Kelli

Cook
ISM-1st Period

"Effects of Drug Abuse on Your Circulatory System." Drug Rehab Florida. Florida Drug Rehab,

24 Oct. 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.

<http://www.drugrehabfl.net/effects-of-drug-abuse-on-your-circulatory-system/>.

Heart attacks can occur when a person shoots drugs straight into blood stream. This can happen
to first time users. Shooting drugs can have some very unpredictable side effects.
The first symptom of drug use is usually an abnormally high heart rate. It also affects the heart's
pacemaker cells which creates an arrhythmia of the heart.
Marijuana can increase a person's heart rate from 20-100%. If overused, it will have a very
devastating effect on the heart.
Heart attacks, resulting from cocaine use, usually occur in people from 18-45. This proves that
the younger generation are adopting these habits early.
Repeated drug abuse in the form of injecting drugs can result in collapsed or damaged veins.
When a vein collapses, it cannot be repaired. A collapsed vein means that the heart has to work
harder to push blood through the body using the existing veins. (Florida Drug Rehab).
Drug users may notice swelling, temperature change, and redness due to irritation or infection.
Inflammation of infection is very possible due to intravenous injections. For example, the needle
may not be sterile due to exposure to bloodborne diseases.
Hepatitis C and HIV are the main infections acquired due to drug injection.
Bacterial infections can affect the bloodstream and heart valves.
Cocaine is widely known to cause heart and blood problems. Though it is one of the more known
drugs, there are a variety of drugs that cause these problems.

This source was very detailed about some of the various drugs and some of the direct effects it
has on the cardiovascular system including vein collapsing, heart attacks, and arrhythmias.

Steinbaum, Suzanne R. "Alcohol and Heart Disease." WebMD. WebMD, 2016. Web. 28

Mar.2017. <http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-alcohol-

your-heart>.
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Cook
ISM-1st Period

1 drink for women and 2 drinks for men is considered moderate drinking.
Some doctors have a theory that moderate drinking can protect some people from heart disease.
Alcohol is thought to only have negative effects on the body. Further studies have shown that
alcohol has beneficial facts such as: it raises HDL or good cholesterol, it lowers blood pressure,
it stops blood from clotting, and it prevents the damage done by LDL or bad cholesterol.
Doctors arent sure if these benefits come from drinking or other healthy habits.
Heavy drinking can cause more serious problems like liver disease, cancer, and ulcers. These are
some of the direct negative effects of alcoholism.
Some studies have shown that even the slightest bit of alcohol can weaken the heart and cause a
condition known as cardiomyopathy. This condition can lead to other heart problems.
Like other drugs, drinking alcohol regularly can cause blood pressure to shoot up, therefore
putting extra stress on the heart. All of the drugs I have been researching seem to have the same
effects.
Binge drinking can cause the heart to have an irregular rhythm pattern known as arrhythmias.
The pacemaker cells of the heart are thrown off balance. For example, some people hold off
drinking until the weekend and consume large amounts. The stress on the heart can be too much.
You should not drink if you are obese because you add more risk factors into your life for heart
disease.
Certain medications do not mix well with alcohol. There will usually have warning labels on the
prescription bottles.
If you already have an existing heart condition, you should not drink because your heart will
worsen.

This source uncovers the scary truth of alcohol effects on the heart and some of the conditions it
causes such as cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and heart disease.

"How Does Smoking Affect the Heart And Blood Vessels?" National Institutes of Health. U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, June-July 2016. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

<https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/smo/>.

Smoking tobacco harms almost every single part of your body including eyes, heart, blood
vessels, bones bladder, mouth, reproductive organs, and digestive organs.
The damage done to the heat puts users at a higher risk for atherosclerosis which leads to heart
disease.
Eventually, the plaque will build up in the vessels which will cause the heart to work harder to
push the blood past it. This results in a lack of oxygen rich being delivered to our vital organs.
 Kelli
Cook
ISM-1st Period

Smoking is also a major risk factor of PAD or peripheral artery disease. This happens when the
plaque builds up in the specific arteries that control blood flow to the limbs, head, and organs. It
puts them at a higher risk of heart disease and strokes.
Second hand smoke can also cause these diseases. Parents should think about this before they
smoke their next cigarette.
Secondhand smoke is really bad for children and teens. It lowers HDL or good cholesterol in the
blood, it raises blood pressure, and damages heart tissue.
No matter how long you have been smoking, quitting will benefit you.
If you have heart disease, quitting will put you at lower risk for sudden cardiac death, heart
attacks, and other chronic diseases.
Some researchers have studied the effects of smoking bans within the workplace. The number of
heart attacks dropped a good percentage. If we could get the whole country to ban smoking in
public places and workplaces just imagine what we could accomplish!
Quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke can reverse the damage done to the heart and
blood vessels. It will have an overall beneficial effect on your body.

This source illustrates the importance of the negative effects of tobacco use on the body and the
consequences of not quitting.

Fleming, Micheal F., and Alan I. Trachtenberg. "NIDA - Diagnosis and Treatment of Drug

Abuse in Family Practice - Pathophysiology." NIDA - Diagnosis and Treatment of

Drug Abuse in Family Practice - Pathophysiology. National Institute on Drug Abuse,

n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2017. <https://archives.drugabuse.gov/diagnosis

treatment/diagnosis4.html>.

A reward pathway for drugs has been identified in the brain.

 Kelli
Cook
ISM-1st Period

The stimulant-reward system (top) directly influences the neurons using dopamine that connect
from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NA) and thereafter to the
frontal cortex.
Most stimulants including cocaine and nicotine work in the body by increasing the synaptic
levels of dopamine.
Alcohol intake directly affects the GABA receptors that are located in various places in the brain.
They influence the central dopaminergic reward system through mechanisms that include opioid
pathways.
When GABA is released in the synapse, it binds to the receptor and opens the chloride channel.
This action lowers the cells excitability.
The craving for alcohol can possibly be partially blocked by the opiate antagonist naltrexone
(Trexan).
Triggers for drug relapses can be environmental or in the body. They can be very spontaneous
and random.
Some of the symptoms of drug user are Agitation, irritability, dysphoria, mood swings, hostility,
violence, hyperventilation, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression.
Amphetamines make the cell release dopamine and blocks their reuptake.
The release of dopamine occurring as a result of drug use, creates the user to have positive
reinforcement.
The reward pathway in the brain has dopaminergic neurons that originate in the ventral
tegmental area and project into the forebrain.
The craving for the drug can disintegrate within several weeks or years. Every person responds
different.

This source was very detailed about the physiology of addiction and how dopamine plays a role
in the overuse of drugs.