The student news site of Piper High School in Kansas City, Kansas.

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The student news site of Piper High School in Kansas City, Kansas.

kcpipernews.com

The student news site of Piper High School in Kansas City, Kansas.

kcpipernews.com

Ukraine-Russian war raises concerns in Piper

May 16, 2023

PHS dance team puts on spring showcase

May 16, 2023

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The harsh reality of adolescence in today’s society is riddled with drugs and alcohol.

According to the American Academy of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatry, “Experimentation with alcohol and drugs during adolescence is common. Unfortunately, teenagers often don’t see the link between their actions today and the consequences tomorrow. They also have a tendency to feel indestructible and immune to the problems that others experience.”

The long-term effects of alcohol and drug use will strip away the invincible feeling that many teens have.

When alcohol is consumed, the communication pathways in the brain are disrupted. Information from the website for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says this can cause changes in mood or behavior, and impair the ability to think clearly and make rational decisions.

The heart, liver, pancreas and immune system are also affected by alcohol consumption. Irregular heartbeat, strokes and high blood pressure are all possible effects. Complications of alcohol-related liver disease are internal bleeding, brain disorders, coma and liver cancer. If the pancreas becomes inflamed, it prevents proper digestion.

Alcohol consumption weakens the immune system, which takes away the body’s ability to fight off infection. Chronic drinkers are prone to diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis.

Drug use also has many effects similar to alcohol and some even more traumatic. The heart, liver and immune system are affected by drug use in nearly the same way as alcohol consumption.

Drug use can cause seizures, strokes and widespread brain damage. This affects daily life by causing the inability to make rational decisions.

Marijuana can impact the user’s judgment and be potentially fatal. For example, a person smokes marijuana then gets into the driver’s seat of a car without the ability to have fast reactions to whatever happens on the road.

Putting an end to underage drinking and eliminating drug use can, and will, save lives.

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