Drugs and how they affect your health. (0)

Drugs are chemicals that change the way a person 's body works . You've probably heard that drugs are bad for you, but what does that mean and why are they bad?
Medicines Are Legal Drugs
If you've ever been sick and had to take medicine, you already know about one kind of drugs. Medicines are legal drugs, meaning doctors are allowed to prescribe them for patients, stores can sell them, and people are allowed to buy them. But it's not legal, or safe, for people to use these medicines any way they want.
Cigarettes and Alcohol
Cigarettes and alcohol are two other kinds of legal drugs. (In Estonia, adults 18 can buy cigarettes and alcohol.) But smoking and excessive drinking are not healthy for adults and off limits for kids .
Nicotine is the drug in tobacco leaves. Whether someone smokes, chews , or sniffs tobacco, he or she is delivering nicotine to the brain . Each cigarette contains about 10 milligrams of nicotine. Nicotine is what keeps people smoking despite its harmful effects . Because the smoker inhales only some of the smoke from a cigarette and not all of each puff is absorbed in the lungs, a smoker gets about 1 to 2 milligrams of the drug from each cigarette. A drop of pure nicotine would kill a person-in fact , nicotine can be used as a pesticide on crops. You might hear cigarettes referred to as smokes, cigs, or butts. Smokeless tobacco is often called chew, dip, spit tobacco, or snuff .

How Many Teens Use It?

More than 3 and one- half million teens between the ages of 12 and 17 use tobacco-that's about 15 percent of teens that age. Of those, just over 3 million, or 13 percent, smoke cigarettes. In the U.S., 66.5 million people, or about 29 percent of the population, use tobacco.
With each puff of a cigarette, a smoker pulls nicotine into his or her lungs where it is absorbed into the blood . In eight seconds , nicotine is in the brain, changing the way the brain works. This process happens so fast because nicotine is shaped like the natural brain chemical acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is one of many chemicals called neurotransmitters that carry messages between brain cells. Neurons have special spaces called receptors, into which specific neurotransmitters can fit, like a key fitting into a lock. Nicotine locks into acetylcholine receptors in different parts of the brain, rapidly causing changes in the body and brain. Nicotine raises the heart rate and respiration (breathing) rate, and causes more glucose, or blood sugar , to be released into the blood. This might be why smokers feel more alert after smoking a cigarette.
Nicotine also attaches to neurons (brain cells) that release a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Nicotine stimulates neurons to release unusually large amounts of dopamine. Dopamine stimulates the brain's pleasure and reward circuit, a group of brain structures called the limbic system involved in appetite, learning , memory, and feelings of pleasure. Normally, pleasurable feelings come from food, comfort, and the company of people you love. But smoking cigarettes causes a flood of dopamine in the smoker's brain. It's this flood of dopamine that gives the smoker intense feelings of pleasure.
Normally, neurons reabsorb neurotransmitters after they've done their job of signaling other brain cells. But cigarette smoke causes dopamine to stay in the spaces between neurons called synapses. Researchers don't yet know exactly what component of tobacco smoke blocks the reabsorption of dopamine into neurons.
In 40 minutes, half the effects of nicotine are gone . So smokers get the urge to light up for another dose of the drug. After repeated doses of nicotine, the brain changes. To adjust to too much dopamine, the brain cuts production of the neurotransmitter and reduces the number of some receptors. Now, the smoker needs nicotine just to create normal levels of dopamine in his or her brain. Without nicotine, the smoker feels irritable and depressed. The smoker has trained the limbic system to crave tobacco. Think about how you long for a cold drink on a hot day. Or how you want a sandwich when you are hungry. Craving for tobacco is much stronger.
These changes in the brain and body make nicotine highly addictive. Other addictive drugs of abuse, including heroin and cocaine, cause the same changes in the brain.
While inhaling a cigarette, smokers are pulling more than nicotine into their lungs. Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals. Besides nicotine, the most dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke are tar and carbon monoxide. Tar causes lung cancer , emphysema, and bronchial diseases. Carbon monoxide causes heart problems; smokers are at high risk for heart disease.
Smokers also have a dulled sense of smell and taste , reduced stamina for exercise and sports , and they smell of smoke. After smoking for a long time, smokers find that their skin ages faster and their teeth turn brown or discolored
Each year , nearly half a million Americans die from tobacco use. One of every six deaths in the United States is a result of smoking tobacco, making tobacco more lethal than all other addictive drugs combined

Nervous or Depressed?

Scientists are learning how tobacco and nicotine affect teen smokers. Studies going on for 25 years show a link between heavy teen smoking and fear of going outside (agoraphobia). Teens who smoke were 6 times more likely to get agoraphobia. And, teen smokers were 15 times more likely to have panic attacks than teens who did not smoke. Scientists think the reason is that nicotine hurts blood vessels to the brain, and also blocks air from the lungs. Whatever the reason, teen smokers are more likely to have panic attacks, anxiety disorders , and depression .
Illegal Drugs
When people talk about the "drug problem," they usually mean abusing legal drugs or using illegal drugs, such as  marijuana , ecstasy , cocaine, LSD, crystal meth and heroin.
Cocaine is a white powder that comes from the dried leaves of the coca plant that is found in South America. Crack cocaine is a form of the drug that gives a very quick , intense high. 
Crack is made by cooking cocaine powder with baking soda, then breaking it into small pieces called rocks. It got its name because it crackles when it is heated and smoked.
Heroin comes from the opium poppy, a flower that grows in Asia, Mexico , and South America. Pure heroin is a white powder that tastes really bad. Some heroin is dark brown, and black tar heroin is either sticky or hard and looks like roofing tar.
Ecstasies are tablets of different shapes, size and color (often white) which are swallowed. Can leave users feeling tired and depressed for days . Periods may be heavier, irregular or stop. Nerve damage from ecstasy use may affect memory and possibly increase chances of depression. Possibly increases risk of getting colds and flu. Regular users can become tolerant to ecstasy.
Why Are Illegal Drugs Dangerous?
Illegal drugs aren't good for anyone , but they are particularly bad for a kid or teen whose body is still growing . Illegal drugs can damage the brain, heart, and other  important organs . Cocaine, for instance , can cause a heart attack - even in a kid or teen. While using drugs, a person is also less able to do well in school, sports, and other activities . It's often harder to think clearly and make good decisions . People can do dumb or dangerous things that could hurt themselves - or other people - when they use drugs.

