Why do some people take drugs?
Anyone can be a drug user. Each drug user will have different reasons for using different drugs. Following are some common reasons people have for using different drugs. Discuss them with your friends. Are any of them good reasons to use drugs? Can you think of any other reasons why people might use drugs?
People try drugs out of curiosity.
Curiosity is natural when you are young. You may have friends or know people who use drugs. You may want to know how drugs will make you feel.
People use drugs because they feel emotionally pressured.
Some people use drugs to relieve emotional pressures like loneliness or depression. Others might use drugs because they feel bored. Some may use drugs just to get even with or go against their parents wishes. Sometimes it's just because they feel left out.

People use drugs because they feel pressured by the people around them.
Taking drugs may seem normal or safe when you see the people around you using drugs. Sometimes your favourite athlete, movie star or musician may use drugs.
Members of your own family or friends may use drugs. You might think that you are supposed to use drugs if everyone else uses them. You may feel that you have to use drugs to be accepted as a part of the group.
People use drugs because they want to "fit in" with their friends.
In some groups, taking drugs is fashionable. If you don't do drugs, you don't belong to the group. The most common reason that young people give for why they use drugs, is to fit in among their friends.
People use drugs because they are easy to get.
Some of you know about drugs, whether they are legal drugs, like alcohol and tobacco, or illegal drugs, like marijuana. You know where legal drugs are sold and that illegal drugs can be bought from drug pushers.
People use drugs because they have used them before.
Trying drugs for the very first time is a big step and it does not mean that you will try again. But once you have tried a drug, you may be more relaxed and likely to try it again. People who use one kind of drug regularly are also more likely to try other kinds of drugs.
People use drugs because they don't feel "right" without them.
Some people's minds and/or bodies depend on drugs. They are called "drug dependent". Someone who is drug dependent may experience unpleasant physical and mental sensations if they do not use drugs.

What is drug abuse?
"Drug abuse is when the perceived benefits of using a drug begin to replace previously valued experiences or responsibilities."
How do you know when you or your friends have "crossed the line" from use to abuse? The above defInition of drug abuse tells us that abuse occurs when using drugs becomes more important than other things that used to be important. (This does not include side effects that are caused by drugs taken under a doctor's care.) This can happen so subtly that you may not recognise the change. If using drugs starts to replace other things in your life, you are an abuser. Are your marks in school going down because finding the time to study just doesn't seem as important as it use to be? Does getting high seem more fun than things you used to do for entertainment?
A person can be emotionally addicted to drugs before a physical addiction occurs. Emotional addiction makes it very difficult for the person involved to view his/her drug use objectively. Even though their drug use is replacing things that used to be important in their lives, they do not recognise it as abuse since there are no physical symptoms. The transition of values might seem like a natural change in their life, or the person may not even realize that the drug use has started to become more important than other things.
What kind of problems does drug abuse cause?
Drug abuse causes health problems.
Drug abuse can lead to sickness and physical damage to our bodies.
Drug abuse causes personal problems.
Drug abuse can lead to problems of addiction and loss of motivation.
Drug abuse causes social problems.
Drug abuse causes problems that affect all of us. An increase in crime and traffic accidents are some examples of how everyone suffers from drug abuse. Even though you may never use drugs, there will always be people that do.

Making a positive choice
Ask Yourself the following questions:
What do I know? What do I value?
What are my feelings?
What has happened before? What might happen?
The best choice for me would be:
The subject of drugs is not an easy one to discuss at the best of times. Drugs may or may not be part of your experiences, but drugs are a fact of life. Communication is one of the best ways to help you to make a choice for yourself. You could talk about caffeine in cola or why some people drink on holidays. You may have some questions that you want the answers for or an experience that you would like to talk about. So far, we have tried to give you a good understanding of drugs, but it can not substitute for the knowledge you may gain by talking with the people closest to you in life; your parents, teachers, counsellors, spiritual leaders, etc. These people are here to help you. They have experienced life longer than you and are better able to answer your questions or to just sit down and have a talk. After all, who knows you better, who cares about you more and who wants the best for you? They do!

