Drugs, Alcohol, & Your Health
by: George Tannous, PhD
Become a Certified Life Coach
Important: Before you study this lesson please watch this video, “Why?“. Example: If you or your client are in a relationship and the other person displayed an attitude of not being “Truthful”, you’ll need to master, and you’ll need to educate your client the following: “Confront and Level!”, “Assertive Communications!”, as well as “I Feel Good, PST!”.
Make sure to answer the questions at the end and follow the instructions for submission!
Everyone faces ups and downs in their life. Happiness and sadness are both a part of everyone’s journey. While some people deal with both aspects positively and try to overcome situations that life throws at them, others succumb to other ways.
From time to time, we all get kicked in the teeth. Sometimes it’s about dreams falling apart, sometimes it’s about not getting that dream job. Sometimes it’s about losing a loved one or it’s about an unfaithful partner. While some pick themselves up and muster their strength to cope with the situation, others seek quick relief. Instead of dealing with the situation, they turn to other means that provide a quick escape from the circumstances. Instead of choosing courage, they choose drugs and alcohol.
But what about the consequences?
Many drug users believe that prescribed drugs don’t do damage because they are prescribed by a doctor holding all sorts of fancy degrees. The prescribed drug won’t do any harm and will be safe for use. The truth is, prescribed or not, drugs, when abused, can have serious repercussions.
It’s true that drugs and alcohol disconnect you from reality and offer you an escape, but at what cost? They can have severe consequences and can take a toll on your health. Drugs lead to short-term and long-term health problems; some drugs can cause permanent disability. Some drugs, when handled irresponsibly, can cause death.
Drugs influence two key areas — your brain and your physical health. Let’s explore both of these one by one.
How drugs affect your brain:
We all have heard cases where people who were using drugs transformed into “someone else.” A loving husband turning into a threat to his own family, an obedient son transforming into someone who is stubborn and difficult to handle, a teenager or a good homemaker changing into an irresponsible spender, and many more. But how often have these cases ended well?
Drugs and alcohol stimulate the parts of your brain that make you feel joy. As the person starts indulging in the use of drugs and alcohol, these parts start becoming dependent on the drug. Though a person might feel excited and cheerful after taking drugs, the effects worsen with time. Soon the symptoms kick in and the person starts feeling anxiety, nausea, sickness or simply unpleasant without drugs. He becomes completely dependent; his body and brain start pushing him to seek drugs and alcohol to feel normal again.
As the person increases the drug and alcohol intake, he finds himself powerless as he becomes unable to withdraw from drugs even when he wants to. Even when he is completely aware of the consequences, the urge keeps driving him to take more, and often the person becomes addicted.
Drugs not only stimulate diverse parts of the brain, but they also affect your brain chemistry. Substance abuse directly affects the limbic system, brain stem and cerebral cortex, which eventually leads to lack of control, poor judgment, poor decision making, impaired coordination, inability to concentrate, inability to plan or problem solving, loss of memory, paranoia, diminished learning ability, panic, inability to feel pleasure, and many more adverse effects.
Some drugs affect the brain cells directly, leading to nausea, strokes, unconsciousness, seizures, and even death. Drugs can also influence your heart rate, sleeping and breathing patterns, making you feel restless.
But this is not all, there is more. Apart from damaging your brain, drugs, and alcohol lead to various health issues.
How drugs affect your health?
The effects of drugs and alcohol can vary from person to person. In some cases, they can lead to serious health consequences, and in others, drug abuse becomes the primary cause of organ damage and even death. The effects can vary from how the drug was manufactured to how it was taken.
Drugs manufactured in labs contain hazardous chemicals, dangerous bacteria and other substances that can cause serious damage to the body and brain with just one use. People who share needles for injecting drugs are often contract hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, etc.
In addition to the above, drugs and alcohol affect your heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs. Drugs directly affect your heart rate and can cause heart attacks. Drugs can lead to damaged heart valves and collapsed veins. People who rely on cigarettes and marijuana can develop respiratory problems and bronchitis. Smoking is also one of the leading factors when it comes to developing mouth, lung, or throat cancer.
Some drugs can have adverse effects that lead to kidney damage and liver damage by causing dehydration, muscle damage, abnormally increased body temperature, etc. Drugs also can interfere with your hormones causing infertility, baldness, even excessive body hair.
