Drugs - Some quick facts for kids Gr 4-5
Some things that we put into our bodies are very bad for us, like drugs and alcohol. These can be addictive and cause a great deal of damage and problems.
There are many types of drugs and all of them have different effects and are used for different reasons, but one thing that is the same for all types of drug are that it is bad for you and is addictive, which means you will struggle to stop using it and in the process just do more damage to yourself.
Drugs do not only have a bad effect on your body and brain, but it will also influence your relationships with your family and friends. It can get so bad that you start stealing from them, just to buy your next 'fix' and in the process they will mistrust you.
If you have a drug addiction you need to get professional help and you need to make up your mind that your want to get 'clean'.
Some drugs are legal, like alcohol and cigarettes, some drugs are medicines that we can get from the doctor or the pharmacist and some drugs like heroin, cocaine and cannabis are illegal.
Any type of drug that you use can have an effect on your body and the more you use it, the more addicted you will become. Some drugs will make you addicted after using it once and it will be difficult for you to stop.
'Recreational drugs' are the name of drugs that are legal like alcohol and coffee and cigarettes. This does not mean that because these drugs are legal and not seen as 'hard drugs' you can not get addicted to it and that it does not have a negative influence on your body and brain.
Watch the video to see what terrible effects drugs can have on you.
Recreational drugs can be put into two groups. It is either a 'depressant' or a 'stimulant'. Depending on in which group it falls will determine what effect it will have on you.
Alcohol is a depressant and it slows down the messages that goes from and to your brain. It 'depresses' the signals. The more you drink, the slower the signals will reach your brain.
It will cause you to think slower, but will also give you a very happy feeling and that is one of the dangers. Next time you are looking for that 'happy high' again and will start drinking and before you know it you are an alcoholic.
A depressant will also slow down the motion of your muscles and can even cause hallucinations or make your eyesight blurry.
If you use depressants over a long time and in a large amount, it will cause damage to your liver, brain and heart and it can also cause you to gain weight. It can also cause memory loss and because it lowers your 'inhibitions', which means you do not care what you do, it can also cause you to end up in dangerous or bad situations.
Stimulants are the opposite of depressants, and examples of stimulants are cigarettes and coffee or caffeine.
This will speed up the messages to the brain and will also make your feel more energetic and alert for a while, but unfortunately it will wear off and then you need some more. The more you use these stimulants, the more you can harm your liver and heart and lungs.
Another problem of drugs is that some are injected into the body and the drug addicts do not care if they use a dirty needle, as long as they can just get their drugs. These infected needles can carry viruses like HIV and you can be infected.
Some drugs like medicines prescribed by the doctor can make us feel better or even save our lives, but unfortunately any drug that is misused or in large amounts will do the opposite and just cause harm.
No matter how you look at it, the misuse or even just the usage of some drugs are just bad for you. Are you going to make the clever choice and say "No"?
Resources and for extra information
http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/depressants.html
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=285&id=1559
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This is really informative and helpful article for kids health. All the points that you have provided are really true.
Drugs affect the ability to make healthy.
They move to the brain and other parts of body. In the brain, drugs may intensify or dull the senses, change how alert or sleepy people feel, and sometimes decrease physical pain.
Thank you - such a pity that any person will do this to themselves