For the adults in your life...
Signs of Drug Abuse:
* Sudden changes in behaviour; irritable, unpredictable, hostile, depressed, withdrawn.
* Sudden shifts in or secretiveness about activities.
* Lack of interest in school and recreation.
* Sudden increase or lack of appetite.
* More sensitivity about privacy.
* Loss of interest in family activities.
* Avoiding communication with parents; hiding away.
* Belligerence or defensiveness, vulgarity.
* Not sleeping enough or too much sleeping at strange hours.
* Bloated appearance.
Drug Facts:
* Alcohol and tobacco are the two most used drugs by young people. Boys are generally bigger drug users than girls, with the exception of tobacco. Girls will more often say that they smoke regularly.
* Over half of all traffic accidents resulting in death involve alcohol.
* Over 60% of all people killed in drunk driving traffic accidents are teenagers.
* Traffic accidents are the leading cause of teenage death.
* Over half of all children in grade 7 have tried alcohol or some other drug and over 90% by grade 12.
* Alcoholism, between the ages of 9 and 12, once unheard of, is becoming increasingly common.
* Addiction is hereditary. Studies show that sons of alcoholic fathers have a 4 to 5 times greater chance of becoming alcoholics themselves, regardless of whether they have been raised by their own parents or adoptive parents.
* There is no such thing as a "cured" addict. Once the abuser has stopped, they must completely abstain in order to keep from slipping back into old habits. It is a lifelong battle to recover from an addiction.

Children/Alcohol - Can you help?
The problem exists.
In a typical classroom of thirty students, three children may have a parent who abuses alcohol. Because the problem of alcoholism is usually denied, many of these children never get help. They themselves may feel too frightened or ashamed to ask for help. They may think that no one will understand their problems.
Children with alcoholic parents are at risk:
* Studies show that they are 3 to 4 times more prone to become or to marry alcoholics and thus carry on the same kind of lifestyle that they experienced as children.
* They have more emotional problems which often do not show up until later in life.
* There is a strong relationship between alcohol abuse and cases of incest, neglect, battering and suicide. These young people often appear to be coping with the situation but they need help. If you are a child of an alcoholic, ask for help from someone you trust. If you are a friend of someone who you know is suffering, encourage them to ask for help.
If a child of an alcoholic parent asks you for help:
1. Be open. Show that you will listen in confidence.
2. Don't ask too many questions. Don't expect answers right away.
3. Know your limits. Make sure the child gets the proper kind of help. Each state has its own alcohol and drug assistance program. Contact the nearest one to you for help.
4. Be a support. Let the child know that you are glad they chose you to confide in, that you believe what they have told you and that you are willing to help them. He/she will need to know that you will not tell anyone else without asking for their permission first. The child has taken on a great risk revealing his or her family problems to you. It is up to you to supply the guidance this child deserves.

Tips on being drug-free!
1. Make a personal commitment to live drug-free. This can be a silent pledge to yourself or a formal pledge between you and a group of your peers.
2. Find friends who want to live drug-free. Establish friendships with those people. Join a prevention youth group. Seek support for your choice and help others.
3. Saying "NO" to drugs means saying "YES" to drug-free alternatives: something positive and drug-free, especially during weekends and holidays.
4. Find a good role model who doesn't use drugs. It can be a family member, a popular celebrity or someone such as your favourite teacher or sports coach. Role models must believe in a no-use rule about alcohol and other drugs for minors, and also model appropriate behaviour themselves.
5. Develop a strong relationship with your parents. Let them know what concerns you have. Talk about the drug issue. They want to be part of your lives, so why not let them in?
6. Learn up-to-date and accurate adverse health effects of alcohol and drugs (non-medical purposes) on the body. Being well-informed will make it easier to say "NO" to drugs.
7. Practice techniques of resisting peer pressure. Role-play these with a younger brother or sister, a friend or an adult. This will help you to react without hesitation in a real-life situation.
8. Look at the long-term consequences of your actions: take responsibility. Visualize the consequences of your choices. Ask yourself these two questions which will help you to say "NO". "Would my saying "yes" to my friend's request break a law?" and "Would I do this in front of my parents, teachers or any other responsible adults in my life?"
9. Be an individual. This means not going along with the crowd when they do something you don't agree with. Be a thermostat, not a thermometer: grab control of your environment before it controls you.
10. Be proud of your drug-free choice and realize that you are great just the way you are!