11. What Else Do Drugs Do to Me?
“I was a heavy drinker for years, ignoring all the warnings about chronic alcoholism. Now, my doctor says that I’ve got end-stage liver disease with little chance for a cure. I’m kicking myself now. Why did I ever start drinking in the first place?”
Although each drug has its own particular, seductive attraction, each one has some bad side effects. This chapter is mainly about the side effects of the substances rather than the rewarding and reinforcing effects. But the addicting properties of a substance and the harm it causes can be related (see Figure 11-1). Chapter 1, “What’s in This Book, and Why Should I Read It?” lists many of the abused drugs and provides a reference to a site where more information can ...
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