In this article

Alcohol How much is too much? Do you have a drink problem? Useful contacts

Smoking What you gain by quitting How to give up Useful contacts

Drugs Drug highs and lows Do you have a drug problem? Useful contacts

Just over a third of adults in England and Wales aged 16 to 59 years admit to having used illegal drugs at some point during their lives (British Crime Survey 2005/2006).

Deaths associated with drug taking have been rising and most recent estimates show that the UK has highest level of drug-related deaths in Europe. For more information, look at Drugs: facts behind the fiction.

There are many reasons why men use drugs, including:

• The short-term effects - ranging from increased wellbeing and sociability to exhilaration, euphoria and enhanced perception
• The belief they will improve work, sport and sexual performance
• Curiosity
• Peer pressure

However, besides the legal implications, there are also serious health risks involved in taking illegal substances - as well as commonly misused legal and prescription-only substances such as solvents or painkillers.

The best way to minimise the risks is to avoid drugs altogether, but if you're going to take them, you should be aware of the potential risks to your health.

Drug misuse can lead to:

• relationship problems
• domestic violence
• loss of employment
• crime

With illegal substances you can rarely be sure how pure the drug you're taking is, what it has been mixed with or what strength it is. This means there's a chance you could overdose without realising.

If you inject drugs and share needles, it puts you at risk of contracting hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV, the infection that causes AIDS.

Some specific health risks associated with particular drugs include:

• Cannabis - impotence, low sperm count, anxiety, paranoia, depression
• Cocaine - fatal heart problems, convulsions, depression
• Ecstasy - over-heating and dehydration from over-exertion, liver and kidney problems, possible long-term brain damage
• Solvents, glues, aerosols - blackouts, fatal heart problems, brain damage
• Heroin - breathing problems, injecting causes vein damage and carries the risk of contracting hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV

For more detail, see Drugs overview .

Possible signs of drug dependence include:

• changes in behaviour, such as mood swings, irritability and greater unreliability
• deterioration in health and appearance
• absenteeism from work
• decline in work quality
• getting into debt, stealing or committing other crimes to pay for drugs

DrugScope
Comprehensive information on legal and illegal drugs.
Tel: 020 7928 1211
Website: www.drugscope.org.uk

Talk to Frank
Confidential, down-to-earth advice, information and support about drugs via phone or email.
Helpline: 0800 776600 (freephone)
Website: www.talktofrank.com

Cyswllt Ceredigion Contact Centre for Recovery
Information and advice on alcohol and drug abuse.
Tel: 01970 626470
Website: www.recovery.org.uk

Know the Score
Free, confidential advice on drugs via phone along with information on advice available at a local level across Scotland.
0800 587 587 9
Website: www.knowthe score.info

Northern Ireland Community Addiction Service
Community based service for those abusing drugs.
028 9066 4434

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in November 2006.
First published in April 2001.