Drug Abuse
Alcohol abuse is a serious problem, driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs is an even bigger problem that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Abusing either one of these substances can lead to the death of you or the death of someone else or even cause a major change in their life like Jacqueline’s story, her whole life has been changed because of another person’s ignorance and carelessness. Therefore, you should know the facts about drug and alcohol abuse before you do something you may regret for the rest of your life.
According TO NIDA FOR TEENS: THE SCIENCE BEHIND DRUG ABUSE, drugs are chemicals or substances that change the way our bodies work. Drugs find their way into your bloodstream, whether you ingest, inhale or inject them, they are then transported to parts of your brain. Weighing about three pounds, the brain is made of many parts that all work together as a team. Each part of your brain has a job to do. When drugs enter your brain, they can interrupt the work and actually change the way your brain performs its jobs. These changes in the brain are what lead to compulsive drug use, the hallmark of addiction.
Alby, an eighteen year old teen who was residing in a maximum-security jail, ended up in jail because he began dealing drugs. HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY, recorded that it all started one summer day on a street corner in Yonkers, New York, when Alby was thirteen. One of his friends told him “You need to get your mind right. Hit this blunt”. Alby didn’t hesitate to try it, at the time he didn’t have the strength to say “no”. He wanted to fit in and if smoking a blunt lead to him being “cool” he would do it. With his parents never being there for him, with them being drug addicts themselves, he didn’t believe it would be an issue if he tried the blunt. After that day he would get high every chance he could and eventually he got to the point where he would do anything to buy the marijuana. That is when he began dealing
According TO NIDA FOR TEENS: THE SCIENCE BEHIND DRUG ABUSE, drugs are chemicals or substances that change the way our bodies work. Drugs find their way into your bloodstream, whether you ingest, inhale or inject them, they are then transported to parts of your brain. Weighing about three pounds, the brain is made of many parts that all work together as a team. Each part of your brain has a job to do. When drugs enter your brain, they can interrupt the work and actually change the way your brain performs its jobs. These changes in the brain are what lead to compulsive drug use, the hallmark of addiction.
Alby, an eighteen year old teen who was residing in a maximum-security jail, ended up in jail because he began dealing drugs. HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY, recorded that it all started one summer day on a street corner in Yonkers, New York, when Alby was thirteen. One of his friends told him “You need to get your mind right. Hit this blunt”. Alby didn’t hesitate to try it, at the time he didn’t have the strength to say “no”. He wanted to fit in and if smoking a blunt lead to him being “cool” he would do it. With his parents never being there for him, with them being drug addicts themselves, he didn’t believe it would be an issue if he tried the blunt. After that day he would get high every chance he could and eventually he got to the point where he would do anything to buy the marijuana. That is when he began dealing
Cited: "Alcohol." KidsHealth - the Web 's Most Visited Site about Children 's Health. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . Baily, Cate. "NIDA for Teens: Real Stories - Marijuana." NIDA for Teens: The Science Behind Drug Abuse. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . "Drug Facts | Alcohol." AbovetheInfluence.com. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . "Drunk Driving Statistics." Talking Bar Breathalyzer Helps Prevent Drunk Driving. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . "Heads Up for Teachers." Scholastic: Nida :: Home. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . "MADD - Statistics." MADD -Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . NIAAA, Underage Drinking: A Major Public Health Challenge. 2003. Print. "NIDA for Teens: Facts on Drugs - Brain & Addiction." NIDA for Teens: The Science Behind Drug Abuse. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. . "Treatment Episodes Data Set." SAMHSA. 1992-2002. Web.