2nd Place

Amanda Pennington
8th grade
Hot Springs Middle School

     You should stay away from drugs because, for one, they can kill you and others. They can also hurt your family. I know how all of this feels because drugs have affected my family directly. Drugs can affect other families as well.

     One drug that is most common in the U.S. is cocaine. Cocaine makes your blood pressure and your heart beat faster and your body temperature goes sky high. It can have a person’s heart beat abnormally. Cocaine is dangerous to the person using it. You can use it just once and you are addicted and can make you have a stroke or heart attack and could even kill you. When cocaine wears off the person doing it feels depressed and nervous and craves more of the cocaine. It makes the person feel good.

     Also when illegal drugs get in your body, they can damage the brain, heart, and other important organs chemical messages to the brain, that sends the wrong signals to the body. Therefore when the brain gets the wrong messages from cocaine, they can end up seeing and hearing things that’s not there or feeling thins that not there, doing things you would not normally do. You’re your body moves slower, your pupils get bigger, the throat feels dry, and can make your breath too slow or too fast. Drugs can affect the way you feel, see, smell, think and move, eat, and even how often you go to the bathroom.

     Then there’s crystal meth, can change your appearance. You don’t feel hungry so you don’t eat, and you end up thin and not healthy. Skin that has lost its elasticity and luster, and making them look 20 years older. “Meth Mouth”, rotten and broken teeth because meth makes the salivary glands dry out. It also makes the user grind their teeth, and a lot of users forget to brush their teeth because, they’re too high to care. Many drugs can cause violent behavior among its users. Effect included suppressed appetite, interference with sleeping behavior, mood swings, and unpredictability, increased blood pressure, and irregular heart rate.

     A member of a family can cause the family pain, guilt, worry, and anger. The family is so worried about the member that their fear will rule their lives. These also can cause the family members to begin to drink or use drugs. Family may begin to drink or use drugs. Family may begin to admit their problems and accept helping in dealing with the problem. This may help the family to talk with the people doing drugs to get help.

     Would you like this to happen to you? I would not. If you or a love one that is doing drugs or even know someone doing them, you should call the police. They can help out and possibly save their life. This is why you should stay away from drugs. Stay drug free.