menstrual cycles to be irregular or skipped. Some women do not get their cycles for several months, followed by normal cycles for a few months.
health

Symptoms, causes, and risk factors of mental health issues

Mental health is a term that is collectively used to understand illnesses that include symptoms that might have an impact on the thinking, mood, and behavior of a person. Mental health problems might make it difficult for people to concentrate on work or maintain a positive work-life balance. There might even be problems pertaining to relationships when a person is dealing with mental health problems. While mental health and stress have a complex but definite relationship, the latter can gravely be worsened by the former. What is the solution? While some people resort to counseling for mental health problems, some might turn to medication. A combination of both can also be a good and effective solution for some. Symptoms of mental health problems The symptoms of mental health illness can vary depending on the individual, the depth of the problem, and how a person is looking to cope with the problem. There can be emotional and behavioral repercussions of mental health illness, and the best way to cure is to identify it early on and support the person suffering from mental health issues as well as possible. Some of the known symptoms of mental health illnesses include: Feeling sad or low Inability to concentrate on the job or even on leisure activities like watching TV or reading the newspaper Extreme feeling of guilt Irrational fears or worries, especially about the future Mood swings Withdrawal from family, friends, and all sorts of social activities Detachment from the real world and a sense of delusion or hallucinations Inability to keep up with daily tasks or powerlessness in handling the stress of simple jobs Difficulty in understanding people and situations Excessive alcohol use Sudden change in eating habits Change in sex drive for the worse Change in temperament and sudden hostile behavior and loss of patience Suicidal thoughts Physical symptoms such as stomach ache, back pain, and headaches Causes of mental health problems Multiple causes can be associated with the occurrence of mental health illnesses.
health

Oral health issues – Causes and tips to prevent them

Although maintaining oral hygiene is important for overall health, several mouth and teeth diseases can make it difficult to have the pearly whites you desire. This makes it important to be careful about oral hygiene and make regular efforts to maintain oral health. This article discusses the symptoms and causes of mouth and teeth diseases, followed by a few tips to maintain good oral hygiene. Symptoms Several mouth and teeth problems can be caused by oral health issues. Here are some symptoms that you need to keep in mind to help prevent oral diseases: Foul breath Bleeding gums Loosening of teeth Aches in the tooth, jaw, or gum These are the most common symptoms that are often overlooked, but ignoring them can worsen the pain and aggravate mouth and teeth problems. It’s best to consult a dentist at the earliest if any of these symptoms manifest. Causes The causes of mouth and teeth problems may vary from person to person, but let’s look at the most common causes: Smoking Smoking causes several health issues, and mouth and teeth problems are just one among those. It harms the tissues of the gums and the nicotine also stains the teeth. Poor dental history in the family If your family has a poor dental record, you should take extra precautions to maintain oral health as you face a greater risk of developing mouth and teeth problems.
health