I have a history of "experimentation" (infrequent or occasional use of ecstasy, 'shrooms, and other drugs — mostly prescription pills). I am completely sober now, but am worried about long-term damage to my brain. I used drugs infrequently (no more than 3 - 5 times for each substance), but drank regularly. How worried should I be? Is there anything I can do to combat long-term effects?

Experimenting with drugs or using prescription medications recreationally poses risks to the user. Immediate or short-term harmful effects from using drugs include:

• insomnia
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• decreased respiration and blood pressure when using depressants
• increased respiration and blood pressure when using stimulants
• hallucinations
• death from an overdose
• allergic reactions

As for long-term effects, there simply has not been enough research conducted to see if using drugs on a few occasions affects people negatively (or positively, for that matter) later on in life. Including alcohol in this equation only makes the possibility for risk that much more difficult to predict.

Adding alcohol to the mix also changes the ways medications become accessible to the human body, since alcohol can interfere with the usual metabolic rates of drug absorption into the bloodstream by altering the body's chemistry. This is one of the reasons why it's generally recommended not to mix alcohol with other drugs. Another is that mixing alcohol, a brain depressant, with another drug that affects the brain similarly can have dire consequences.

Rather than worry about damage you already might have caused, think about propelling yourself and your positive energy into continuing to identify ways to include positive health actions into your life. You have already begun this with your decisions about not using/experimenting with drugs and not drinking alcohol. (You say you are now completely sober.) Clearly, since your actions reflect your decisions, you are already on your way.

You may want to find other ways to continue improving your health by reading the Related Q&As listed below.

Alice

Related Q&As

Ecstasy's side effects — Are any permanent?

Psilocybin (''Magic'') mushrooms

After-effects of inhalants

Ecstasy drains spinal fluid?

Bad trips with LSD, 'Shrooms, and Hash

Ecstasy effects

I'm worried about my friend's escalating drug use