What are the Effects?
Drugs can be harmful in a number of ways, through both immediate effects and damage to health over time. Even occasional use of marijuana affects cognitive development and short-term memory. In addition, the effects of marijuana on perception, reaction and coordination of movements can result in accidents.
Hallucinogens (such as LSD) distort perceptions, alter heart-rate and blood pressure and, in the long term, cause neurological disorders, depressions, anxiety, visual hallucinations and flashbacks.
Cocaine and amphetamines first cause tremors, headaches, hypertension and increased heart-rate. Long-term effects are nausea, insomnia, weight loss, convulsions and depression.
Heroin use initially results in nausea, slow respiration, dry skin, itching, slow speech and reflexes but, over a long period, there is the serious risk of developing physical and psychological dependence which in the end can lead to acute overdose which can lead to death due to respiratory depression.
Although not listed as illicit, inhalants are widely abused, especially by disadvantaged youth. Some of these volatile substances, which are present in many products such as glue, paint, gasoline and cleaning fluids, are directly toxic to the liver, kidney or heart, and some produce progressive brain degeneration.
Drug Addiction Recovery Rates
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), recovery from addiction is defined as not returning to dependence for five years after one has completed a rehabilitation program of some kind.
Even after undergoing alcohol or drug treatment, the sad truth is that many individuals relapse shortly thereafter. Common relapse rates vary by chemical substance, with some forms of chemical dependency proving more difficult to treat by the majority of recovery programs.
In recent years, SAMHSA has published rates of recovery for different drugs. Alcohol recovery showed a surprisingly high relapse rate, with nearly 86 percent of those entering alcohol recovery programs returning to dependency within five years. The highly addictive opiate drug, heroin is recognized as having a relapse rate of 87 percent after drug treatment. Particularly for chronic users who have become chemically dependent on the drug, heroin cravings have been known to exist for years after treatment.
With a relapse rate of 84 percent, crack vastly outnumbers cocaine (55 percent) for individuals returning to use following drug treatment. Crack is cocaine hydrochloride powder processed to form a rock crystal that is typically cheaper and more accessible than pure cocaine. The highly addictive nature of crack cocaine focuses primarily on the brain’s reward system, which can lead to long-term effects of persistent cravings and a high risk of relapse.
Phencyclidine or PCP, inhalants and hallucinogen dependency experience some of the lowest relapse rates, with only 46 percent of chemically dependent people returning to use within five years of treatment. The recovery rate for individuals addicted to prescription painkillers are not much better than a coin flip, with 52 percent of dependent individuals returning to use within five years. Even marijuana, considered by many to be a “soft drug” with fewer addictive properties, left 72 percent of dependent individuals returning to use after undergoing treatment.
Most methamphetamine addicts relapse within three years of seeking treatment, according to a study[1] from the Australian National University in Canberra. And although those who attend residential rehab reportedly have more than double the success rate of those who go to detox, or receive no treatment, even those who go to rehab have a high rate of relapse—at 88%. The study, published in the journal Addiction, looked at long-term meth use in three categories: users treated in a residential rehab, those treated in a detox program, and those who weren’t undergoing any treatment. Residential rehab programs, which typically integrate counseling and recreational activities with in-patient treatment, had a high short-term success rate—with 48% reportedly staying clean after three months. But those who went through short-term detox (usually a few days at a hospital or facility) were just as likely to relapse as those who had no treatment—with only 15% staying clean after three months. What’s more, even those who went to rehab had a low rate of success when it came to the longer term: just 12% reported staying clean after three years, compared to 5% who did not go to rehab.