Drug Free

Everyone knows that doing drugs has very harmful effects on your body and can ruin your life. But as a high school student drugs can be very tempting. You have a lot of different things going on in your life and many of your friends might be experimenting with drugs and pressuring you to do so as well. Here are some tips you can use to stay drug free.

• Set goals for yourself: Setting goals for your future makes you think about what it is going to take to get there. Odds are if you start using drugs you are never going to achieve your goals. Using drugs effects your physical and mental health and can hinder you from achieving your goals. Many jobs drug test and will not hire you if you use drugs. Also, if you get caught using drugs you could end up in jail and it will stay on your criminal record for the rest of your life. Stay on the path to achieving your goals and be drug free.
• Spend time with your friends and family: Having a strong relationship with your friends and family can stop you from using drugs. Knowing how much your friends and family love you might ease any temptations you have. They not only love you, but you love them and using drugs not only hurts you, it hurts your friends and family too.
• Talk to someone: If you are constantly feeling pressured into using drugs you should talk to someone about it. Talk to a parent, teacher, or counselor and they can give you some support to help you be drug free.
• Do something else: If all your friends are trying drugs and they are pressuring you to as well try doing something else. Do something else not with your friends that makes you feel good like going for a run, playing video games, watching a movie, or reading a book.
• Stop before you start: If you are offered drugs just say no and walk away, because once you start it can be very hard to stop. Saying “oh ill just try it this once” doesn’t work because drugs are extremely addictive and will suck you in.
• Keep your distance: If a friend or family member is doing drugs around you just go somewhere else. Staying away from drugs all together is a great step towards being drug free.
• Find new friends: If your friends are constantly pressuring you to use drugs, they probably aren’t your true friends. Someone that truly cared about you wouldn’t be trying to convince you to do drugs. Try finding a new group of friends that are interested in safer activities like playing sports, going to the movies, and playing video games.
• Say NO assertively: If you are offered drugs by someone be sure to say NO assertively so they know you are serious. Try “Nope, not even once. I don’t need that in my life.” and walk away.
• What makes you happy: Depression and low self-esteem are things that can often lead to drug use. Try making of list of the things that make you happy and start doing them instead of feeling sad. Letting yourself feel sad all the time can put you at a greater risk of using drugs.

There are many negative side effects to using and abusing drugs including,

Mood swings, depression, anxiety, paranoia, violence, hallucinations, confusion, HIV, heart attack, lung cancer, emphysema, breathing problems, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, kidney and liver damage, seizures, stroke, brain damage, overdose, and death.

Don’t put your life in danger, save yourself and your family from all the pain and suffering and be drug free!