Fitness, Illegal Drugs, Tobacco Products, and Alcohol

One of my beliefs is that by constantly reminding ourselves of how amazing we are as individuals, the more we lessen our dependency on outside sources to fulfill us.

I am writting this post as a reminder.  Not as condemnation. You see, I am guilty of the very things  I am writting about.

Good health allows us to be strong , happy, smart and as skillful as we can possibly be. The worst thing about illegal drugs and the overuse of legal drugs is that they damage us from the inside. Our bodies and minds are wonderful, complicated systems that run like finely tuned machines when we take care of ourselves. Here are some reasons you should not use or not overuse illegal drugs, tobacco products and alcohol.

Illegal drugs can damage the brain.

Illegal drugs are "psychoactive." This means that they can change your personality and as well as the way you feel. They also impair your judgements. While under the influence of drugs, we are more likely to endanger your life or someone else's. You will also be less able to protect yourself from danger.

Many illegal drugs are addictive, which means that once a person starts taking them, stopping is extremely difficult. An addicts mind craves the drug and becomes dependent on the way it makes him or her feel. The drug user or abuser may become sick if the drug is discontinued and so may become a slave to the substance.

These are really basic facts which, do to their simplicity, hardly get a second consideration after being heard. We have all known these truths since childhood. Many of us have just forgotten that we ever knew.

Here are some reasons why you should moderate or avoid alcohol:

Alcohol is the second leading cause of death in our country. More than 100,000 people die every year because of drinking.

Adolescents are twice as likely as adults to be involved in fatal alcohol-related car crashes.

Half of all assaults against girls or women involve alcohol.

Here are a few reminders about Cigarettes:

Nicotine is highly addictive. Once you start smoking, it is very hard to stop, and smoking cigarettes causes lung damage, cancer and other diseases. Tobacco and nicotine related diseases kill more thatn 400,000 people every year.

Each day, 3,000 children begin smoking. One third of these youngsters will probably have their lives shortened because of tobacco use.

Children who smoke cigarettes are almost six times more likely to use other illegal drugs.

Just some food for thought . . .