Diabetes Killed Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia: Lessons that Were Learned

Substance abuse is the excessive use of alcohol or drugs that result in clinical impairments and the loss of the ability to function professionally, socially, and mentally. If you were healthy before the substance abuse, drug abuse would begin to cause serious health problems. You can reverse or slow down this damage if substance abuse treatment is received.

Not so if you have diabetes. Manage your diabetes symptoms with the proper treatment, but substance abuse will cause diabetes to become life-threatening. Drugs affect people in many ways, but the sad side to recreational and illegal drugs make them extremely dangerous for those with diabetes. Drug abuse plus diabetes results in physical and mental problems.

Garcia’s drug of choice of drug was cocaine, and this addictive stimulant causes blood vessels to constrict, which increases blood pressure. Cocaine increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes and this risk combined with diabetes gives you a death sentence.

Appetite suppression is a side effect of cocaine use. Cocaine addicts often do not eat balanced meals, or they eat fatty foods. This type of eating pattern is very harmful to a diabetic. Forgetting to eat correctly due to a reduced appetite will lead to low blood sugar levels or hypoglycemia. Someone using drugs may also forget to take their medication which further complicates their situation.