No matter what age people might be when an addiction develops, and no matter what social class they might fall into as the addiction unfolds, it’s safe to say that their continued use could lead to disastrous consequences. Often, those consequences are physical in nature.
Many addictive drugs, including alcohol, heroin and prescription painkillers, have a sedative quality to them, so people who take them tend to become sleepy with increasing use. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that one death every 19 minutes can be attributed to prescription drug abuse, and many more could be blamed on illicit drugs like heroin. But even those who keep their lives may struggle with serious health problems that impact the:
Heart
Lungs
Kidneys
Esophagus
Immune system
Some health problems improve with time and increasing sobriety. Those who damage their lungs due to long-term exposure to inhaled drugs, for example, may begin to experience healing as soon as they allow those sensitive tissues to come into contact with clean air on a regular basis. But there are some forms of damage that simply don’t heal with time. People who damage their heart muscles due to cocaine, for example, may live forever with the scars to show from their addictions. Getting sober is just vital, as it’s the best way to ensure that permanent damage doesn’t take hold.
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