Key Concepts:
Vocabulary: substance abuse, illegal drugs, illicit drug use, overdose, addiction
The Health Risks of Drug Use
Substance Abuse
Main Idea: Substance abuse includes the use of illegal substances, as well as the misuse of legal substances.
Medicines cure and prevent disease. Sometimes medicines are accidentally used in an improper way. At other times, medicines are intentionally abused. Substance abuse is any unnecessary or improper use of chemical substances for non- medical purposes. It includes the overuse, or multiple use of a drug, use of an illegal drug, or use of a drug with alcohol.
Some abused substances are illegal drugs, chemical substances that people of any age may not lawfully manufacture, possess, buy, or sell. Using illegal drugs is a crime called illicit drug use, the use or sale of any substance that is illegal or otherwise not permitted. This includes the sale of prescription drugs to those for whom the drugs are not intended.
Factors That Influence Teens
Teens are faced with many choices, including the use of drugs. Many factors influence the choices a teen makes about drug use. Some influences can include:
Peer Pressure, or the Influence of Friends or Social Group. Peers can influence teens to avoid illegal drug use. Teens whose friends avoid drug use are more likely to say no to drugs themselves.
Family members can help teens resist drug use. Parents and other family members can encourage teens to abstain from drug use.
Role models such as coaches, athletes, actors, and professionals who speak about the benefits of being drug-free.
Media messages on TV, radio, Web sites, movies, and music can influence how you feel about drug use.
Perceptions of drug behavior that may lead teens to believe that drug use is higher than it is in reality. According to the CDC, more than 70 percent of ninth- graders have never used marijuana.
Misleading information about some drugs can lead teens to think that certain drug use can be beneficial. Some teens believe that steroid use boosts sports performance.
How Drugs Affect Your Health
Main Idea: Illegal Drug Use Can Lead to Death
Unlike medicines, illegal drugs are not monitored for quality, purity, or strength. They don’t come with labels that list safety guidelines or suggested dosage. Drug abuse affects your physical, mental/emotional, and social health.
Other Effects of Drug Use
Teens who use illegal drugs may also experience unwanted physical reactions that may result in death. These reactions can occur with a teen’s first drug use or even if a teen has used a drug in the past and believes that he or she can tolerate the drug. The manufacturing of illegal drugs is not regulated, so the compounds in each batch of a drug may be different.
Other consequences are:
Tolerance. This is a condition in which the body becomes accustomed to the drug and causes the user to experience a need for more and more of the drug to achieve the desired effect.
Psychological Dependence. Psychological dependence is a condition that develops over time and causes a person to believe that a drug is needed in order to feel good or to function normally.
Physiological Dependence. A user develops a chemical need for a drug. Symptoms of withdrawal occur when the effects of the drug wear off. Symptoms can include nervousness, insomnia, headaches, vomiting, chills, and cramps. In some cases, withdrawal symptoms are severe and can result in death.
Addiction. Another serious consequence is addiction, a physiological or psychological dependence on a drug. An addict is someone who requires persistent, compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful. Because addiction always involves both psychological and physiological dependence, people who are addicted to a substance have great difficulty in stopping its use on their own. Professional intervention to stop using illegal drugs is often necessary.
Trying a drug just once or using a drug only a few times can quickly lead to a serious cycle of addiction. In the addiction cycle, a user takes a drug to experience short-term pleasure. As the effects of the drug wear off, the user then experiences the physical and psychological consequences of withdrawal. In order to relieve these symptoms, the user takes the drug again to to relieve the pain and to repeat the feelings of short-term pleasure once again. The cycle continues until a person gets medical help to stop using the drug.
Drugs Take a Heavy Toll
Main Idea: In addition to the physical risks to a person’s health, substance abuse can damage all aspects of your life.
Some people believe that drugs can help them escape from their problems. Drug use, however, can actually create problems that affect a user’s physical, mental/emotional, and social health.
Consequences for the Individual
Teens who use illegal drugs may stop pursuing their interests and goals, and the goals their parents, teachers, and other adults set for them. Taking drugs lowers inhibitions, which may lead teens to engage in behaviors that can harm their physical health. These behaviors may include engaging in sexual activity, which increases the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections, or acting recklessly.
Drug use is also a leading factor in teen depression and suicide. Teens who are involved in drug use are more likely to be arrested. Teens who are convicted of a drug offense can be sent to jail. Teen drug use can also lead to increased violence, crime, and accidental death.
Consequences for Friends and Family
When a teen abuses drugs, it affects everyone in his or her life. Teens who use illegal drugs may lose interest in healthy activities. They may stop spending time with friends who value a drug-free lifestyle. Family members who feel responsible for their loved ones feel the burden of the emotional and financial costs of drug abuse.
Consequences for Others
A developing fetus receives nutrients through the mother’s placenta. If a pregnant female takes drugs, those drugs are passed to the fetus. These drugs have a greater effect on the fetus than the mother. The fetus may be born with birth defects, behavioral problems, or a drug addiction. After birth, a nursing mother’s breast milk may contain traces of drugs that are passed to the baby.
Consequences for Society
People who abuse drugs cause harm to society. Illegal drug use can result in a rise in drug-related crime and violence. Driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) can result in collisions that cause injuries and deaths. Drug abuse also affects our nation’s economy. Research by the Office of National Drug Control Policy shows that drug abuse costs the U.S. economy $180 billion per year. These costs result from
lost work hours and productivity due to drug-related illnesses, jail time, accidents, and deaths.
health care costs and legal fees.
The consequences of drug abuse (mental, emotional, physical, legal, and social) are 100 percent preventable. By choosing a drug-free lifestyle, you avoid these consequences.
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