Why are drugs bad?

Surely, everyone heard a sentence like “Don’t do drugs because drugs are bad” at least once in their lifetime.

But why are drugs so bad?

There can be several reasons listed, so let’s explain a few.

Firstly, and arguably most importantly, substances are destroying the users’ health.

Sure, there are medically described drugs which can be of help if used appropriately but that doesn’t mean it is safe to use without a doctor’s supervision.

Abusing illegal substances will have damaging effects on vital organs, such as the heart and the brain.

Drugs like marijuana can damage the part of the brain where the feeling of happiness is created, making substance abusers feel unhappy, and even depressed in the absence of the used drugs.

Along with the feeling of depression, drugs can affect the brain’s receptors making individuals more likely to catch an illness and making even the common cold virus riskier.

Substances will also negatively affect the heart by increasing blood pressure or heart rate.

Inhalant drugs will damage the respiratory system, for example, smoking one joint (marijuana) can be of 5 times the damage as a regular cigarette.

Furthermore, substances can cause addictions, which are hard to overcome if even possible. If we look at regular smokers, most of them find it challenging to quit nicotine and most even fail at the first couple of attempts. Drugs can be equally hard to quit, in some cases even more difficult.

Withdrawal from addictive substances often provokes physical symptoms like shaking, and sweating and can result in aggression or even self-harm.

These situations not only affect the users but their loved ones as well since the addict might be aggressive towards them or even simply the fact that their loved one is struggling can damage their mental well-being.

With some of the reasons being elaborated on, it might come as a question why people continue using despite of the obvious negative consequences.

Reasons can be as simple as wanting to feel happy, or peer pressure and as difficult as untreated mental illnesses.

In peer pressure, substance abusers should distance themselves from the group or individual pressuring them. In cases of probable mental problems patients should consult a psychiatrist, which can be free of cost in Hungary with social insurance. Needing substances to feel happiness can be a sign of mental health problems and should be discussed with a doctor or psychologist.

Petra Georgina Borbély