HEALTH  NET

HAZARDS OF ILLEGAL DRUGS

 
A person who becomes dependent on a drug exposes himself or herself to multiple risks. First, dependence is associated with increased use of the drug so that eventually it has to be taken many times every day; and since most of these drugs may, at least for a time, substantially impair performance of activities such as working or attending school, the drug user may soon find himself or herself outside the mainstream of society. 
Second, illegal drugs are obtainable only through illegal sources and are therefore expensive. Regular drug users often turn to crime or prostitution to finance their habits. 


Third, and most important, a person who is dependent on illegal drugs endangers his or her health. Illegal drugs are of variable quality and purity, and poisonings and overdoses are common and often fatal. Drugs dealers often dilute a drug with a hazardous substance to increase profits. If the drugs are infected intravenously, the drug user risks bacterial or viral infection of the lungs, heart, brain, kidneys and other organs if he or she uses or shares contaminated needles and syringes. This puts the drug user at high risk of hepatitis and infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS). Even if precautions are taken to avoid sharing contaminated needles and syringes, repeated use of illegal drugs often leads to loss of appetite, malnutrition and a progressive decline in health. 
Finally many psychoactive drugs of abuse, such as amphetamines or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), produce visual and auditory hallucinations. Which may lead to irreversible psychoses in the user.


 

 

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