Say no to Drugs!

1. peer pressure

• Many teens who have taken drugs at some point have gotten them from a peer. Teens just want to be accepted and fit in. If a close friend offers you drugs, it's unlikely that you'll say no. However... IT'S NOT WORTH IT! Taking drugs could be life threatening, especially at a young age. People may think you're cool now, but it's at the expense of your life.

2. Self-medication

• It's very common for mental health symptoms to make an appearance in teens. To deal with things like depression and anxiety, teens may turn to drugs so that they feel numb. Although this may help you cope for a little while, eventually this will wear off. This could lead to addiction. Instead of trying to deal with things alone, you should talk to an adult.

3. Experimentation

• People are naturally curious, and sometimes want to try new things. So it makes sense that we would want to seek out drugs just to know what it's like. This is a very bad idea because it is an extremely dangerous experiment. If you want to try something new, don't try something that could potentially be life threatening.

4. instant gratfication

• Teenagers turn to drug use because it seems like a shortcut to happiness. Drugs work quickly. And even though the initial effects may feel really good, it won't be like that forever and you'll be tempted to take more and more. It may take longer, but taking the easy way out won't be the best long-term solution.

5. Misinformation

• One of the most avoidable causes of substance use is inaccurate information about drugs. Lots of teens have friends that seem like experts on drugs and claim that the risks are minimal. You may think that you're purchasing a good drug that will improve your health. But if your information isn't coming from a reliable source, it could be false.