If you're worried about your own or someone else's drug taking or misuse, it's good to know the facts．
Why take drugs?
Drug users don't start using drugs with the intention of becoming addicted．But many drugs contain addictive substances and even people who use them occasionally can become dependent and need to use them regularly．
Reasons why people start using drugs can include：to escape problems they may be having in other parts of their life, peer pressure and fitting in with another group of people, being curious about the effects of drugs．
If you start to use drugs on a regular basis, or if you become dependent on them, it can affect your family and friends as well as having a serious impact on your own physical and mental well-being．
Drug overdoses can be fatal．You can die instantly from misusing substances and drugs that you can buy over the counters．
Signs of drug abuse and misuse
There is not a common list of symptoms that you can use to tell if you or someone you know is misusing drugs．That's because drug use affects different people in different ways, depending on the type of drugs they're using．
Although anxiety, tiredness and a change in sleeping habits can be signs of drug use, they can also be caused by changes in your body, stress or other problems．
Drugs are categorized into three classes based on their overall level of harm．Class A drugs are the most dangerous, however, all the drugs in all three classes are harmful and addictive．
Remember that all drugs are illegal, even Class C drugs like cannabis(大麻烟)．If you're caught selling them to other people, or carrying a small amount in your pocket, it's likely that the police will get involved．
If you're found guilty of any of these offences, you may face a fine or time in custody(拘留), with Class A drugs carrying the most severe sentences．
Worried about a friend?
If you think that one of your friends or relatives is misusing drugs, you may want to approach them and talk about it．It's not your responsibility to make them stop, but you can tell them about how their behavior is affecting your relationship．
If they ask for help with their problem, then it's important to listen and help them find the right information and treatment．
National Drugs Helpline
If you're worried about drug abuse and addiction you can call the National Drugs Helpline on 0800 776 600 for confidential advice --- lines are open seven days a week．Calls are free and they won't show up on your phone bill, but you may be charged if you use a mobile．
More useful links
Information about addictions from need2know
Information about drugs, the law and human rights
(1)
Who is the article for?
[ ]
A．
Parents of drug takers
B．
People who are interested in taking drugs
C．
The police who deal with drug sellers
D．
People who are concerned about drug misusing
(2)
Which of the following is true according to Part II?
[ ]
A．
All those who abuse or misuse drugs have something in common in symptoms．
B．
People who take the same drug are affected in the way alike．
C．
Anxiety, tiredness and a change in sleeping habits result from drug use only．
D．
You can’t tell exactly whether a person is misusing drugs by symptoms like anxiety．
(3)
What is the subtitle of Part III?
[ ]
A．
Three classes of drugs．
B．
Drugs and the law
C．
The impacts of taking drugs．
D．
Illegal drugs
(4)
What can you do if you are addicted to drug use?
[ ]
A．
You can tell your trouble to your friends and find the right treatment．
B．
It’s your responsibility to tell your friends so that it will not spread．
C．
Pay only a small amount of money to turn to National Drugs Helpline for help．
D．
Dial 0800 776 600 to find the information about drugs, the law and human rights．
A new study examines drug use by young people in t he United States．The study found that cigarette smoking among American teenagers dropped during t he past years．The drop continues a general decrease in teenager smoking rates that started in 1996．
American health officials praised the decrease as good news in the nation’s battle against smoking．They note that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease．Smoking rates among American teenagers increased in the first half of the 1990’s．However, teenage smoking rates have been decreasing in recent years．
The University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research supervised the latest study．The Department of Health and Human Services reported the findings．
The study involved more than forty-four-thousand students in more than four-hundred schools across the United States．They were asked about past and daily use of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs．
The youngest students questioned were thirteen years old．The study also involved fifteen-year-old students and seventeen-year-olds．
The most notable change in the study was a continuation of the decrease in cigarette use among thirteen and fifteen-year-olds．For example, about twelve percent of thirteen-year-old students questioned reported smoking at least one cigarette during the past month．Six years ago, the rate was twenty-one percent．Among fifteen-year-olds, the rate dropped from thirty percent in 1996 to twenty-one percent last year．
Tommy Thompson is the secretary of Health and Human Services．He praised the findings．He said more teenagers are making correct choices that will help them avoid health problems caused by tobacco．
The study found that use of alcoholic drinks and illegal drugs among American teenagers remained the same or dropped during the past year．However, the use of one illegal drug known as Ecstasy continued to increase．Yet the rate of increase was not as great as in recent years．
American health officials said they will continue to give teenagers scientific information about the serious health risks of Ecstasy and other illegal drugs．The goal is to further reduce the use of these drugs．
(1)
The purpose of the passage is to ________．
[ ]
A．
help the teenagers to keep off the drugs
B．
explain the relationship between smoking and diseases
C．
report that smoking rate among American teenagers dropped
D．
suggest that measures be taken to stop teenagers from smoking
(2)
Which of the following statement is TRUE?
[ ]
A．
Smoking rates among teenagers have dropped since the late half of 1990’s．
B．
The study only involved in the use of tobacco and alcohol among teenagers．
C．
Smoking is no longer the leading cause of preventable death and disease．
D．
The youngest teenagers questioned in the study were 15 years old．
(3)
In which section of the newspaper could we read the passage?
[ ]
A．
Entertainment．
B．
Sports．
C．
Education．
D．
Health．
(4)
During the past years, the use of Ecstasy among teenagers ________．
[ ]
A．
remains the same
B．
has also decreased
C．
has increased somewhat
D．
is not mentioned
(5)
From the passage, we can learn that ________．
[ ]
A．
America has done a lot to help the teenagers keep off the drugs
B．
the use of illegal drugs among teenagers has dropped greatly
C．
the study was carried out by the Department of Health and Human Services
D．
the teenager smoking rate dropped by 21 percent in recent years
'm not sure we’d want to wipe those memories out.” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist (伦理学家).