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What's your poison?
There's a huge number of addictive substances out there, some more
pleasurable, available or dangerous than others. These vary from the
legal - alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine in coffee and tea etc - to the
illegal; hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine, and softer drugs like
cannabis. Then there are the thousands of pharmaceutical pills.
It's a potential minefield, and adults don't always help the situation
by warning teenagers about drugs when they themselves often seem to
be excluding alcohol from the equation just because it's so socially
acceptable. Make no mistake: alcohol probably does more harm in most
countries than any other drug. In the West, smoking is less socially
acceptable than it used to be but it's still done on a vast scale
- with lethal results.
Teenagers will always want to experiment. What your friends are doing
also plays a part. But it's as well to know what you're getting into.
And that means looking at drugs individually so you can make up your
own mind about the risks.
What does alcohol do to you?
Many people get an enjoyable feeling from small amounts of alcohol,
especially in social situations. It tends to relax them and make them
less shy and inhibited. The trouble starts when small amounts turn
to bigger or more frequent amounts and before you know it, you feel
you can't function without a drink.
There's no borderline between 'social drinking' and alcoholism. You
might intend to drink just to be sociable, but you could still end
up with a serious problem.
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. It affects every cell
in the body, particularly in the heart, liver and brain. The more
you drink, the more you need to drink to get the same effect. It also
causes nutritional deficiencies as it destroys vitamins and minerals.
What else does alcohol do?
Excessive drinking also increases the risk of cancer, as well as making
people more irritable and aggressive and less able to perform simple
tasks.
If you drink too much it will certainly affect your studies too. Then
there are the hangovers, which come about because the liver is unable
to detoxify all the alcohol in your system and produces a toxic substance
which give you headaches, feelings of nausea etc.
Do you have a problem?
Be honest with yourself. Is alcohol having any negative effect on
your health, studies, or relationships with family and friends? If
it is, there are many professionals who can help you. You could speak
to your doctor, or a health worker at school or college. Or you could
look up your local branch of Alcoholics Anonymous in the phone book.
There's nothing to be ashamed of. Admitting you've got a problem is
the first step to solving it.
Read More:
Smoking
Caffeine
Illegal drugs
Uppers, downers, LSD and
solvents
Link to:
How
to Tell if Drinking is Becoming a Problem
New
Advice on Sensible Drinking
Helpline for Teens by Teens
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