The Effects Of Drugs And Alcohol On Your Heart Health

Alcohol and drug addiction not only affects the way your mind functions but your body also. Certain neurological and biochemical changes take place in an individual’s body when exposed to prolonged alcohol and drug abuse, resulting in chronic disease (ie. cardiovascular disease).

This is most true when looking at heart health and the severe impact addiction has on one’s longevity and overall health. Let us look closely at the effect of drugs and alcohol and how these substances affect one’s heart health.

Your Heart And Cardiovascular Disease

A healthy and properly functioning heart is critical to your overall well-being. After all, your heart is responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to your brain and other vital organs. Without a constant supply of oxygen vital organs quickly shut down and without nutrients these organs can become permanently damaged. 

Cardiovascular disease is described as a dysfunction or damage to the tissues of the heart or blood vessels due to the decreased capacity of supplying oxygen to the body. It must be noted that heart disease brought on by cardiovascular damage is the second leading cause of death in Canada. 

Most often, cardiovascular disease is a result of:

• Alcohol and drug addiction
• Poor diet
• Lack of exercise 
• Poor sleep
• Excessive stress

It is safe to say that your heart health can be affected by many factors, but what is critical for the topic discussed in this article is the severity of alcohol and drug use on your heart health.

Heart Diseases Linked to Alcohol and Drug Use 

Alcohol and drug addiction can affect your cardiovascular system and your overall heart health. By introducing toxic substances to the body such as alcohol and drugs, a person is susceptible to damaging the heart through cardiovascular disease. The most common cardiovascular conditions brought on from substance abuse include:

• Arrhythmias: irregularities in heart beat or rate at which the blood is pumped around the body. This condition is linked to bringing on sudden heart attacks.
• Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction): an impairment of blood flow to the heart. This can cause extensive damage to cardiac muscles due to the lack of oxygen flow. A person experiencing a heart attack may feel tightness in chest, lose consciousness, or in severe cases even die.
• Brain Hemorrhages: disruptions of blood vessels in the skull, in some cases resulting in the bleeding around and within the brain. Most hemorrhages are a result of high blood pressure and poor cardiovascular health which can affect the cognitive and sensory function of the brain.  
• Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): this condition requires the heart to work harder in order to continue sufficient blood circulation in the body. Hypertension affects 33% of adults over 20, and if left untreated, can result in serious conditions such as brain hemorrhages and overall bad cardiovascular health. 
• Hypotension (Low Blood Pressure): this condition is manifested by rapid and shallow breathing which results in a weak pulse. Opioid users are especially susceptible to this condition, and can further complicate their heart health by suffering a sudden heart attack.

If you are looking for treatment for alcohol and drug addiction, either for yourself or for your loved ones, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our staff and begin your path to recovery today.