Drug abuse can cause speech impairments because it injures the brain. When unprescribed, illegal, or overdosed drugs enter the bloodstream, they travel throughout the body. When they travel through the brain's blood vessels, drugs can cause damage to the area of the brain responsible for communication, which may result in speech impairment. This may result in loss of memory or vocabulary and difficulty controlling speech muscles, which may make a person's speech more difficult to comprehend. Sometimes speech therapy can help a person regain speech skills, but other times the damage may entirely deprive a person of the ability to verbally communicate.
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