Substance Abuse Can Cause Progressive and Permanent Disease of the Metabolism

Research on opioid abuse and use, has shown that use, especially addiction to opioids, causes metabolic malregulation.  This also goes for many illicit drugs.  But we don’t often talk about that part of addiction because perhaps it’s not medically or legally as “popular” as other serious consequences.

This is however, without a doubt yet another serious consequence that should be brought to the forefront of the discussion on drug use and abuse as well as prevention.  Experts have known for years that drug and alcohol use and abuse, over time or even short term in some cases, causes progressive and permanent disease of the metabolism.  Why don’t we hear more about it?  


I recently stumbled upon a FOX news article where Elvis Presley’s former doctor spoke about his beliefs on how Elvis died and I felt it was important to talk about it.  Keeping in mind that Elvis had 10 drugs in his system at the time of his death, his doctor of 12 years expressed his opinion on how he believed Elvis died.

Dr. George Nichopolous cited autopsy results of Elvis to show he had an extremely abnormal colon and with this, unimaginable and most certainly painful digestive problems, resulting in chronic constipation.  The article described shocking autopsy findings citing “Presley’s colon was 5 to 6 inches in diameter (whereas the normal width is 2 to 3 inches) and instead of being the standard 4 to 5 feet long, his colon was 8 to 9 feet in length.”  Further stating “in the autopsy we found stool in his colon which had been there for four or five months because of the poor motility of the bowel.” 

  

The question is, how did Elvis’ colon it get like that?  Was he born this way and if he was, did the opioids and uppers he frequently took, prescribed by his doctor, slow his metabolism so much that it killed him?  How can we know for sure? 

What we do know form these findings are that if a person who is born with an abnormal colon or if they have a history of bowl paralysis in his or her family, they should be extremely cautious when taking doctor 

prescribed medications.