Short And Long Term Effects Of Substance Abuse

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In our society, there has been a long line of drug abuse from the past to present day. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse, “the total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States, including productivity and health- and crime-related costs, exceed $600 billion annually. This includes approximately $193 billion for illicit drugs, $193 billion for tobacco, and $235 billion for alcohol.” As these numbers are extremely high they do not show the extensiveness of the destruction to how they cause harm to others with accidents and violence, family issues, financial issues, loss of employment, or health issues, including medical, physical appearance, and mental issues; these are all short and long term effects of drug abuse. …show more content…

These drugs can make your senses impaired and can cause accidents and uncontrollable violence. For example, driving drunk not only affects the driver and passengers but also innocent bystanders. According to Madd.org, “In 2013, 10,076 people died in drunk driving crashes - one every 52 minutes - and 290,000 were injured in drunk driving crashes.” Along with this domestic violence rises when substance abuse is involved and so does many street fights; at bars and clubs. Excessive drinking increases the risk of displaying negative behaviors and losing control of one’s self, and at this time a person may be involved in assaults, sex crimes, property crimes or become the victim of a crime themselves. These problems can roll over into the abusers and impact family life for the worst if they’re too far