NEGATIVE

IMPACTS ON
HEALTH

Source: KidsHealth.org
ALCOHOL

What is alcohol?

Alcohol is created when grains, fruits, or

vegetables are fermented.

Fermentation is a process that uses yeast

or bacteria to change the sugars in the
food into alcohol.

Fermentation is used to produce many

necessary items — everything from
cheese to medications.
ALCOHOL
How does alcohol affect the body?

Alcohol is a depressant, which means it

slows the function of the central nervous
system. Alcohol actually blocks some of
the messages trying to get to the brain.

More alcohol causes greater changes in

the brain, resulting in intoxication.
People who have overused alcohol may
stagger, lose their coordination, and slur their
speech.
When large amounts of alcohol are
consumed in a short period of time,
alcohol poisoning can result.
Violent vomiting is usually the first symptom
of alcohol poisoning. Extreme sleepiness,
unconsciousness, difficulty breathing,
dangerously low blood sugar, seizures, and
even death may result.
SMOKING

Once you start, it's hard to stop.

Smoking is a hard habit to break because

tobacco contains nicotine, which is a
highly addictive chemical.
Like heroin or other addictive drugs, the
body and mind quickly become so used to
the nicotine in cigarettes that a person
needs to have it just to feel normal.

Most adults who started smoking in their

teens never expected to become addicted.
Statistics show that about 9 out of 10 tobacco
users start before they're 18 years old.
SMOKING
How does smoking affect your
health?
Many of the chemicals in cigarettes, like
nicotine and cyanide, are actually poisons
that can kill in high enough doses.

Teen smokers might have many of these

problems:

Bad breath
Reduced athletic performance
Greater risk of injury and slower healing
time
Increased risk of illness
 DRUGS
HOW DRUGS WORK:
Drugs are chemicals or substances that change the way our bodies work.

Abused drugs find their way into the bloodstream. As they make their way
to the brain, they affect the ability to make healthy choices and decisions.

COMMONLY ABUSED DRUGS:

bath salts heroin

cocaine LSD
cough and cold medicines MDMA ("ecstasy")
(DXM) marijuana
crack methamphetamine ("meth")
depressants mushrooms
GHB
DRUGS
Getting Help:
If you think you — or a friend — may be
addicted to drugs, talk to a parent, your
doctor, school counselor, or nurse. They
can get you the help you need.

Several kinds of treatment are available for

drug addiction. The two main types are:

Behavioral: helping a person change behaviors

Pharmacological: treating a person by using

medicine

It can be hard to overcome drug addiction

without professional help and treatment. It
takes time and isn't something that can be
done alone.