Drugs + your body: drugs can attack your body inside and out--from your teeth and bones to your organs.

• Position: HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY

The human body is an amazing organism--from the brain, where trillions of connections per millisecond keep you functioning, to the heart, which pumps 2,000 gallons of blood from your head to your toes every day. Your body also has a pretty awesome immune system that can recognize and destroy millions of biological invaders to protect your health.

Maintaining a healthy body requires a delicate balance of good food, rest, and exercise. As strong and resilient as our bodies are, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs are incredibly powerful in their ability to create illness and disease.

Bad Breath and More

Tar and nicotine from tobacco are sticky substances that build up on the teeth and tongue, which can lead to bad breath, gum disease, discolored teeth, and tooth loss. Cigarettes and chewing tobacco also contain cancer-causing chemicals that flood the mouth and throat, increasing the risk of cancer in the mouth, pharynx, and larynx.

Nose No More

Snorting cocaine can destroy cartilage in the nose, like the septum--the hard tissue that divides the nose into nostrils. This can lead to nosebleeds and can decrease the ability to smell.

Not a Good Look

Methamphetamine abusers often report feeling like they have insects crawling under their skin, which causes them to pick at their skin, creating sores.

Messing With Hormones

Anabolic androgenic steroids are artificial forms of the male sex hormone testosterone. Abusing them can affect the reproductive system, causing shrunken testicles, infertility, baldness, and the development of breasts in males. In females, abusing them can cause facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in the menstrual cycle, and deepening of the voice.

Ready for Cancer?

Cigarette smoking...