People generally experiment with drugs and alcohol during their teenage or young adult years. The positive feelings that drugs and alcohol can induce in a person make the person want to continue taking the substance. The continued intake of the substance can lead to a higher risk of developing substance abuse and addiction problems.
Death and Injury
Consumption of drugs and alcohol can impair a person's motor functions while also impairing judgment. Having impairments in both of these areas can result in significant injuries or even death. A person might choose to drive a car while she is intoxicated, which could result in a deadly car accident. Also, people who abuse drug and alcohol sustain injuries from falling down, tripping, running into things while intoxicated.
Parental Rights
An individual who uses drug or alcohol increases his risk that he will be unable to care for children. Children who are raised in a household where alcohol or drugs are abused often are left to care for themselves. When parents neglect or abuse their children, as a result of drug or alcohol use, the risk of their children being taken away from them and placed into foster care increases.
Risky Behaviors
Drug and alcohol use can result in the engagement of high risk behaviors. A person who is intoxicated is more likely to engage in unprotected sex with a variety of sexual partners, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In addition, the impaired judgment that results from drug or alcohol use can cause a person to go to unsafe areas of a city, walk alone or leave events with people she does not know, which can increase the chance that she will be taken advantage of.
Consume Healthful Calories
The intake of drugs and alcohol can also be detrimental to the overall health of the individual. According to American Council for Drug Education, substance use can result in increased heart rate, stroke, heart attack, respiratory depression, pneumonia, cirrhosis of the liver, hallucinations, permanent brain damage and memory problems. Those are just some of the many health problems that can result from continued substance use, but many other health problems can arise depending on the lifestyle and genetics of the individual.
