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Caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol are three drugs that are legal.

A drug is a chemical that can be used to prevent or treat a health problem. Drugs can have side effects that make people to want to use them too much. This can become a bad habit.

It is useful to know why you might be interested in any of these. It is also good to know why you might want to stay away from them. And if you use them, you need a plan to control how much.

When you make adult choices, there are often both good and bad reasons in the choice.

  • How do you practice making good choices for you?
  • Who do you talk to about these choices?

Think about choices to use alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, or marijuana. Some adults choose to use these drugs.

Can you make a list of pros and cons for each of these?

Once you made your list, use the flip cards to see some of our answers.

Alcohol

Tap to flip the cards.

Pro

Make you feel relaxed

Make you feel less worried

Make you feel like you fit in

Can feel fun if you limit your amount

Offered at social events or parties

Legal at age 21

thumbs down

Cons

Make you sleepy

Cause fuzzy thinking

Let you say things you don't mean to say

Can forget what you did when drinking

Cause a problem with other medicine

Can be easy to start drinking too much

Can become a bad habit you can't stop

Drunk people have car crashes and injuries

Over-users have brain and liver problems

When is alcohol use okay?

Alcohol is legal to drink if you are an adult over age 21. It is a drug that relaxes the mind. It can take away overthinking and make you act more freely.

Each adult can choose if they want to drink alcohol or if they want to avoid it. If a person chooses to drink they should follow these safety rules:

  • Men should limit to 2 or less drinks a day or 14 in a week.
  • Men should never binge drink with 5 or more drinks in a day.
  • Women should limit to 1 or less drinks a day or 7 in a week.
  • Women should never have 4 drinks or more drinks in a day.
  • Don't let alcohol become a habit. Don't drink every day of the week.
  • Don't drink and drive. Wait 2 hours or more before driving or using any machine after having a drink.
  • Pregnant women should not drink alcohol.
  • Persons with seizures should stay away from alcohol if possible.
  • Be careful if you have grown up in a family who had drinking problems. You may have a higher risk of developing a problem too.
CDC Alcohol Fact Sheet

Caffeine

Tap to flip the cards.

Pros

Make you feel more energy

Make you concentrate better

Can worsen anxiety or depression

Small amount can help headaches

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Cons

Make it hard to sleep

Make you feel jittery or shaky

Can worsen urinating issues

Can cause headaches when you quit

Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, chocolate, cola sodas and especially in energy drinks. There are also over the counter drugs that have caffeine. Some examples are NoDoz, Excedrin and Midol.

It is a drug that can make a person feel more alert and help treat pain. A cup of caffeine stays in the body for 3 to 7 hours. many people prefer to drink it in the morning to wake up. It's good to have less in the evening so you can sleep. Too much caffeine can cause sleep problems, nervousness, an upset belly, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and other side effects.

  • Caffeine works differently in different people. Some people are more sensitive than others. Caffeine lasts longer in the body of women, especially when they are pregnant. Persons with mental illness may have more side effects with caffeine.
  • For an adult, it may not hurt you if you have up to 4 cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two "energy shot" drinks in one day. But these might be too much for many people. Each person must figure this out in their own body.
  • If you body is used to having caffeine every day, you can feel withdrawal if you stop drinking it. Headaches, and feeling tired or moody are signs of withdrawal.

Cigarettes, Tobacco, Vaping

Tap to flip the cards.

Pros

Make you feel relaxed

Feel like fun

Make you feel like you fit in

Offered by people in your life

Legal to buy at age 21

thumbs down

Cons

Smell like smoke and change your taste

Turn teeth yellow and wrinkle skin

Hurt your lungs and heart & cause cancer

Easy to become a habit you can't stop

Cause cravings that make you want more

Stay away from tobacco and nicotine.

Nicotine is the main drug of smoking and it causes a feeling of pleasure. Tar, metals and other chemicals are in smoke. Nicotine is very addicting. That means you feel like you need more and more of it to get the same good feeling. Tobacco causes many serious health problems.

Some of the top problems are:

  • Tobacco increases your chances of breathing problems, heart disease and cancer.
  • Tobacco slows the growth of babies during pregnancy and causes premature birth.
  • Tobacco causes problems with teeth and gums.
  • Tobacco makes your home and clothes smell bad.
  • And it costs lots of money.
Learn more lessons from former smokers

Marijuana

Tap to flip the cards.

Pros

Calm you down

For a feeling of fun or "high"

To try to fit in with others

Helps some people with seizures

Helps some people with bad appetite or nausea

Help some people with chronic pain

Legal in some states

thumbs down

Cons

Don't think straight, get sleepy

Smoke injures lungs

Street drug may be mixed in

Vomiting from too much use

Can cause car crashes

Illegal in Indiana

Marijuana (or weed or pot)

Is a mix of dried stems, seeds, and leaves from a plant called cannabis. It is legal in some states and illegal in others. THC is the main drug in marijuana. People smoke or vape it, dab it by inhaling the oils or put it in food like brownies.

Marijuana causes a high. It has different effects on different people. Some feel relaxed, others feel worried and others can get very confused. Some people get stuck on marijuana. They start to need and want it more and more.

If you are in a room with someone smoking marijuana, you can inhale some into your body. Other drugs made in a lab can be like marijuana, called Spice or K2. They are meant to cause a high. Be careful because they can be dangerous.

CBD can be made in a lab or from a hemp plant. It does not cause a high. It is not illegal. It is one of the drugs found in marijuana. Like any drug it is important to check if it is safe for you. If you have questions, ask your doctor.

Making a Choice

Once you have looked at our answers, it is time for you to make your own action plan.

What choice will you make? What rules will you create for yourself? Who will you talk to?

Here are some examples of choices and rules that others have picked:

I choose not to smoke tobacco or vape because it is so bad for my heart and lungs.

Is this a good choice for you?

How will you find ways to relax without tobacco?

I am going to drink some caffeine and follow these rules:

  • I will have 1 cup of coffee in the morning and 1 caffeine drink in early afternoon.
  • I will stay away from higher caffeine drinks like energy drinks.
  • I will have no more than 2 or 3 drinks with caffeine in any day.
    •  Is this a good choice for you?
    • What will you do if you start to find it harder to sleep at night?

I choose not to use marijuana because it is not legal in Indiana.

Is this a good choice for you?

How will you speak for yourself if someone tries to get you to smoke a blunt?

I am going to try alcohol and follow these rules:

  • I will never drink and drive.
  • I will never drink more than 1 drink in a 2-hour time period.
  • I will never drink more than 2 drinks in a whole day.
  • I won't drink more than 8 drinks in any week.
    • Is this a good choice for you?
    • What will you do if you start to drink more than your plan?
    • What will you do if your driver has had some drinks?