How do authors depict the impact of addiction on characters' physical health?

Authors often depict the impact of addiction on characters' physical health through detailed descriptions of symptoms, behaviors, and the progression of health deterioration. Here are some common ways they do this:

1. **Physical Appearance**:
   - **Weight Changes**: Characters may experience significant weight loss or gain. This could be due to the appetite-suppressing effects of some substances or the overconsumption of others.
   - **Hygiene and Grooming**: Neglect of personal hygiene and grooming is often depicted. Characters might appear disheveled, with unkempt hair, dirty clothes, and poor dental hygiene.
   - **Visible Symptoms**: Authors might describe symptoms such as bloodshot eyes, tremors, sweating, skin sores, or needle marks.

2. **Health Crises**:
   - **Overdoses**: Dramatic scenes involving overdoses are common, showing characters collapsing, losing consciousness, or experiencing convulsions, requiring immediate medical attention.
   - **Chronic Conditions**: Long-term health issues, such as liver disease, respiratory problems, or heart conditions, might be detailed as consequences of prolonged substance abuse.

3. **Behavioral Changes**:
   - **Physical Dependency**: Descriptions of withdrawal symptoms like shaking, vomiting, headaches, and severe anxiety can illustrate the physical dependence on the substance.
   - **Tolerance Development**: Characters may need increasingly larger amounts of the substance to achieve the same effect, showcasing how addiction escalates.

4. **Impact on Daily Functioning**:
   - **Decline in Physical Abilities**: Authors might show characters struggling with basic tasks, experiencing fatigue, or having impaired motor skills and coordination.
   - **Sleep Disturbances**: Insomnia or erratic sleep patterns are often highlighted, reflecting the disruptive impact of addiction on normal sleep.

5. **Medical Interventions**:
   - **Doctor Visits and Hospital Stays**: Characters may undergo medical examinations or be hospitalized due to complications related to their addiction. Descriptions of medical procedures, doctors' warnings, and recovery attempts can emphasize the severity of their condition.
   - **Medication and Treatments**: Depictions of prescribed medications to manage withdrawal symptoms or co-occurring health issues can also illustrate the ongoing struggle with addiction's physical impact.

6. **Physical Pain and Discomfort**:
   - **Chronic Pain**: Authors might detail chronic pain that drives addiction (in the case of prescription painkillers) or results from it.
   - **Acute Discomfort**: Acute episodes of pain or illness resulting from substance use or its withdrawal can be vividly described to emphasize the immediate physical toll.

7. **Sensory Descriptions**:
   - **Descriptive Language**: Rich, sensory descriptions of how characters feel physically (e.g., a racing heart, nausea, or aching muscles) can help readers viscerally understand the physical impact of addiction.

Through these methods, authors create a comprehensive picture of how addiction ravages a character's physical health, contributing to the overall narrative and character development. This portrayal helps readers grasp the severity of addiction's consequences and the profound struggle involved in coping with or overcoming it.