Drugs are substances which alter your body or mind. Many drugs are legal, such as aspirin, or medicine given by a doctor. These can be really helpful if we are sick. But some drugs are illegal, and these are really bad news.

People take illegal drugs for different reasons. Lots of people take them because of peer pressure. They try to fit in with so-called friends. Others want the risk of doing something illegal. Some think that drugs make them feel better for a short while.

Your body was never designed for these drugs. They can cause all sorts of damage, from making you sick to causing brain damage. They can also cause liver or kidney damage, cancer, and the risk of infections like AIDS.

Drug users get used to their drugs as time goes on. That means they need to take more drugs to get the same effect. Often they start taking more powerful drugs. Nearly every heroin addict started out taking other drugs but ended up addicted to one of the most deadly drugs around.

Drugs are expensive. Lots of crime is committed just to pay for them. Many drug dealers are selling drugs to make enough money to pay for their own, because they are addicted.

You don't need to take drugs to have a good time!

See also Drugs 2 for information on different types of drugs and what they do to you.

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