The 10 Drugs That Cause the Most Harm
Harmful Effects of Drug Addiction
Drug abuse and addiction can harm a person’s life in many ways. The effects of alcohol, prescription opioids, stimulants, and other substances can have short-term and long-term impacts. From the central nervous system to the heart, lungs, brain, and skin, among other major organs and parts of the body, the health risks of drug abuse and addiction have no silver lining.
Some substances cause much more harm to users than others. Street drugs are often considered more dangerous than legal substances, but that’s not categorically true. Street drugs like black tar heroin can be dangerous because the exact dose and other ingredients are unknown. Heroin and crack, among other substances, can be cut or mixed with unknown substances that can also cause harm to users. In other words, there are no genuinely safe drugs, just more harmful ones.
There are harmful drugs, very dangerous drugs, and the effects drug addictions have on individuals and the people around them. Addictive substances can affect a person’s mind, body, spirit, and many different areas of their life, too. Alcohol and drug abuse and addiction can cause financial ruin, long-term adverse health effects, broken relationships, and problems at work and school. Here are some of the most common effects of addictive substances:
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Fatigue
- Heart issues (palpitations, increased heart rate)
- Hives
- Nausea and vomiting
- Rash
These side effects of substance abuse can worsen over time and create long-term problems. Substance abusers often ignore adverse health effects as they are distracted by substance abuse and addiction.
10 Most Harmful Drugs
Some of the most harmful-sounding psychoactive substances are safer than legal items you can get in a store or from your doctor. It’s also hard to compare harmful drugs to one another as a single-use could be meaningless, while frequent use could be dangerous, regardless of the substance. Prescription drugs, especially synthetic opioids, can be highly addictive, although taking LSD is often considered irresponsible with harmful drugs. Drug classifications by the United Nations are sometimes to blame for a dangerous substance being legal and a safer substance being illegal. An article in The Economist ranked the harm of many substances abused by people, including all known effects, like social harm and harm to bystanders. Here is the list in rank order:
- Alcohol
- Heroin
- Crack cocaine
- Methamphetamine (Crystal meth)
- Cocaine (Powder)
- Tobacco
- Amphetamine
- Cannabis
- Benzodiazepines
- Ketamine
What didn’t make the top of the list of harmful drugs? Ecstasy, LSD, and mushrooms. However, drug abuse should never be held up as a good idea. Even drugs that aren’t deemed to have seriously harmful health effects can still create dangerous situations, like driving under the influence, increased risk in how a person behaves, and specific financial issues.
Discover more about Amphetamine withdrawal symptoms here:
Treatment for Drugs at Novo Detox
Addiction affects people from all walks of life. That’s why at Novo Detox, we have treatment programs for many different types of substance use disorders, including treatment for alcohol abuse, psychoactive drugs, sleeping pills, crystal meth, heroin and crack, and many other substances.
We have addiction treatment and abuse care plans for anyone ready to commit to addiction recovery if you are looking for treatment and rehab options concerning any substance use disorders. Our exceptional inpatient rehab and outpatient rehab counselors at Novo Detox will help walk you through the different addiction treatment options we have for you. We want to help you put behind the harmful health effects of drugs and alcohol and lead a productive, happy lifestyle. Please give us a call at (844) 834-1777 today.
