Out of it: nearly everyone knows that drug abuse impairs the way a person thinks and functions--but what are the consequences?

• Position: FACTS FOR THOUGHT

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Ask someone to name the harmful health effects of drug abuse and addiction, and you might get the following very scary list: overdose; cancer; heart disease; lung disease; liver dysfunction; mental disorders; infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and tuberculosis.

All of these are correct. Research shows that drug abuse and addiction can cause or worsen a whole array of health problems. Some can occur when drugs are used in high doses or after prolonged use, and some after just one use.

But you're likely to be more aware of other effects, which may not seem as scary. Or are they? You probably know that drugs affect feelings, moods, judgment, learning, memory, and movement. What's harmful about these effects?

As it turns out, impairment from drug abuse can cause a lot of serious consequences. Impairment refers to diminished ability, such as when drug abuse interferes with thinking or muscle movements. When a person is impaired from drugs, he or she is open to a wide range of errors in judgment and perception, which can lead to making bad choices. Physical abilities also can be affected, so a person might not react as he or she normally would.

The consequences of impairment can be both short-term and long-term, and can impact the most important things to a person: family, friends, school, possessions, dreams, goals, even life itself.

DIMINISHING RETURNS

Drugs of abuse, such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine, inhalants, nicotine, and alcohol--even some medications when they are not taken according to dosage and directions---can change the way a person's brain functions. This is important for teens to know because the teen brain's frontal cortical regions, which integrate all the various pieces of information that go into making good decisions, will still be developing until around age 25.

Since drugs act on the brain, they can affect a wide range of abilities. These include: perception (what someone understands or observes), cognition (knowledge gained, as through perception), judgment (the ability to make a decision), attention, balance, and coordination.

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The consequences of impairment are almost infinite when you think about them. For example, after using drugs, someone might not score well on a test, thus affecting grades, college placement, or obtaining a particular job. Someone might misperceive a situation, respond inappropriately, and cause a regretable argument. Someone could...