Dangerous Drugs
While at recess, Timmy usually plays kickball with some friends. But today, a couple of Timmy’s friends were going to do something different. One of his friends had brought something to school in a little bag, and he was hiding behind one of the school buildings showing it to some of his classmates. Timmydecided not to go with them because he heard what his friend was carrying: drugs.
There are many different types of drugs. Some drugs we can get from a doctor are helpful and legal, but others are illegal. Drugs are chemicals that change the way the body works, and most drugs are good when used in the right way and at the right time. However, some drugs are very bad for our health.
If they are so bad, why do people use illegal or dangerous drugs? Well, people use drugs because of how the drugs make them feel. The feeling comes from the increase of chemicals in the brain that makes us feel good. People who use these kinds of drugs can become addicted to them because they have to take more of the drug in order to get the same feeling each time. Unfortunately, this can lead to severe health problems and even death.
Let’s look at a couple of examples of the most frequently used drugs. One common illegal drug is marijuana (also called “pot” or “weed”). A person who uses marijuana will likely get a light-headed, drunken feeling and may even hallucinate (see things that are not really there). These effects may not seem too bad, but the problem really has only begun. The use of marijuana affects everything from the function of the brain to the immune system. Marijuana affects the brain much like other drugs, through the nerve cells. They can change how you act, think, speak, and even how you see. Using marijuana can cause problems in your lungs (such as lung cancer), increase the risk of a heartattack, decrease the ability of the body to fight off infection, and cause a number of other harmful problems. Ultimately, marijuana use can cause a person to have learning disabilities and make the person unable to function normally in society.
Some people use an illegal drug called methamphetamine or “meth.” This drug has powerful effects on the body. Actually, there are a number of drugs similar to meth that have the same effects. Meth produces a “rush” that makes you feel like you have a lot of energy. Meth is highly addictive, and it leads to a number of physical and emotional problems. This drug, like manyother illegal drugs, has very harmful effects on the central nervous system. Be-cause it affects the brain, it can hurt your ability to know what you are doing. It can even lead to problems that can cause death. Meth is a very dangerous drug.
Inhalants are dangerous drugs that include any vapor that can be inhaled through the nose or mouth that leads to a “rush” or some type of sensation. These vapors can come from anything from super glue to a permanent marker. Since these vapors come from many common household products, there is no way to make them illegal. In fact, some people even inhale the vapors from the whiteboard markers a teacher might use in class. The problem with inhalants is that they keep oxygen from reaching the brain. The more one inhales, the less oxygen makes it to the brain. Your brain needs a lot of oxygen in order to do the jobs that God designed it to do. So, even simple inhalants can lead to awful brain problems and even death.
There are many illegal and dangerous drugs (including alcohol). Drugs are not only harmful to our bodies, but can also keep us from knowing what we are doing. Those who are on drugs endanger themselves and the people around them. Using illegal drugs can also send us to jail. The Bible teaches us that we should live to serve the Lord (2 Timothy 2:3-4)—not drugs. The apostle Paul once wrote: “Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinth-
ians 6:20). Since our bodies are God’s, He certainly wants us to take care of them. Let’s be like Timmy and avoid these dangerous drugs!
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