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Although drugs may be pleasure-inducing and therefore tempting to use, it is best to stay away from them. Peers and close friends who abuse drugs can pressure you into using them, saying that only one time won't hurt you, but that's not true. One time can easily lead to a downward spiral into addiction. You can gain pleasure from other outlets than drugs. Taking up a new hobby, for instance, volunteering, and engaging in physical activities can be alternatives to drug usage. No matter what, stay drug free.

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Where is it legal in the U.S?

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Ecstasy goes by many names - originally it was known as MDMA, but now there are many different names for the drug: molly, XTC, or just plain ecstasy. It is a combined stimulant and hallucinogen, meaning that induces pleasure and energy as well as distorts the user's sensory and time perception. Since it is a club drug, ecstasy first gained popularity in the club and rave scene, but is now available to a wider audience. Ecstasy is commonly taken in pill form. Increased heart rate and blood pressure, blurred vision, muscle tension, severe sweating and chills, nausea, and increased body temperature are all effects of ecstasy. It should be noted that increased body temperature can result in organ failure. MDMA usage may also encourage unsafe sex, which can lead to STDS.

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Most people know it as "pot" or "weed," but the formal name is marijuana. It refers to the leaves, stems, and flowering tops of Cannabis sativa, the hemp plant. Marijuana is commonly smoked through a pipe or from a "joint" or "blunt," but sometimes it is mixed with food and consumed. It affects the way information is received and acted upon by the brain. Some effects of marijuana usage include: distorted perceptions, difficulty thinking/problem solving, lack of motor coordination, increased heart rate, and anxiety or paranoia. Since marijuana can act as a depressant, users typically feel sleepy or drowsy. It is also difficult to gauge distances and have quick reactions to sounds or signals while under the influence of marijuana. Should the user frequently abuse marijuana, it may permanently affect the brain. Short-term memory may be damaged and the motivation to work or go to school may be lost. In addition, smoking marijuana increases the risk of getting certain types of cancer. Marijuana is known as "gateway drug," because so many marijuana users build up tolerance and look to other harder drugs to experience the same pleasure from marijuana.

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Short for lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD is the strongest known hallucinogen. Also known as acid, the effects of LSD are very unpredictable - it can stimulate or depress the central nervous system. Like the name hallucinogen implies, LSD users experience hallucinations involving colorful visions and delusions that they are superhuman. LSD can also shorten a person's attention span. "Bad trips" are frightening episodes caused by LSD use. A "flashback" is an unanticipated re-occurrence of a bad trip, and it can occur even years after LSD is taken. LSD can be taken in the form of a liquid solution, but is most commonly taken form is in a sheet of blotting paper. The paper is covered with the liquid solution, dried, and then cut up into small squares called "tabs." People take the tab and place it on their tongue, which absorbs the drug.

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Commonly known as snow and coke, cocaine is a highly addictive, powerful, but short-acting stimulant drug. Cocaine can either be snorted into the nose, smoked, or injected into the bloodstream. Abusers need continually increasing amounts because tolerance of cocaine in users develops rapidly. Even a small dose of cocaine can cause an overdose, which can be fatal since it may result in seizures, heart or respiratory failure. "Free-basing" is a process that changes cocaine into a smokable form known as crack. This is cocaine in its strongest form, acting very quickly and powerfully but lasting shortly - the effects kick in during the eight seconds after it is smoked. Short term effects of cocaine include sleep disorders, loss of appetite, and increased blood pressure and heart rate. Long term effects include depression, paranoia, irritability, weight loss, irregular heartbeat, seizures, respiratory or cardiovascular failure, and liver damage.

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Opiates are a type of depressant made from psychoactive compounds found in poppy seed pods, but some are produced in laboratories. When taken in small doses, they dull the senses, alleviate pain, and cause drowsiness. Morphine (known as morph) and codeine (known as cody)are examples of opiates used in prescription medications for pain reduction. Concerns are rising over the usage of taking a larger dose than recommended of opiate-containing painkillers or cough syrups (which commonly contain codeine in order to induce sleepiness in a sick individual) in order to get high. This is known as prescription drug abuse. Depending on the opiate, it is taken in different ways. Some are taken in pill form, such as painkillers, and some can be injected, such as in the case of heroin - known on the street as dope and smack. Some short term effects of opiates include nausea, vomiting, decreased alertness, drowsiness, and depressed respiration. In the long term, opiates can cause constipation as well as infections from injecting the drug.

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When most people hear the word "drug," in terms of effects they usually think that it changes your mood and the way you think - and they're correct. Many of the most commonly abused drugs are psychoactive drugs, which affect brain activity. Since they are pleasure-inducing, it's easy for a first-time user to get addicted. They trigger activity in the "reward pathway," which is a path of cells in the brain. The reward pathway's cells release dopamine, which isn't a bad thing by itself, but is harmful when it's associated with drug abuse. During drug use, extra dopamine is released, and the user may ignore the drug's harmful effects in favor of using it for the pleasure it gives. In addition, the excess dopamine in the reward pathway may lead to the user craving for the drug when it's not available. When drug use becomes extended, the brain's reaction to normal levels of dopamine is dulled and normal activities no longer please the user. They instead seek the rush they get from drugs. Drugs and the party scene are heavily romanticized among teenagers today whether they realize or not, but they can seriously impair the brain's ability to function should the user continue to abuse the drug.