Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 97 LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF DRUGS Over time, the negative effects of drugs may come to outweigh any perceived positive effects. People under the influence of drugs usually make poor decisions and engage in risky behaviour; so many parts of their lives might suffer. > School - using drugs can affect people’s > ability to study, to concentrate in class, and > to keep up with assignments. > Work - if people cannot focus because of > their drug use, they might lose their job. > Worse, they could endanger or hurt > themselves or others at work. > Relationships - drugs can make people > emotional and unreasonable, particularly if > others criticize their drug use. > Money - using drugs can be expensive. > People might struggle to pay bills or buy > the things they need. > Mood - people may feel good while they > take drugs, but they feel worse when the > effects wear off. > Sex - using drugs might make people > forget to practice safe sex. The result of > unprotected sex could be a sexually > transmitted infection or an unwanted > pregnancy. > Legal Problems - illegal sale or possession > of drugs can dramatically affect a young > person’s future. If charged and convicted, > they will have a criminal record that may > present problems in the future with > potential employers or when travelling out > of the country. Drugs might also influence people’s lives in other ways they might not expect. The risks include harm to their physical health. > Heavy use of some drugs not only affects > the brain, it can also damage major organs > such as the liver, kidneys, and lungs. > If people inject drugs they may be at > serious risk of acquiring a blood-borne > virus. Sharing needles or having > unprotected sexual activity can spread > diseases like hepatitis C and even HIV. > Driving impaired by a drug puts people at > higher risk of having an accident and > getting hurt or hurting someone else. > There are many dangerous and > unpredictable effects associated with > abusing drugs, including addiction, > overdose and death. Mental health may also be affected if people use drugs. Some drugs can trigger psychosis, a mental disorder where people lose touch with reality. People who have a personal or family history of psychosis are especially at risk. When people are addicted to a drug they: > feel they cannot function without it, > spend most of their time finding and using > the drug, > need more and more of the drug to get the > same effect, and > use the drug (or other drugs) to cope with, > or to avoid, withdrawal effects. RISKS OF ABUSING DRUGS (continued) Image by Freepik
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