The impacts of experimenting with drugs on Emotional Health

Experimenting with drugs can have some serious impacts on a person's social health, emotional health and physical health. There may also be a financial impact on the person engaged in experimenting with drugs.

Here are some of the impacts on emotional health:

Addiction

As a person uses drugs more regularly, there is a chance that they could become dependent on drugs. This means that they feel like they cannot cope without drugs in their system. As the drug user continues to take drugs, their tolerance of the the drug might increase and this means they feel that they need to take greater amounts to get the same effects.

Depression

Some people experience depression after using drugs. For example feeling low after drinking alcohol is common. If a person already suffers from depression, experimenting with drugs often makes them feel worse after drug use.

Mental illness

It is widely accepted by scientists that there is a link between drug use and serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, paranoia, depression.

Low self-esteem

When a person is experimenting with drugs, they may find that this has an impact on their school work. The drug user may find it difficult to concentrate and focus and grades may suffer. This could lead to low self-esteem and self-confidence as the drug user feels as though they are always failing at school.

QUESTIONS YOU COULD BE ASKED ON THIS

Write down one way that drug use can affect a young person’s emotional health? (1 mark)

It can lead low self-esteem.

Explain two ways that drug use can negatively impact a young person’s emotional health.

(4 marks)

Drug use can lead to addiction, where a young person feels they cannot cope without drugs in their system. (2 marks)

Drug use can also lead to depression, especially after the effects of the drug wear off. This can leave the young person feeling low or hopeless, especially if they already struggle with mental health. (2 marks)