When people think of achieving their perfect appearance, it’s most likely the positive improvements that come to mind. For example, knowing that minimizing sugar in your diet is a great tip for looking your best, as is staying in shape and getting the beauty treatments that work for you.
However, the flip side of that is also crucial: Avoiding negative habits is equally important to attaining your best look. Habits like alcoholism, smoking, and using most recreational drugs can take a toll on your appearance — and sometimes it’s irreversible.
Discover some of the most common recreational drugs and the impact they make on your appearance.
The Powerful Influence of Drugs and Medications
It’s a common adage among doctors that “nothing we do is free,” meaning every medication fixes one condition but risks causing others. Supplements can be useful for optimizing your appearance, but when it comes to non-prescribed, illegal drugs that are commonly abused, these drugs offer some type of high but can wreak havoc on your body and the way you look.
These effects vary greatly and it’s worth understanding them so you can avoid these substances and notice the effects in other people.
Commonly Abused Drugs and Their Effect on Your Appearance
From cocaine to methamphetamines, some illegal drugs are so widespread, they’re available in every city. In addition to devastating your health and risking an overdose, these drugs also have a distinct, negative impact on your looks — explore the effects they have on your body, face, and teeth.
Cocaine
Cocaine is derived from the poppy plant and may be a popular recreational drug at upper scale parties. Known to provide an intense, short-lasting high, the drug is highly addictive and an overdose can be fatal.
Excessive use of cocaine affects your body in several distinct ways. Like a lot of drugs, cocaine reduces your appetite, which results in a slim but malnourished kind of look. Nosebleeds are fairly common with cocaine use as well, so being caught with a bloody nose won’t help your appearance either.
Using cocaine also has severe effects on your dental health. Many users rub the drug directly onto their gums, vastly increasing their chances of developing gingivitis. From cavities to severe bruxism, cocaine makes any dental problems far more likely and intense.
Methamphetamine
Among all harmful, illegal drugs, none change your appearance as severely as abusing meth. The devastating effects on how its users look is one of the defining characteristics of the drug. Known to make users extremely hyper, meth is man-made and extremely hazardous to your body.
Meth use affects your appearance to such a degree that entire conditions are named after it. The cause of the extensive damage done by meth is that it weakens and destroys your cells, leading to severe inflammation.
This inflammation not only leads to acne, but when combined with the feeling of crankbug, a state in which the user feels like bugs are crawling on them, meth users often scratch constantly, marking their face up even more.
Meth is so damaging to your teeth that Meth Mouth has become a specific condition. We all know that a healthy smile is a vital part of your appearance, but meth users experience more of just about every potential dental problem, from gum damage to severe tooth decay. While seeing an experienced dentist like Dr. Robert McCoy can put an end to these problems, another trait of drug abusers is that they often skip important obligations, including dental visits.
Steroids
The irony of steroids is that most users take them to enhance their muscles and appearance, but they can have a devastating effect on it as well. Steroids are generally abused by men, and they’re highly illegal due to the strain they put on user’s bodies and the fact that they’re potentially fatal.
Certain pro wrestlers exemplify the results of steroid abuse: Massive muscular bodies that would be impossible without the use of these substances. However, steroids also produce back acne, an uncomfortable and unsightly condition that will leave you hesitant to take your shirt off.
The negative impact on your appearance doesn’t end there. Since steroids cause your testosterone to skyrocket but natural production of it to dwindle away, baldness often results from steroid abuse as well.
One more reason to never try steroids is that they lead to other embarrassing conditions, including gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is a condition in which men develop large breasts, and steroids stimulates this process. Seems ironic that a drug people take to build attractive muscles has significant effects that can ruin your looks.
Excessive Alcohol Abuse
While enjoying alcohol casually is common for most adults, there are at least 15 million Americans that struggle with alcohol addiction each year. Many of us have experienced a phase in our lives where we may have partied a lot, but for those who never kick the habit and make everyday drinking a lifestyle, there are numerous ways that it destroys their looks and health.
Arguably the most distinguishing trait of an alcoholic is a plump, bloated face. Alcohol is essentially liquid bread, and the calories you get from it are empty, meaning they pack on pounds but don’t provide energy. This effect can often be seen in the body of an alcoholic as well, most likely in the form of a big beer belly, even if the rest of the body is skinny.
Alcohol is notorious for dehydrating your body, and although it will leave you feeling terrible, it’s most visible in your skin. Ultimately, it deprives your largest organ, the skin, of the crucial nutrients it needs to shine and retain its healthy appearance, even leading to conditions like Rosacea, which can cause disfigurement.
In addition to enlarging your waistline and drying out your skin, alcohol is one of the absolute worst habits for your oral health. Along with smoking tobacco, alcohol is considered so bad that dental implant experts like Dr. Mary Sue Stonisch will typically refuse alcoholics since the habit increases the chances of a failed implant treatment. Plus, alcohol contains sugar and acid, both of which are capable of devastating your teeth and causing decay.
Finding Help for Your Addiction and Restoring your Looks
While addicted to drugs or alcohol, you’re essentially on a downward spiral that’s only doomed to become worse. Once an addict has made the decision to seek help, they’ll probably need the assistance of certain professionals who can improve their situation.
Initial Help to Quit Your Addiction
Even if you’re fully determined to kick your drug habit, it may come with serious withdrawal symptoms and will be easier with trained help. One great resource is Rehabs.com, because it lets you search for rehabilitation centers near your area.
Charged with a Drug Crime?
Part of drug use and addiction is that it’s highly illegal, so if you’ve been charged with a drug crime, it’s crucial to choose an attorney who’s experienced in the local area where your charges occurred. For example, those in Dallas, Texas might call drug attorney Phillip Linder, since he’s spent his whole career in that local area.
Rebuilding Your Smile
One thing that all of the drugs mentioned have in common is that they wreak havoc on one of your most attractive attributes: Your smile. However bad your teeth have become while using drugs, it’s important to know that it’s never too late to fix it. Doctors like Keith MacDonald in North Carolina can completely restore your smile using a wide range of advanced procedures. Fixing your teeth will restore your confidence and vastly improve your appearance.
End Your Addiction to Look Your Absolute Best
Most people have a general understanding that drugs are harmful to their health, but understanding how they can destroy your looks is a true deterrent to trying them in the first place. If you’ve noticed your habits have a negative impact on the way you look, it’s never too late to quit now, seek help, and regain your beauty again.
Nicholas Napier is a Navy Vet and MBA living in San Diego. He works as an SEO specialist and writer while hosting the Rogue Writers Podcast. His interests include philosophy, fitness, nutrition, and martial arts. For inquiries, email Nicholas.
