Get the facts: drug abuse puts your whole body at risk.

• Author: Volkow, Nora
• Position: HEADS UP REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY: A Message from Scholastic and The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA

Research shows...

"Drug abuse and addiction can affect almost every system in your body. You probably know that drugs affect feelings and moods, judgment, decision making, learning, and memory. But they can also cause or worsen other health problems--cancer; heart disease; lung disease; liver function; mental disorders; and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. Some of these effects occur when drugs are used at high doses or after prolonged use, and some may occur after just one use."

--Nora Volkow, M.D., Director of NIDA

* Tobacco addiction increases risk of lung and heart disease, as well as premature aging of the skin.

* Inhalants spread toxic chemicals throughout the body, and can cause blackouts and hearing loss as well as liver, kidney, and bone-marrow damage.

* Methamphetamine can cause cardiac damage, elevated heart rate, and convulsions, and can also lead to diseased gums and teeth, known as "meth mouth."

* Cocaine has been linked to stroke and heart attack, as well as increased vulnerability to infection.

* Drug abuse is linked to the top U.S. medical problems, including heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and mental illness.

HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, and Other Infectious Diseases

Nearly one-third of reported AIDS cases have been linked to injection drug use--heroin, cocaine, or any drug that abusers inject. HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases are spread through the sharing of needles or other injection equipment, or through risky sexual behavior with those already affected. But it is not only injection drug users and their partners who risk contracting or spreading infections. The intoxicating effects of all drugs of abuse affect judgment and decision making--leading users to engage in behaviors that could have dire health consequences, including the spread of HIV.

Mental Health Effects

Drug abuse might affect an existing mental disorder or result in one. More than half of those who are addicted to drugs have also had some form of mental illness--either at the same time as their addiction or at some other point in their lives. This is probably not due to chance: drugs affect many of the same brain systems that are responsible for mental disorders. There may also be common genetic and environmental causes of both. What we know from research is that long-lasting changes in the brain caused by chronic drug abuse may lead to depression, aggression, paranoia, and hallucinations.

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