Ever think the risks of substance use or gambling can’t possibly happen to you?
Do you know what different substances can actually do to you?
Sometimes find it hard to look past the immediate effects?
Risk means consequences.
Sometimes in life, the risk in a certain activity is pretty obvious. Like the faster you drive, the higher your risk of getting into an accident. But when it comes to substance use and gambling, the risks aren’t always that apparent—especially at first. But here’s what’s important to remember: the risk is still there. The fact is, the more you use, the more you put yourself at risk for unpleasant consequences of some sort. The only way to avoid the risk is to avoid the activity. Check out the links to the right to see what the specific risks are for different substances and activities.
Some consequences you cannot recover from.
The thing about risk is, it doesn’t care who you are. Which means no one’s immune to its effects. Even if you haven’t felt a downside to, say, light use of some drug, doesn’t mean the risk for damage isn’t there. Imagine you walked across a highway without any concern for the cars screaming by. You very well could get across without a scratch. But you could also get hit. The risk for damage is there. And the more you walked that walk, the bigger the chance you wouldn’t make it alive.
That’s the thing about substance use and gambling. Just when you think you’ve managed to escape unhurt, you’re sideswiped. No one’s immune.
Check out the sections below for more info on the risks that come with alcohol, gambling, and drugs.
