Top Complications from Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Physical Health Complications

Drugs and alcohol are substances that can cause serious health problems, especially if they’re abused long-term. The more you take in, the more damage you’re doing to your organs, brain chemistry, and overall health. Along with brain damage, respiratory system issues, kidney disease, bladder problems, bone and muscle breakdown, and injury, the following are other common complications from alcohol and drug abuse that people with a substance use disorder may experience. 

Liver Damage and Cirrhosis

Alcohol-related liver disease and liver damage are some of the biggest complications from alcohol and drug use. When alcohol and other chemicals enter the liver, a toxic enzyme called acetaldehyde is produced. If too much builds up in this important organ, it starts to become fatty and inflamed and then develops scarring called cirrhosis. This scarring is irreversible, with the liver becoming too rigid for proper blood flow, reducing its ability to perform vital functions, including bile production and cleaning toxins out of the blood. Once the liver begins to fail, it is a life-threatening condition that can only be remedied by getting a liver transplant, which can be extremely difficult for those with a substance use disorder. 

Cardiovascular Issues

Drugs and alcohol cause all kinds of heart and vascular issues because they can change a person’s heart rate and blood pressure. For example, a person with chronic alcohol use disorder has a high risk of developing peripheral arterial disease, with narrowing of the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the legs, or cardiomyopathy, weakening the heart muscle until it cannot properly pump blood through the body. Cocaine use can cause heart attacks and inflammation of the heart muscle, aortic ruptures, and plaque buildup in artery walls, and meth use is sometimes the cause of pulmonary hypertension, causing the heart to work harder to pump blood to the lungs. Drugs and alcohol increase your risk of stroke, heart attack, and death due to cardiovascular problems.

Mental Health Complications

Mental health disorders are correlated to substance use disorders in a few different ways. People with both conditions — known as co-occurring disorders because they have a substance use disorder and mental health condition at the same time — may have risk factors for both, like experiencing trauma at a young age. People with mental illness may use drugs and alcohol as a way to escape their symptoms or self-medicate, and addiction can contribute to developing or exacerbating psychological problems. Dual diagnosis treatment is essential for people who are suffering from co-occurring disorders.

Depression and Anxiety

People living with depression and anxiety can experience several complications from alcohol and drug abuse. Substances like these are often used to escape symptoms, which makes it more difficult to ascertain the underlying issues and build healthy coping mechanisms. Developing an addiction can cause depression and anxiety to worsen, as drugs and alcohol change brain chemistry, altering dopamine levels in unhelpful ways. In fact, many drugs have feelings of anxiety as a common side effect, and many people find that during comedowns and hangovers, their level of depression is higher than ever.  

Substance use disorders and living with mental illness are both issues that may cause somebody to isolate themselves, give up social activities, and have trouble with personal relationships, causing even more anxiety-inducing harm to their everyday lives. 

Cognitive Impairments

An unfortunate reality is that doing drugs can cause brain damage, which is sometimes irreversible. Chronic use can impair attention and memory functions, reduce impulse control, make decision-making more difficult, and even affect their motor task performance. Some drugs, like meth, can affect the way emotions are processed, and many substances change neuron connections, which can make it more difficult to think and learn. Some drugs can cause additional dangerous neurological problems, like brain bleeds, blood vessel bulges, or hypoxia, which can result in severe brain damage, coma, or even death. 

Social and Behavioral Complications

Addiction is a complex disease that affects more than just the way your body works. It also changes how you interact with the world and the people around you. Alcohol and drug abuse can be linked to illness, violence, abuse, crime, homelessness, and legal problems, as well as relationship issues and larger societal issues like policing.

Relationship Strain and Social Isolation

No matter how casually you use drugs, eventually, your use will catch up to you. Nobody tries cocaine for the first time, thinking they’re going to end up hurting their family and losing friends, but it happens more than you’d think. As the substances start to rewire your brain, they’ll become an all-encompassing obsession, and you’ll begin making finding and using drugs a priority, even over spending time with loved ones. Friends may start to avoid you, and you, in turn, may become isolated. Substance abuse can even make you act in ways you normally wouldn’t, causing you to lash out, become abusive, or allow paranoia and depression to isolate you from the people you care about. 