So how can a person break away from the vicious cycle? How can a person become free?
Withdrawing drugs and alcohol:
The first step to combating drugs and alcohol is saying no. The best thing that any person can do for himself is to turn down the opportunity to try drugs. Teaching this to teenagers who often are the victims of peer pressure can help society combat drugs and alcohol.
Professional help: Instead of relying on general remedies, it’s always good to seek professional help. Rehabilitation centers not only provide an environment that allows you to withdraw from drugs but also design a specific treatment plan that can help you with your addiction. The treatment plan helps you detox your body which removes the drugs from your system. For those who suffer from extreme addiction and prone to relapse, follow-up plans are created to keep a check on their condition.
Support groups: After rehab, support groups provide emotional support to the person recovering from the addiction. Sharing experiences with people who went through a similar phase and listening to their stories, their struggles, and their triumphs can help in the complete withdrawal of drugs.
So how did withdrawing from drugs and alcohol transform your life? How has the process improved your overall health and what steps did you take?
The essay
Please write an essay, up to two pages, about a past experience you or someone you know had when their health deteriorated from the use of drugs and alcohol. Tell us in detail, who, what, when, where, why, to whom, the place of what you did. The outcome! And tell us in detail how you could have changed that use from what you learned today so the outcome would have been good. Internalize this lesson. Make it become a part of you. Share your story in the Forums.
Our advice is for you to practice “Helping Yourself or Someone You Know from Drug Dependency” for at least a week. Tell others around you to point out any time in which you didn’t. Have them hold you accountable. Visit the “Forum” and do a “CONFESSION.”
What is a Confession? A Confession is when you’ve displayed a wrong behavior and were held accountable by one of your family members, peers, or even yourself. Visit the Forum and tell us about it. We will give you feedback! Make sure to watch the video about Confession for more details! Furthermore, become a member of the Forum and give feedback to others!
Read the article? Time to introspect!
- Do you turn to drugs or alcohol instead of facing adversities? Why?
- What health damages have drugs and alcohol caused you? Are you recovering from them?
- How do you feel mentally as well as emotionally after consuming drugs and alcohol? Is the temporary escape worth the health damages?
- In what ways do you think you can deal with daily life situations constructively instead of turning to drugs and alcohol?
- Are you taking any measures to quit drugs and alcohol? What are they? How much have you improved?
Sources:
https://www.gatewayfoundation.org/faqs/effects-of-drug-abuse/
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/health-complications-addiction/permanent-effects
This module includes the following:
- Introduction
- Why Become a Life Coach
- Drugs and Alcohol
- First Use of Drugs
- Drugs, Alcohol, and Your Health
- Damaging Consequences
- Outside Help to Drugs and Alcoholism
- The Benefits to Change
- Attitude Check & Confession
- Confront and Level
- I Feel Good, PST™
- Why?
There is no way any relationship will survive without having the qualities mentioned above.
Make sure to read each article carefully at least three time. Print your workbook (will be available per lesson.) Answer all questions and enter them in your workbook. Once you have completed this entire journey, you will be issued a Life Coach Certificate so long as you’ve been a member of the “Forums.”
Also, follow the instruction for sharing your story in our Forums as well as participating in our “Forums,” especially our unique “Confessions Forum” so you may gain practice, knowledge, experience, and expertise!
I am thankful that you have given me this opportunity to share all of this with you. May God bless you and bring prosperity and peace into your life.
Respectfully yours,
George Tannous, PhD
This is Where Confessions, Attitude Checks, Accountability, Give and Receive Feedback Comes in. Practice for Your Own Practice!
Well, you might be asking yourself “How am I going to get practice for my practice?” Great question and I thought you’ll never ask!
#1 You are part of a group with the same interests.
#2 You have a question in regards to one of your clients and we are here to help you.
#3 Others have questions and you can give feedback and help them.
#4 You need to do a confession.
#5 And much more.
You Are Never Alone! Join the Forums!
Once you have completed this entire journey, you will be issued a Life Coach Certificate. Must participate in our Forums to get certified! You’ll achieve your internship by joining and partcipating in our “Forums”.