11. What Else Do Drugs Do to Me?

“I was a heavy drinker for years, ignoring all the warnings about chronic alcoholism. Now, my doctor says that I’ve got end-stage liver disease with little chance for a cure. I’m kicking myself now. Why did I ever start drinking in the first place?”

Although each drug has its own particular, seductive attraction, each one has some bad side effects. This chapter is mainly about the side effects of the substances rather than the rewarding and reinforcing effects. But the addicting properties of a substance and the harm it causes can be related (see Figure 11-1). Chapter 1, “What’s in This Book, and Why Should I Read It?” lists many of the abused drugs and provides a reference to a site where more information can be found about each drug. Remember that the effects of drugs are dose-dependent and time-dependent, meaning that the effects the user experiences depend on how much of the drug the user has had, the amount of time since the last dose, and for how long overall the user has been taking it. There is individual variability in responding to drugs, as they affect some people differently. Many drug users use multiple drugs at the same time; of course, this makes things worse. Read on, and heed the fear in your heart!