The truth about drugs

[*silenced*]

I just posted this on another forum I am a member of and I thought I ought to post it here too. It is more aimed at teenagers and those starting to experiment with drugs and it's open for all to read and comment on.

This is something I'm trying at this drug help center I work at.
What do people think about all this drug stuff then eh?
Here's a few facts you might not know;

A drug is anything that changes the way your body and/or mind functions.
Half of teenagers will try an illegal drug.
About 40% of teens have tried marijuana one or more times.
About 9% of teens have tried cocaine, while 4% use it currently.
Substance abuse remains to be the leading cause of injury and death in teenagers.
Severe drug use causes bad skin, mood swings, irritablity, bad hair condition, weight loss - giving a drug user a horrible gaunt look.
Drug use (especially weed, ecstasty) cause anxiety disorders and panic attacks, for years after the addict has stopped drugs.
Hallucinagenics cause flashbacks and anxiety.
There are no drugs that do not carry risks - even natural drugs can damage your body and mind.

Mixing drugs is even more dangerous.
Especially in concontions like speedballing (cocaine and heroin), where one drugs (in this example, cocaine) is a stimulant, which speeds up the heart beat, then a depressant (heroin) which slows down the heart beat, causing arrhythmia (irregular heart beat). This can lead to heart faliure and severe respiritory depression, ie, death.

I'm not saying all drugs are always bad.
But long term use always spells trouble. Even with weed, it causes a fatty build up which effects the brain for longer than you feel stoned for, so instead of getting that nice, happy stoned feeling when you only use it every now and again, when constantly using it, it has much less effect and makes you depressed and even mentally ill.

Because when you're a teenager your body and mind are still developing, serious drug abuse will cause problems with identity, relationships, preperation skills, physical and emotional development, memory, learning skills and addiction.

And what many teenagers do not realise (including myself) is that heavy use leads to addiction. Not light use, light use can be controlled, it is natural to experiment and use drugs every now and again, this will also make the drugs effects have a better effect on you and be much cheaper because you build up much less of a tolerence and you will have less chance of overdosing.
But with heavy use comes addiction with most drugs, even seemingly non addictive drugs like ecstasy. Addiction is something that isn't talked about enough, that not enough people know about. Addiction controls your whole life, many people will experiance addiction some point in their lives, self harm, nicotine, caffine, weed, and harder drugs.

But with drug addiction it is something different. It destroys your life. You will loose your job, your partner, your family, all your money and worst of all, you're identity and integrity. You will no longer know who you are and you will no longer care.
All that will matter will be getting your next fix. You will get kicked out of your house, either because your parents cannot cope with you anymore or because you can no longer pay the rent. And because all your friends are drug users, you will get more and more sucked into that life untill you have no one else, you will use harder and harder drugs to satisfy your need and you will do literally anything to get them. That includes running errands like beating people up and stabbing people for criminals, you will steal from those you love and you will con good people for your own gain. You will sell everything you own that you havn't smashed on a come down or in a mood swing, you may even sell yourself for drugs. You may contract a disease from your living conditions or HIV from sharing needles. But by the time you realise you need help you will have pushed everyone who cared away, your friends may have died from overdoses, you will be even more depressed and alone than when you began your drug use, it is then die or quit. And quitting is impossible.

That is the truth about drugs, the truth about addiction.
Wether we want to believe it or not, I know that's true, I know those who have died due to it and I have lived through it and lost many good souls to drugs and prison.
But there is hope. Addiction can be overcome. It IS possible.
Don't let this happen to you or anyone you know. I swear I wont let anyone else die or waste their life due to drug abuse.
This post is for all those souls who have passed away and all those who feel there is no hope.

[Kellie]

Merci'

[Chy]

Thanks for posting that!

[Done-With-It!]

Thanks, Great Post!

[annihilate_me]

Great post, Silenced. I hope this will deture kids away from drug use.

[Dreamz]

Wowskies - thats a great post!!!

[*-Teandra-*]

Originally Posted by annihilate_me

Great post, Silenced. I hope this will deture kids away from drug use.

yea so do i

[embertin]

Hi
Everyone has their own truth. But the truth about drugs is: THEY'RE ILLEGAL. I smoke pot occasionally but I don't know if it's going to ruin my life. If you want to keep it safe, why try them? I'm not saying you shouldn't though. It's your choice and YOUR truth. But as I said before, always remember that they are illegal and you could get in a lot of trouble.

[lbrave]

Thank you for this post. When I first started smoking pot at 13, I had a romanticized view of drugs. I wish I had read something like this from a source I was able to trust. Instead I used drugs for 9 years, progressing to pills, cocaine, heroin, and everything else I could get my hands on. 22 months ago I lost my will to live and hated my life so absolutely that I decided to do the craziest thing I had ever done: I went to treatment. My life has been saved because of the support I got at treatment and the support I continue to receive from my sober friends and mentors. Please, if you relate, think about treatment. Don't give up on life. I love myself today and I feel happy and comfortable in my own skin - something I was never able to attain with drugs.