Alcohol
Effects on the Brain
Alcohol is a depressant on your Central Nervous System which is made up of your brain and spinal cord. Neural activity plays an important role in the efficiency of how your brain tells your body what to do. When this system is depressed, it means that the depressant (in this case alcohol) slows down brain function and neural activity.
While intoxicated, this reduction in your brain function can create slurred speech, severely slowed reaction time, significantly lower your ability to think rationally, distort your judgement, and lower your inhibitions (your ability to restrain from acting on instinct).
Alcohol also interferes with your neurotransmitters which are important chemicals in your brain that affect mood and motivation
Alcohol interferes with the GABA neurotransmitter which affects calmness and sedation. Alcohol also releases dopamine which can make you feel happy in the short-term. However, dopamine is also connected to the reward system in the brain which can make people quickly dependent on alcohol.
Although alcohol can make you feel happy and reduce anxiety in the short-term, its effect on the Central Nervous System greatly affects overall mood and stability, especially when dealing with stress, depression, and anxiety. Alcohol’s effects on the CNS can actually induce anxiety and stress long-term.
Drinking alcohol can also create “mini-withdrawals” which can confuse receptors in the brain and lead to a greater sense of restlessness and anxiety than before drinking.
Effects on the Body
Alcohol suppresses the hormone that signals your kidneys to retain fluid. This can make you dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to higher risk of injury and lower the effectiveness of your immune system.
Alcohol can cause fragmented sleep which can contribute to fatigue. Fatigue can lead to an increase in risk of injury.
Alcohol irritates the lining of your stomach which can lead to things like nausea and stomach aches.
Alcohol increases inflammation within the body. This can lead to pain throughout the body as well as a longer recovery time-period, especially after strenuous exercise.
Even one occasion of drinking a lot of alcohol can lower your immune system, slowing the body's ability to fight off infections, especially during the first 24-hour period after consumption.
Drinking before athletic performance decreases endurance abilities.
Alcohol prevents the body from properly absorbing important nutrients like thiamin, vitamin B12, folic acid, and zinc. These nutrients help in the formation of new cells, boost your immune system, and aid in the metabolism of proteins and fats. This is one reason drinking alcohol frequently can lead to weight gain.
The body converts the calories from alcohol into fat. Drinking alcohol frequently can lead to weight gain.
Overall, alcohol negatively affects sleep, recovery, hormones, and the inflammatory response which all lead to a higher risk of injury, decreased quality in athletic performance, and lower immune system performance.
Alcohol Addiction Resources
Marijuana
Effects of Marijuana
Marijuana intoxication is associated with deficits in processing speeds, attention, working memory, decision-making, motivation, time perception, and determining the difference between feelings and reality. More Info
Affects our endocannabinoid system which deals with our responses to fear, anxiety, and stress, and reactions/regulating emotional responses to stressful situations. More Info
Elevates our dopamine and dopamine's rewarding effects making it addictive.
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“Anxiety” and “panic reactions” are the most commonly reported negative effects of marijuana use. More Info
Although THC can reduce anxiety at lower dosages, it can induce and increase anxiety at higher, more frequent doses. More Info
Marijuana use among college students has been correlated with cognitive impairment, increased risk for mental health problems, and academic disengagement such as skipping class and lower GPA. More Info
Marijuana use in individuals who have Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) are at increased risk for cannabis dependence. Research shows that cannabis use for SAD symptoms may alleviate symptoms in the short-term, but also increase the risk of harm in the long-term. More Info
Marijuana usage has also been correlated with increased engagement with risky behaviors and increased risk of injury. More Info
Cocaine
Effects of Cocaine
Cocaine directly affects the dopamine system in the brain. Repeated usage interferes with the brain’s ability to reabsorb dopamine and can lead to depression and dependence on cocaine.
Other long-term effects of cocaine use can include auditory hallucinations, psychosis, paranoia, and restlessness. In addition, there is an increased risk to experience anxiety, panic attacks, or problems with aggression and violence.
Cocaine can also affect your physical health. Use of this drug raises the levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) in your brain and can lead to chronic high blood pressure which can negatively affect your cardiovascular system.
Individuals who abuse cocaine have also been shown to lose gray matter in the brain at a significantly higher rate than those who do not use cocaine. Gray matter in the brain plays an important role in memory and cognitive ability. This is thought to be why cocaine dependency has been linked to dementia and serious memory problems.
Cocaine can also lead to blood clots, seizures, and chronic headaches.
Opioids
About Opioids
Opioids are a common painkiller prescribed to athletes for sport-related injuries. They are addictive and NOT meant for long-term use.
The American Medical Association estimates that between 3-19% of people prescribed opioids will develop and addiction to them. Athletes are not exempt from this number.
At high doses, opioids can slow breathing and heart rate leading to lethargy and drowsiness and, in extreme cases, death.
Opioids bind to the brain’s opioid receptors and trigger chemical changes between neurons. This is what can lead to feelings of pleasure and pain relief, but also addiction.
When an individual becomes opioid-dependent, the brain relies only on the opioid to produce dopamine leading to symptoms like depression, tremors, lack of motivation, lack of concentration, difficulty with memory, and an inability to feel pleasure.
Opioid-dependence can increase your sensitivity to pain.
Opioid use can also lead to decreased ability to control impulses. More Info.
Opioid-dependence can damage your frontal lobe which deals with rationalization and decision making and can lead to memory problems, poor judgement, difficulty concentrating, speech problems, lack of problem-solving skills, and decrease in movement.