\\\\\ We all want to feel accepted by our friends, and sometimes we want to impress people who aren’t even our friends. This is especially true when we’re young. Between the ages of 12 and 19, friends and fitting in are a huge part of who we are. Suddenly, we might find ourselves doing things that are harmful or risky just to avoid standing out from our friends. Am I supposed to ditch all of my friends? By refusing to join in your friends drug-use, you are sending a powerful message: that you are confident enough not to be a follower, and that you respect your health and well-being. You don’t need to ditch your friends or even criticize them to make this point. You are allowed to make your own decisions about what you put into your body. Sometimes I feel kind of depressed, like things will never get better. If I used drugs maybe that would improve my mood. Growing up can be really hard. Have you ever felt really down, when you just can’t seem to shake feelings of sadness or loneliness? What about being really angry at some of the people in your life, like your parents or teachers? When people first try drugs, one thing they experience is a change in mood. All of a sudden, drugs seem like the answer to many
FAST
of life’s problems! Unfortunately, our feelings are much too complicated to be fixed with a dose of drugs. When we take drugs to avoid unpleasant feelings, what usually happens is that the feelings return after the drugs wear off – only now they are even worse. This is what often leads people to become addicted; when the drugs wear off, people sometimes keep using more to avoid dealing with their true feelings. Does this mean that I should just walk around feeling depressed and lonely, then? Absolutely not! There are far more constructive and positive ways to deal with sadness, anger and loneliness than by using drugs. The truth is, everyone experiences these feelings from time to time, but when these feelings are seriously hard to deal with, it’s important to reach out to others who can help you. You can help yourself by learning to cope, too. At the back of this magazine you’ll find a list called 25 Drug-Free
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Drugs seem to be fun. I mean, people don’t use them because they make them feel bad, they use them to feel good-don’t they? Very good point! Drugs do seem to be a lot of fun, especially when you see drunk and stoned people laugh, party, and carry on like they don’t have a worry in the world. The reason why this happens is that all drugs contain chemicals that, upon entering your body, work their way into the brain. Once they get there, these chemicals change your brain’s natural balance, causing you to experience really extreme feelings:
could no longer work up the nerve to go to a party and socialize unless I had just used. I.T. GUYS
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Ways to Feel Better. We hope that will help you cope with some of the tough times.
Drugs had me cornered when I
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Why do people use
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Say NO to Drugs and help your friends say NO.
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