Legal and Financial Problems

Some of the common legal issues a person with a substance use disorder may face include criminal possession of illegal substances, domestic or street violence, drunk and disorderly conduct, negligence, driving under the influence, and sexual offenses. Theft and fraud are also common, especially as the addiction progresses and you find yourself needing money to pay for more drugs. 

People with drug addiction are more likely to miss work and lose their jobs, have difficulty finding employment, and become homeless without medical insurance, and the costs of substance abuse never stop adding up. Drugs aren’t cheap, and when your tolerance grows over time, you’ll spend more on these substances. Over time, you’ll also have high medical costs, especially if you’ve overdosed or are starting to see the results of abusing drugs for a long time. 

Occupational and Academic Complications

Once addiction takes hold, it can take over your entire life, affecting your performance at work and school as your focus is being pulled elsewhere, your health is worsening, and you’re spending all your time and money seeking and using substances. 

Job Performance and Unemployment

Some of the most important ways job performance is affected by addiction include lower overall performance, workplace accidents, theft, and low employee morale. Employees with substance use disorders are much more likely to be late, call in, or no-show, their quality of work is lower, and they may act in ways that are out of character. People who have lost their jobs due to drugs and alcohol are much less likely to be able to find a new job as long as they continue using these substances and are more likely to stay unemployed and even become homeless as a result. 

Academic Decline

While high school-aged kids are at risk of experimentation, when young adults reach college age, they find themselves with less supervision, more freedom, and high social pressure to succeed and to live a brand-new lifestyle, which may include high levels of alcohol consumption and drug use. This becomes the perfect storm of partying to escape the day-to-day pressure until these habits turn into a substance use disorder. 

Substance use disorders can put students of any age at increased risk of failure due to poor performance in the classroom, not doing assigned work at home, and poor attendance. This can also lead to students giving up and dropping out, especially if they’re using substances heavily. Dropping out of school puts students at a much higher risk of unemployment, health problems, legal issues, and poverty, all of which are made worse by continued substance abuse.

Addiction and Dependency

Nobody is immune to addiction. If you find you’re unable to get through the day without using drugs, have cravings or urges, or feel obsessed with the drug, you might have an addiction. Drug dependency is a serious issue that should not be ignored. If you can’t stop using drugs or have found that your drug and alcohol consumption is causing ill effects for the rest of your life, it might be time to look into treatment. 

Long-Term Health Risks

Because of the serious damage drugs and alcohol can do to your body, addiction comes with several long-term health risks. Some of the long-term complications from alcohol and drug abuse are:

• Cardiovascular issues.
• Liver and kidney disease.
• An increased risk of infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis C.
• Dental problems.
• Brain damage.
• Cognitive disorders.
• Nerve damage.
• Anemia.
• Dementia.
• Respiratory system damage.
• Stomach and intestinal issues.
• Increased cancer risk.
• Worsening mental health issues.
• Physical and psychological dependence leading to addiction.

Impact on Families and Children

Addiction can have disastrous effects on family members. It can reduce communication between you, increase secrecy and stress in the household, and make family members feel afraid, ashamed, frustrated, lonely, angry, or even guilty. Families may experience financial hardship, and there may be an increased risk of physical or verbal abuse. Because of this, the importance of family therapy in addiction treatment cannot be overstated.

Children of people with substance use disorders may not learn basic hygiene and life skills; they might feel insecure afraid, or learn antisocial or unhealthy behaviors because they depend on their parents for everything. Their self-confidence, emotional health, and social development are affected, and they can feel powerless, stressed, confused, and fearful.

Why Seeking Professional Treatment is Crucial

The best way to avoid complications from alcohol and drug abuse is to get help. A professional rehab center will have customizable options for you to consider, including medical detox, residential treatment plans, and outpatient addiction treatment options like partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient plans. 
Resurgence Behavioral Health provides patients with targeted, tailored, evidence-based therapy, holistic healing plans, practical help with stress reduction, life skills, mental health care, and relationship building. To learn more, contact us online or call us at 855-458-0050. We can verify your insurance coverage and answer any questions you may have.

David Rofofsky
After growing up in New York, David chose to get help with substance abuse in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than nine years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for eight years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. David remains passionate about the field because he understands how hard it is to pick up the phone and ask for help. However, once the call is made, someone's life can be saved.

Research | Editorial