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All
drugs can be dangerous to use!
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Drugs can numb your memory, destroy your judgment,
and make it impossible to feel good or function without
them. Even drugs like marijuana and cocaine which probably
are not physically addictive (meaning that your body needs
the drug in order to function), can make you emotionally
dependent.
Once you become used to the "feelings" you get from pot,
cocaine or other drugs, you may find it harder and harder to
cope with normal everyday ups and downs.
People who take more than one dose or tablet, or combine
drugs, are asking for trouble because they can dramatically
multiply the chances of having a bad reaction.
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Teens
And Drinking
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Have you ever had a drink?
Many teens will answer "yes" when asked that question. In
fact, most people had their first drink around the age of
thirteen, even though the legal drinking age is 20 just
about everywhere in Japan.
You might want to know a little about alcohol before you
answer that question. Alcohol is really a natural product
that is created by the process of fermentation. But when you
drink this natural product called alcohol, it is absorbed
into your bloodstream, where it affects the central nervous
system. The central nervous system is the control center for
your whole body. Alcohol acts to slow down this control
center. Since alcohol has a sedative effect, small amounts
can reduce anxiety. Alcohol tends to block some of the
commands the brain is sending to various parts of the body,
and so it alters your senses. The more one drinks, the more
his or her senses are altered. The result -- we've all seen
people who have consumed too much alcohol. They have
difficulty walking, talking, and even hearing, many will
have "black-outs" and not remember what they did or said.
Alcohol can even be lethal if one drinks an enormous amount.
How Can Teens Avoid Drinking?
This is a tough question. With alcohol so prevalent, how
can you avoid it? After all, you want to fit in with the
crowd and be liked by your friends and many of them will be
drinking. You can always say your parents have caught you
drinking, and to get caught again would result in 'getting
grounded'. But it is best to be honest with your friends.
Tell them you don't like to drink because it changes the way
your feel or your personality. Your real friends will
understand and may even respect you for that. Try to plan
ahead to avoid gatherings where you know alcohol is going to
be served.
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Smoking
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Tobacco has been used as a mood-altering substance
for centuries. It has been chewed, sniffed, and smoked.
Today it is most commonly used in the form of cigarettes.
Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals, many are
responsible for its powerful addictiveness. Nicotine acts as
a stimulant on the central nervous system. Nicotine has many
metabolic affects. It increases the metabolic rate, raises
blood pressure, changes muscle tension and affects certain
brain chemicals and hormones. These and other metabolic
changes create a pleasurable sensation in the smoker that is
felt as relaxation. This "pleasure-sensation" is one of the
elements that makes tobacco so addictive. Another factor is
that the 'tolerance' to the effects of nicotine develops
very quickly. Tolerance is a word that kind of means the
smoker wants to smoke more and needs to smoke more. You NEED
to smoke more to get the same desired effects from the
nicotine. Once you become addicted your body depends on the
presence of nicotine. Some scientists have stated that the
addiction to tobacco is harder to break than the addiction
to heroin.
Once you try to stop smoking withdrawal symptoms occur.
These include: anger, anxiety, difficulty concentrating,
headache, rise in blood pressure, stomach pain, and most of
all an intense craving for nicotine.
Nicotine is actually a deadly toxin. If a single
pinhead-sized drop of liquid nicotine was put into your
bloodstream, it would be fatal.
Smoking has a nasty effect on nutrition too. Smokers
break down vitamin C twice as fast as nonsmokers. Vitamin C
is believed to be one of the most powerful antioxidants for
humans. Other vitamins and nutrients that the body needs are
also depleted by smoking.
The good news is that this addiction can be overcome. The
health benefits of stopping smoking begin almost
immediately. In just twenty-four hours after you stop
smoking your blood pressure and pulse return to normal.
Within a week your risk of heart attack begins to decrease.
Breathing becomes easier and your senses of smell and taste
begin to return to normal. Smoking will affect your
participation in sports too. Teen smokers find it hard to
engage in physical activity when doing so results in a
pounding heart and shortness of breath.
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