Health risks with Drugs:
Drugs interfere with messages to your brain and alter your perceptions, emotions, vision, hearing, and coordination. Drugs affect the way we understand things.

A person having drugs is more prone to accidents and injuries.

A drug addict is prone to accidents and injuries can go into depression.

Irritation nausea, rapid heart rate, memory impairment are some of the after effects of drugs.

Cognitive problems, infertility, weakened immune system, and possible lung damage are long–term effects.

Unpredictable and violent behavior, paranoia and psychosis, respiratory problems, impotence, seizures and death.

Benzoylecognine, a metabolite unique to cocaine, can be detected in the urine in 2–4 days. The disruption to brain chemistry can remain for much longer.

First time users of cocaine may experience seizures or heart attacks, which can be fatal.

Crack can also make you violent or even make you do bizarre repetitive motions. In severe cases, pick at their skin over and over to try to get the bugs out they think are underneath.

Street heroin may have additives that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys or brain. This can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs.

Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have. These individuals may have daily cough and phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. Continuing to smoke marijuana can lead to abnormal functioning of the lungs and airways.

Heroin side effects:
Infection of heart lining and valves, Arthritis and other rheumatologic problems, Infectious diseases (for example, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C).

A major effect of various drugs on the brain is the actual deterioration of brain nerve cells. Alcohol, cocaine and ecstasy all are known to degenerate gray matter, and thereby reduce the volume of some key brain regions. This loss can cause processing problems in many of the decision–making areas of the cortex as well as interfere with memory systems.

Drugs do not affect all brain cells equally. There are two main types of neurons in your brain–fatty and plain. Some nerve cells are covered in a fatty layer called a myelin sheath. These cells are able to transmit electrical signals ten times faster than the uncoated neurons. When nerve cells in the brain are damaged from drugs, it tends to be the gray matter rather than the white.

Substance abuse and addiction can seriously affect one’s life in school, at work and in relationships. It can give rise to troubled relationships. Drug addicts always tend to isolate themselves from social circles, family and friends.

HIV Risks
Anyone can get HIV – young and old, men and women, straight, gay and bisexual, rich and poor, and all racial and ethnic groups – but not everyone faces the same risk. Your risk comes from what you do, and who you do it with – that is, how likely it is that the person you have sex or share needles which is infected. But even if you are part of a community with a high infection rate, you can avoid getting HIV. Staying uninfected takes thinking, planning and follow–through. Often it means talking about things that may make you uncomfortable. It can help to “practice” talking with people you can trust or who are going through the same thing.