Stimulant addiction: stimulants, such as cocaine, present serious health risk--they can damage your brain and your body.

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

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Jeremy had always been popular in school. But when he was 13 years old, he began to change. Jeremy started worrying more about whether he was "cool" and if people liked him. "I became shy and introverted," says Jeremy.

Around the same time, Jeremy began noticing a group of kids at school. He remembers seeing them complaining after class one day, looking very unhappy. Then the students left for lunch. "When they came back, they were laughing and having a great time," says Jeremy. "I wondered what could make that happen."

Jeremy began hanging out with the kids and discovered that they were using alcohol and marijuana, among other drugs. Hoping to capture the happy feeling he had witnessed, Jeremy began using too. When his friends started experimenting with new drugs, including the stimulants cocaine and methamphetamine, Jeremy did too. Jeremy discovered that when he used drugs he didn't worry so much. "I felt comfortable and accepted," he says. Jeremy began using drugs, especially stimulants, regularly. "I used them to check out from the problems in my life," he says. But what Jeremy didn't know was that these powerfully addictive drugs would soon take over his life.

What Are Stimulants?

Stimulants are a class of drugs that "stimulate" the brain and central nervous system, temporarily increasing energy and alertness.

Not all stimulants are the same. There is great variation in how different stimulants affect the body and how dangerous they can be to your health. The stimulant class of drugs includes a range of substances, such as caffeine, cocaine, nicotine, methamphetamine ("meth"), MDMA ("ecstasy") as well as the prescription drugs Adderall[R] and Concerta[R], which are used to treat Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Brain in Overdrive

Like Jeremy, many people start abusing stimulants because the drugs give them an artificial feeling of happiness. "I knew it wasn't real," says Jeremy. "But with stimulants, all of my insecurities were taken away."

When you do something enjoyable--such as eat chocolate or laugh with friends--the brain releases a chemical known as dopamine, which makes you feel good. Stimulants like cocaine interrupt the natural flow of dopamine, causing it to build up in the brain, putting the "reward system" into overdrive (see sidebar).

For some users, this causes a powerful but temporary sense of euphoria. Stimulants can also make users feel jittery, anxious, irritable, and paranoid...