Teenagers are surrounded by tons of new information every day, whether on the radio, or with their own music, or watching TV, or watching a movie. Needless to say, there is no doubt that a teenager will see or hear messages pertaining to drugs and alcohol.

On the radio, there are hundreds of different songs glorifying illegal substances. In movies and on popular TV shows, teenagers are constantly being exposed to the idea that you cannot have a good time without stimulants. Even though teens know that drugs have negative effects, the more praise these substances receive, the less they realize how much damage can actually be done.

The first problem may be that teenagers feel as if they have a sense of invisibility. The mass glorification of these substances makes them downplay the harm they can cause. When teens are constantly told about how drugs will enhance their life experiences, their worry about the negative effects seems to fly out the window.

In particular, drinking alcohol, taking ecstasy, dealing with over the counter or prescription medicine, or smoking marijuana, can cause anxiety, depression, lack of coordination, and even memory loss, a crucial part of getting an education.

In truth, no one picks up negative habits without any coaxing from others. It’s certainly rare that a teen will go out of their way to buy drugs the same way they would pick a new flavor of chips off the shelf just to try them out. Drugs are constantly being presented to teens through the media and peers. It’s also been proven that if a close family member has a drug problem, it’s likely the teen might develop the same issue.

Likewise, it’s believed that if parents let the teens drink alcohol at home, then they will make smarter decisions when it comes to drinking outside the house. However, according to NBC News, teenagers that are allowed to drink under their parent’s supervision are more likely to develop alcohol problems, such as addiction.

One of the most popular drugs among teenagers is marijuana. A study done by NIDA’s Monitoring the Future found that 33.70% of sophomores and 44.40% of seniors have smoked marijuana. The idea that marijuana is harmless has been drilled into the heads of teens for the longest time. People will play off the side effects and bring up how it can be used as medicine. However, medicine also has negative effects when you think about it.

Marijuana has note-worthy short-term effects such as impaired judgment, perception and coordination, hallucinations and delusions, paranoia, red eyes and rapid beat. However, they have more serious long-term effects such as memory and learning problems, addiction, withdrawal symptoms, mental health problems, respiratory infections and bronchitis.

Lastly, while drugs may seem cool, using them can lead to destroyed relationships with close ones, time in prison, and worst of all, death.

The use drugs does not make anyone seem cool. Teens who think that they are cool because they’re using these substances are actually seen as a joke by their peers. Likewise, family members will definitely not admire any drug use. It will hurt them knowing that you are spending your money and deteriorating health to try and have fun for a few hours.

There are plenty of reasons to say no to drugs. These substances mess with your mind and body by deteriorating your brain function as well as your internal organs. Not to mention, they are very expensive. Damage to your well-being isn’t worth it.

Drugs are constantly glamorized despite the problems they manage to cause. You have to find to strength to rise above the pressure to begin using them and follow your own path.