You Lose Your Friends

If you think drugs won’t affect your relationship with your friends, think twice.

When a person becomes addicted to drugs, their brain changes. These changes cause the addict to seek out and use drugs compulsively. The craving for drugs can be so intense, that some addicts will choose drugs over basic needs like buying food or paying rent.

The urge to use drugs can also affect relationships. Addiction can make you choose getting high over spending time with your friends or doing other things you love to do. Pretty soon, your whole world revolves around drugs—finding them, using them, and hanging out with people who use them. You may be forced to lie or steal to finance your drug addiction.

Your current friends may not want to spend time around you if all you care about is getting high. They may not want to associate with someone who uses drugs.

Drugs can also cause users to become paranoid about their relationships—like thinking that their friends are turning against them. They may even become aggressive and violent toward other people, even their family and friends.

For all of these reasons, drugs can destroy relationships. Don’t let them destroy yours. If you need help with drug abuse or addiction, talk to a trusted adult, doctor, or alcohol and drug abuse counselor about your drug use. Find a treatment center near you.