This Action on Stroke Month, we’re looking at the links between addiction and stroke. The big question is this: does drug use cause strokes? Keep reading to get to the heart of the question.
Concerned about how your drug use may affect your physical health? We offer free telephone consultations to discuss your options for recovery, if that’s something you’re ready for.
Please get in touch on 0800 140 4690 with any enquiries.
Every May, the Stroke Association draws attention to people affected by stroke. Recognised by their purple branding, their goal is for the public to “Make May Purple”, in order to:
Many people are affected by stroke in the UK. There are around 100,000 strokes every year in this country, and 1.3 million people are living with stroke (1).
Action on Stroke Month ensures people with stroke are recognised and supported, and anyone can get involved.
Below, we outline some ways you can get involved with Action on Stroke Month:
An easy way to get involved with Action on Stroke Month is to wear purple to show your support.
Some schools and workplaces will be implementing this, but you can also choose to wear purple throughout the month to show your individual support.
Don’t underestimate the power of awareness. It may sound like a trivial task to wear purple, but encouraging people to think about stroke, and supporting survivors, can have a wonderful knock-on effect in terms of understanding, empathy, and funding.
Donating to stroke charities helps with improving services, supporting stroke survivors in every step of their journey, and enhancing treatments.
As well as one-off donations, you could commit to regular giving, which would provide consistent support.
31 minutes in May is a challenge set by the Stroke Association to exercise for 31 minutes every day in May.
The idea is to raise awareness through regular exercise, and promote on social media in order to raise funds for the Stroke Association.
If you choose to do this, there’s a bonus! You get a free Stroke Association t-shirt and tracker, a Stroke Association snood (if you raise over £30), and a Stroke Association medal (if you raise over £200).
Why not get involved by organising your own event?
With a free fundraising pack from the Stroke Association, it’s never been more convenient to arrange an event that suits your interests, whether it’s a physical challenge, quiz night or talent show. All for a great cause!
Yes, taking drugs increases the risk for stroke, and there have been many instances of drug use causing an ischemic stroke (blockage) or a hemorrhagic stroke (brain bleed).
The specific cause of the stroke varies depending on the drug taken, but common causes are blood vessel damage, high blood pressure, and atrial fibrillation. This can happen even if someone is taking a drug for the first time.
Drug use can also cause strokes indirectly. When someone takes drugs over a long period, it’s likely to negatively affect their lifestyle.
They may suffer from sleep deprivation, poor nutrition and dehydration, which increase their stroke risk.
Certain drugs are more likely to lead to strokes than others, such as:
When someone has a stroke as a result of drug use, it can leave them with damaging long-term effects that impact their daily life, such as:
Often, this means the individual has to rely on someone else to support them with essential tasks, such as basic self-care, getting around the house, and driving.
This is something not enough people consider when they get involved with drugs. Just one dangerous decision can transform your entire lifestyle overnight.
Yes, stroke risk can be reduced. For people with addiction, the most important action to take is to get sober, as this will significantly reduce stroke risk.
Recovering in a supportive, equipped facility, such as a local private drug or alcohol rehab, will involve detoxing from drugs, getting psychological treatments, and working on lifestyle factors, all of which lower the risk of stroke.
Aftercare is a crucial part of inpatient rehab recovery, but it only applies to the first year after rehab. To keep the stroke risk low, people in recovery should continue to monitor their lifestyle and receive professional support even once their aftercare plan has finished.
If you get help for your dependence or addiction when it’s still in the early stages, you have a much better chance of reversing any damage done, and lowering your health risks, including stroke risk.
The obvious reason for this is that you will get sober before your addiction gets any worse, and this means you’ll be able to stop taking drugs completely, which puts a stop to dangerous physical symptoms.
Another reason early intervention matters is education. At rehab, you’ll receive plenty of education on topics from diet and exercise to mental health.
With all of this knowledge, you will be able to craft a lifestyle that lowers the risk of stroke significantly, and avoid anything that increases risk.
This Action on Stroke Month, it’s time to consider your stroke risk, and do everything you can to keep it nice and low.
For those with addiction, the first consideration should always be sobriety.
At Rehab 4 Addiction, we build positive relationships between people with addiction and tailored treatment providers. Ultimately, we make sure you get to recover in the right place, whether that’s in residential rehab, at home, or even online.
Ready to chat with us? Call us on 0800 140 4690.
You can certainly reduce your stroke risk by getting sober, and sometimes you can reverse it entirely (though not always, as some physical damage is irreversible).
Yes, legal drugs, such as alcohol, sedatives and prescription painkillers, can cause strokes.
It’s crucial to always follow your doctor’s advice, which means only taking the dose they have prescribed, never using someone else’s prescription, and only taking medication when necessary.
People who are using drugs are more likely to suffer from a stroke than others, particularly if they have co-occurring conditions (which aren’t always known about).
Other key risk factors include:
Yes, young people can suffer from strokes. It’s less common in young people, but it does happen, especially when drugs are involved.
Yes, polydrug use (using multiple drugs at the same time or within a short time period) significantly increases the risk of stroke.
The effects on the body are much more varied, and less predictable, which makes a stroke more likely.
Strokes are much less common in healthy people, but they do occur, due to factors such as genetics and birth control.
Sometimes, a seemingly healthy young person suffers from a stroke due to undetected medical conditions, such as a heart defect.
[1] https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/stroke-tia/background-information/prevalence/
