However people may describe their use of drugs, over use of alcohol, and their use of any form of tobacco as merely having a good time or non-prescribed “medicinal” uses, they pose harmfully risks to all areas of your life. With the changing environment of drugs already within our borders that are so easy for people to acquire on the street, the DEA has its hands full. Now that they not only have to stop cocaine from coming over the border but also have to watch for the marijuana, ecstasy, and countless other drugs that are already in America, the job is almost impossible. However if you believe that so called illegal drugs are the only danger, than think again, tobacco and alcohol exhibit as a great a risk if not greater than those posed by the plethora of drugs you can find on the street. In fact, there are so many ways for people in America just looking for that next good time, it is a wonder other countries need to help us kill ourselves.

Tobacco, on a whole, has dangers that affect people which can be to the point of death. In fact all forms of tobacco that are burned produce tar. Tar contains carcinogens that get lodged in your lungs and cause cancer. It also will basically glue the cilia in your throat to the sides of your throat which allows easy passage for other carcinogens to get into your body, increasing your risk of cancer. Besides this fact cigarettes pose a major issue. Of the 4,000 chemicals inside cigarettes 1,000 are known to be dangerous. The dangers posed by tobacco are astronomical, ranging from all kinds of cancers to the unpleasant smell the smoke leaves on your clothing and the bad breath that comes with it.

Perhaps one of the biggest dangers of smoking is the addiction it causes. Some of the eventual outcomes of smoking can be prevented if you stop, however, the addiction it causes and the dependence you have on it can grow to a point where, even if you want to quit, you cannot. This habit or addiction will not only affect you. The people around you, the people you love and the strangers you meet on the street are all affected by the secondary smoke from your cigarette just as if they were smoking it themselves.

Cigarettes are not the only killers out there though. The use and abuse of drugs and alcohol have devastating effects on the human body that are a danger to mind and body. Alcohol is actually of type of drug, called a depressant, which slows down thought processes and reaction time. An overdose of alcohol, or alcohol poisoning, can be deadly to anyone. It can show itself from a hangover to death. Drugs on the other hand have extremely damaging effects. Overtime they burn out your brain by preventing proper blood flow. One of the major problems of street drugs is the person you are getting them from. They are not being properly prescribed by a doctor so what might give one person a ‘nice high’ could kill another person through the sheer fact that everyone is different. While the direct effect are deadly, indirect effects such as car crashes and other deadly accident that happen when people are under the effects of drugs are just as deadly. In fact fifty percent of car crashes in America are related to drugs or alcohol.

The effects that drugs and alcohol have on you behavior can cause some of the most damage because of the effects they have on your relationships with people you love. While under the influence of drugs or alcohol, your behavior is erratic and unpredictable. This is especially bad for families with a parent as an alcoholic. It could result in verbal and physical abuse, neglect, and a loss of respect. One major factor in this is a loss of inhibitions while under the influence, affecting your self control, maybe causing you to start fights or be overly rude or cuss especially if it is out of character. Also it acts as an agent to make you more attracted to others. This may cause people to make sexual decisions that are completely crazy. A married man may make out with his best friends wife just because she is there. These are just a few examples, but there are a great many more real stories and scenarios that this could relate to.

Perhaps one of the relationships most affected by this is your relationship to Jesus. If you are dependent upon anything that is not Jesus, it makes it an idol. Addictions to alcohol or drugs, either physical or psychological, make it something you depend on, making it an idol. Also, substance abuse can cause you to make other inappropriate decisions or do inappropriate actions against your faith in Christ. As inhibitions leave, so do Christian morals. This can cause you to feel guilt and cause you to pull away from Christ. All of these culminate in making it easier for Satan to gain a foothold in your life.

This unit did nothing but reinforce my previous decisions, strengthening my convictions and giving me more reasons to just not do any of these things. All in all, tobacco, drugs, and alcohol hold no appeal to me. They cause people to do stupid things. The proponents for any of these are far outweighed by the bad things caused by them that it would go against all reason to start taking them.