 |
Effects of Drug, Alcohol, Tobacco Use
Using
drugs, alcohol and tobacco can make more bad stuff happen to you than
you'd think. It can do anything from give you zits and bad breath, to
getting you in jail or dead. Read on to learn just some of the
bad stuff that can happen to you if you drink, do drugs or smoke.
Health
Effects
Believe it or not, you're not invincible. You will get hurt -
you might even die - if you're stupid enough to think smoking, drinking
or doing drugs can't hurt you.
-
Smoking cigarettes can cause bad breath, yellow teeth, high blood
pressure, heart failure, emphysema, and lung cancer. Smokeless tobacco
isn't any better. Dipping or chewing can do all that other stuff,
but it can also cause mouth or throat cancer. The earlier you start,
the more chance you have getting these health problems because the
bad chemicals have a longer time to work on your body.
-
Drinking,
especially before you're 21, slows down your reaction time and makes
it so you can't make good decisions. So even if you wouldn't normally
drive drunk, ride in a car with someone who is drunk, have sex before
you're ready or have unprotected sex, or do other drugs, you might
if you were drinking. All of these things could get you hurt or
get you dead. Even if you're lucky enough to not have any of these
things happen to you, drinking a lot or for a long time can cause
your liver to fail, which can kill you.
-
Pot heads may look like they're having fun in the movies, but the
effects of smoking marijuana in real life aren't too fun. Marijuana
has some of the same cancer-causing chemicals in it that cigarettes
do, so you could get cancer from smoking pot. Marijuana also weakens
the immune system, so you're more likely to get sick a lot. Smoking
marijuana can also lead to short term memory loss, so even if you
have what you think is a good time, you won't remember it - so what's
the point of that?
-
Unless
you've lived under a rock for the last five years, you've probably
heard of meth, which is short for methamphetamine. Meth causes a
"high" that sometimes only lasts a few minutes, and it causes lots
of health problems. It can cause paranoia, hallucinations and delusions,
so you'll think you see, hear and feel things that aren't really
there. It can also make you want to commit suicide or kill someone.
Sounds like a whole lot of fun. NOT.
-
Want a new cool pair of shoes? Or a new jacket? If you take hard
drugs like heroine or cocaine, you can forget about having spending
money for stuff you want because supporting a drug habit is very
expensive once you're addicted. You can also "look forward" to nausea,
headaches, dizziness, depression, paranoia, insomnia, seizures,
liver damage, and all kinds of "fun" stuff.
TOP
Social
Effects
You can't "feel" the social effects of drinking, smoking or doing drugs
as explicitly as the health ones, but they still exist. You can spend
the whole rest of your life trying to recover from the social effects
of using drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
- Remember that best friend you had since kindergarten? If you start
doing drugs and stuff and hanging around with a new or rough crowd,
you might have to choose between your old friend and your new "fun."
Your friend might not hang around you anymore, which means you'll
be on your own if you decide you've made a mistake and need help
getting better. Think those new friends will help you? Think again.
- So you want your parents to trust you enough to give you a later
curfew? Get caught drinking, smoking or doing drugs - or even having
that stuff around - and you can probably forget about it! If your
parents don't trust you, they have the right to tell you where to
be and when - even if think it's unreasonable for a 14-year-old
to have an 8 p.m. curfew. It can be hard to win back your parents'
trust after you've lost it.
- O.K.
You're 16 and you want a car. Think your parents will get you one
if you've been busted? Highly unlikely. If your parents even think
you might use it to go to a "friend's" house and do stuff you're
not supposed to do, they probably won't even get you a bike, much
less a car. You could be walking or taking the bus till you're 30!
- Think
teachers picked on you before? Fair or not, if they find out that
you drink, smoke or use drugs, they'll not only probably bust you
(if you didn't get in trouble already), but they'll probably label
you like a "trouble maker" for a very long time. Think it'll end
at the end of the school year and you get a new teacher? Forget
it. They talk to each other. That reputation could stick with you
for a very long time - even if you have quit and are trying to get
better
TOP
Legal
Effects
If you are arrested for a drug or alcohol offense, even if it's your
first time, you will generally be placed on probation and required to
report to a probation officer at least once a month. This means:
- You will be evaluated and will have to complete whatever drug and/or
alcohol treatment programs they think you need to go to. Even if
you don't think you're an alcoholic or a druggie, you'll still get
to spend your nights and weekends in meetings instead of with your
friends.
- You will have to perform approximately 20 hours of community service.
It's better than jail, where you never know what can happen to you,
but planting trees and cleaning up neighborhoods or whatever and
not getting paid for it is still a drag.
- You will be placed on a curfew. No more late nights. No more slumber
parties. No more going out after the game. You will have to attend
school. No question about it, you'll really get in trouble if you
ditch while you're in trouble already and on probation.
- You will have to tell the judge who gave or sold you the drug or
alcohol. If you don't disclose the source, you will go to jail immediately.
Do not pass "GO." Do not collect $200.
- You
will have to pay all court costs and user fees, which are usually
over $250. Wouldn't you rather spend your money on something you
want?
TOP
IS
IT WORTH IT?
"The court takes very seriously the possession or usage of drugs
or alcohol by youths. We do our best to convey the seriousness
to the offender† While every case is different and must be judged
on an individual basis, the hope of the court is that early and
serious intervention may prevent a lifetime of drug or alcohol
abuse." - Brett Niemeier, Judge, Vanderburgh
Co. Superior Court
|
|
 |