How Are Teens Affected?

Young people are at risk for contracting HIV and developing AIDS. According to CDC, about 38,490 young people age 13 to 24 in the United States had been diagnosed with AIDS by the end of 2003. And the trend was increasing-from 3.9 percent diagnosed with AIDS in 1999 to 4.7 percent in 2003.
In youth, as in adults, some populations are disproportionately affected. African Americans age 13 to 19 represent only 15 percent of the U.S. teenage population, but accounted for 66 percent of new AIDS cases in 2003. The reasons for this disparity are not completely understood; in fact, African American youth have lower rates of drug abuse than Whites and Hispanics. This remains a strong research priority area for NIDA.
In general, middle and late adolescence is a time when young people engage in risk- taking and sensation-seeking-behaviors that may put them in jeopardy of contracting HIV. Regardless of whether a young person takes drugs, unsafe sexual practices increase a person's risk of contracting HIV. But drugs and alcohol can increase the chances of unsafe behavior by altering judgment and decision making.
Why Do People Use Illegal Drugs?
Sometimes kids and teens try drugs to fit in with a group of friends . Or they might be curious or just bored. A person may use illegal drugs for many reasons, but often because they help the person escape from reality for a while. If a person is sad or upset , a drug can - temporarily - make the person feel better or forget about problems. But this escape lasts only  until the drug wears off.
Drugs don't solve problems, of course . And using drugs often causes other problems on top of the problems the person had in the first place . A person who uses drugs can become dependent on them, or addicted. This means that the person's body becomes so accustomed to having this drug that he or she can't function well without it. 
Can I Tell If Someone Is Using Drugs?
If someone is using drugs, you might notice changes in how the person looks or acts . Here are some of those signs, but it's important to remember that depression or another problem could be causing these changes.
A person using drugs may:

• Lose   interest in school.
  
• Change friends (to hang out with kids who use drugs).
  
• Become moody , negative, cranky, or worried all the time.
  
• Ask to be left alone a lot.
  
• Have trouble concentrating.
  
• Sleep a lot (maybe even in class ).
  
• Get in fights.
  
• Have red or puffy eyes.
  
• Lose or gain weight .
  
• Cough a lot.
  
• Have a runny nose all of the time.
  

What Can I Do to Help?
If you think someone is using drugs, the best thing to do is to tell an adult that you trust . This could be a parent, other relative, teacher , coach, or school counselor. The person might need professional help to stop using drugs. A grown -up can help the person find the treatment he or she needs to stop using drugs. Another way kids can help kids is by choosing not to try or use drugs. It's a good way for friends to stick together. Understanding drugs and why they are dangerous is another good step for a kid to take. Below , we've listed some words that may be new to you.
Addiction - A person has an addiction when he or she becomes dependent on or craves a drug all of the time. 
Depressant - A depressant is a drug that slows a person down. Doctors prescribe to help people be less angry, anxious, or tense. Depressants relax muscles and make people feel sleepy, less stressed out, or like their head is stuffed.  Some people may use these drugs illegally to slow themselves down and help bring on sleep - especially after using various kinds of stimulants. (See below.)
High - A high is the feeling that drug users want to get when they take drugs. There are many types of highs, including a very happy or spacey feeling or a feeling that a person has special powers, such as the ability to fly or to see into the future.
Inhalant - An inhalant, such as glue or gasoline, is sniffed or "huffed" to give the user an immediate rush . Inhalants produce a quick feeling of being drunk - followed by sleepiness, staggering, dizziness, and confusion.
Narcotic - A narcotic dulls the body's senses (leaving a person less aware and alert and feeling carefree) and relieves pain. Narcotics can cause a person to sleep, fall into a stupor, have convulsions, and even slip into a coma. Certain narcotics - such as codeine - are legal if given by doctors to treat pain. Heroin is an illegal narcotic because it is has dangerous side effects and is very addictive.
Stimulant - A stimulant speeds up a person's body and brain. Stimulants, such as methamphetamines and cocaine, have the opposite effect of depressants. Usually, stimulants make a person feel high and energized. When the effects of a stimulant wear off, the person will feel tired or sick.
Why does drinking lead to accidents?
Alcohol is a depressant so it slows down the brain and body's reactions. It can alter our balance and the way we see things. Try doing this coordination test to see how being slowed down and unbalanced could affect you.
opium
cocaine
crack
ecstasy
heroin
LSD (acid)
magic mushrooms - when prepared (dried, cooked, made into tea, etc.)
amphetamines ( speed ) - if prepared for injection
Possession: 7 years prison and/or a fine Possession with intent to supply : life imprisonment and/or a fine
amphetamines (speed)
cannabis resin
barbiturates
codeine
Possession: 5 years prison and/or a fine Possession with intent to supply: 14 years prison and/or a fine
cannabis
most anabolic steroids
tranquillizers (including Royhpnol)
DF 118 (painkillers)
Possession: 2 years and a fine Possession with intent to supply: 5 years and a fine