Harrowing mugshots reveal horrific physical toll of drug abuse as addicts scratch their skin to the bone

SUNKEN, hollow cheeks, missing teeth and skin scratched to the bone.

These mugshots reveal the harrowing effects drug addiction can have on the human face over just a few months or years.

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The before and after shots collected by drugabuse.com show how quickly taking heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine can take its toll.

Addicts are shown with sores and scabs on their faces after drug withdrawals left them wanting to obsessively scratch and pick at their sallow skin.

Accelerated ageing associated with drug abuse also left most of those photographed with sallow, lined and tired looking faces.

Other common physical signs of drug abuse are bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, changes in skin tone, appearing tired and lethargic, weight loss and marks or spots on the face.

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Abuse of crystal meth can also cause ‘meth mouth’ – which is when a drug user’s teeth begin to crack and decay.

Long-term heroin addiction can result in some of the most dramatic and heart-wrenching effects to the human body.

Heroin tends to consume a user's every thought because withdrawals are so intense that they become desperate to find the drugs again.

This all-consuming addiction eclipses even basic tasks like grooming and feeding oneself.

It also creates the sensation of the skin crawling, which may make someone scratch and pick their skin and injection sites obsessively.

The mugshots show the tragic transformations of addicts arrested on multiple drugs charges over a number of years.

They are just a selection of an estimated 19.7 million Americans aged 12 and older who struggled with a substance use disorder in 2017.

Campaigners from the charity Rehabs conducted surveys on how seeing ravaged faces of drug users puts people off using themselves.

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In a poll of 1600 adults in 2017, 89.3 per cent said that seeing the physical effects made them less likely to abuse drugs.

It also found that after seeing the pictures, 72.7 per cent were more likely to support greater access to treatment for those struggling with substance use disorders.

Former addicts have also shared amazing transformation pics that proved that a full recovery is possible.

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