When it comes to doing drugs, people take desperate measures to get them in their body. Snorting is a way to inhale crushed pills, cocaine, and other drugs directly through the nose. I have seen the effects of snorting on the body, and they are both painful and tragic. While drugs kill brain cells, cause memory loss, affect the heart, increase blood pressure, and damage areas throughout the body, snorting has an entire category of damaging effects of its own. It does all of the normal things drugs do, but it causes extra damage to the nose. Here are six dangerous effects of snorting pills that can happen to you.
Side Effects of Snorting Pills
Constant Cold-Like Symptoms
Your nose is going to look sick – I mean that literally. Both the inside and outside will be red, and your nostrils will be puffy and swollen. As your body tries to ward off the chemicals entering your nostrils, extra mucus is produced, so you can count on a nasty runny nose along with that puffy redness. People will constantly be asking if you are sick, and in your shame, you will scramble for excuses.
Bloody Noses
Drugs are harmful. It’s a fact. When you snort harsh chemicals, they begin burning the entire lining of your nose. This makes it easier to get bloody noses, and they will begin to come frequently.
Addiction
All drugs are addictive, but when you snort them, they enter the body more quickly and produce a faster high. This is one of the main reasons people choose to snort pills over simply swallowing them. While it produces an immediate high, this high comes with a bigger consequence. Your body will crave the drug and the way it entered the body. If you decide to stop snorting pills, your nose will ache with crippling pain, and your brain will tell you, “The only way to rid yourself of this pain is by snorting more.” To escape the pain, you snort the drug that caused the damage. It is a never-ending circle of addiction and increasing agony.
Increase in Illness
Your nose serves the amazing function of filtering air and attacking bacteria. With chemicals burning away the skin and cartilage, your immune system turns its attention to fixing the damage and fighting off the chemicals. As efforts are spent on repairing the unrepairable, your body’s immune system doesn’t have the energy to fight off real illnesses. You will come down with constant colds, flu, fevers, and every other contagious illness.
Burned Nose Cartilage
The nose is meant for breathing and filtering air. Nothing else should go in it – ever. The skin that lines the inside of the nose is very delicate and can be burned easily. When you snort drugs, the chemicals slowly burn away the cartilage and skin. This is incredibly painful and is a long-term effect of snorting.
Nose Deformities
As the cartilage is burned away, your nose will begin to sink in areas that now lack support. Your nose will look flat, and your nostrils will become horizontal slits. Don’t believe me? Try Googling “snorting drugs” and take a look at the images. If your nose doesn’t sink, you might get lucky and burn a hole straight through to your mouth. Imagine the pain of eating as food gets caught in the hole and runs out your nose. It is disturbing, but it’s just another effect that snorting has on your body. If you are thinking of snorting drugs, ask yourself, “Is it worth the risk?” If you are already snorting, then you’d better run and run fast from this crippling addiction.
To avoid the symptoms of snorting pills, reach out to a substance abuse treatment center for help. Call Morningside Recovery at 855-631-2135 for more information about our rehab programs.
By Michelle Conway
Photo by: Chris Yarzab (Flickr)
