.svg)
Your heart beats around 100,000 times a day, and it never gets a single moment off. But substance use can place varying degrees of stress on this vital organ. And it’s not something that should be taken lightly. Ongoing substance abuse may lead to heart issues and even heart failure.
Below are seven ways addiction can affect heart health, and why getting help sooner, rather than later, is important for not just your heart, but your life.
1. It Increases Blood Pressure
Stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine can send your blood pressure surging within minutes. Meanwhile, heavy drinking tends to push it upward slowly, over months and years.
Either way, the heart and blood vessels are forced to work under constant pressure. Left unchecked, this pressure raises the risk of stroke, heart failure, and lasting harm throughout the body.
2. It May Interfere With Your Heart’s Natural Rhythm
A healthy heart keeps a steady beat. But alcohol and drugs may interrupt that rhythm, producing what doctors call an arrhythmia. For instance, atrial fibrillation—a fast, fluttering, irregular heartbeat—may follow a bout of heavy drinking.
An abnormal heartbeat may further allow blood to pool and form clots, which raises the risk of a stroke or heart attack.
3. It Demands More Than the Heart Can Give
Stimulants put the heart in a difficult bind. Drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine speed up the heartbeat and tighten the blood vessels at the same time, which means the heart is asked to pump harder while receiving less of the oxygen-rich blood it needs to do the work.
This mismatch between demand and supply strains the heart muscle and sets the stage for serious health issues or episodes down the line.
4. It Can Cause a Heart Attack
When blood flow to the heart is cut off, the result is a heart attack. Cocaine is especially capable of causing one, even in young people with no history of heart disease.
This risk also increases when cocaine and alcohol are used together. This is because the body forms a longer-lasting toxic compound called cocaethylene that has been linked to a sharply increased risk of sudden cardiac death. If you or a loved one ever feels chest pain, pressure, or tightness during or after substance use, it’s a medical emergency. Call 911 immediately.
5. It Wears Down the Heart Muscle
The heart is a muscle, and like any muscle, it can be worn out by years of overwork and toxic exposure. Long-term heavy drinking and ongoing stimulant use can lead to cardiomyopathy (a condition in which the heart muscle stretches, thins, and loses its strength).
As its pumping power decreases, the body struggles to get the blood it needs, and heart failure may follow.
6. It Damages and Narrows the Arteries
Healthy arteries are smooth and flexible, carrying blood freely to the heart.
Yet, smoking is one of the most damaging habits for them; the chemicals in cigarette smoke injure artery walls and encourage the buildup of plaque, the fatty deposits behind most heart attacks and strokes.
Stimulants also cause harm by repeatedly narrowing the vessels. As arteries stiffen and clog, the heart has to work harder with every beat.
7. It Opens the Door to Heart Infections
While rare, when drugs are injected (particularly with shared or unclean needles), bacteria may enter the bloodstream and travel to the heart, infecting the valves (known as endocarditis). It may damage those valves badly enough to require surgery, and without prompt treatment, it can become life-threatening.
Getting Help Sooner, Rather Than Later
Recovery is possible. And you don’t need to do it alone.
At Freedom Recovery Centers (FRC), our caring and compassionate team is ready to help you protect your heart and reclaim your health. When you’re ready, call us at 804-635-3746 or fill out our online form.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
