We all know that it is impossible to stop everyone using or taking illegal substances so there are

some alternative ways to prevent or to avoid these kind of different substance abuse. First is to
Effectively deal with peer pressure, The main reason teens start using illegal drugs is that social
pressure is used by their friends. Nobody wants to be left out there so most of the teens (even
the adults) They find themselves doing stuff that they would not usually do, just to fit in. You
either need to find a better group of friends in these situations who will not force you into
doing bad stuff, or you need to find a good way to say no. To keep from giving into tempting
scenarios, teens should prepare a good excuse or plan ahead of time. The next one is to Deal
with life pressure, life pressure is just normal for us, don’t think you are the only one who has a
problem because we all have problem but different approach to it. So try to be more positive
and remember that the only thing for you to get rid with problem is to find and make solution
illegal drugs will make your life more stressful and make miserable. Lastly is to keep a well-
balanced life, when something about their life or plan is not working, or when they are unhappy
with their life or where their lives are heading, people take up drugs. In order to avoid these
situation you need to look back at what you accomplish and you’ve done great in the past so
that it can motivate yourself that you can do it again. In short Look at life’s big picture, and have
priorities in plan. Because of this addiction it may result you to have a conflict with friends or
family and sometimes due to addiction you will find also a group friends that is related with
your addiction and then you will suddenly abandoned your friend or closed friends overall you
will loss friends. Also because of addiction you may loss job and of course if you don’t have job
you don’t have salary so you don’t have source of income. It may affect the relation with your
family and relatives. To make it short being addictive with this substances can destroy your life.
And also while under influence of these addictive substance it can spread disease most likely
are the AIDS and HIV. According to Pathways of Addiction: Opportunities in Drug Abuse
Research It now appears that injection drug use is the leading risk factor for new HIV infection
in the United States (Holmberg). More than onethird of AIDS cases reported through were
related to injection of illicit drugs through three mechanisms: the sharing of contaminated
injection equipment, heterosexual contact with an injection drug user (IDU), or through
maternal injection of illicit drugs (Table 7.1). In women, the percentages of AIDS cases involving
injection of illicit drugs are alarmingly high. Of the 71,818 female AIDS cases reported to CDC
through December 1995, almost half (33,452 cases) were related to injection of illicit drugs and
another 18 percent (13,046 cases) to sex with infected IDU partners (CDC, 1995a). HIV can be
transmitted through direct needle sharing when contaminated blood remains in the syringe and
may be released into the next user or through certain injection drug practices during which
blood is drawn into the syringe and mixed with the drug. Transmission of the virus can also
occur indirectly by the sharing of drug injection equipment such as cotton balls or rinse water
(NRC, 1995), and increased frequency of injection and the use of shared equipment increase
the risk for seropositivity. HIV risk is also associated with the locations in which drug use occurs.

TABLE 7.1 AIDS Cases Related to Injection of Illicit Drugs (percentage of total cases)

Exposure Category Cases Reported in Cumulative Total Reported Through

1995 December 1995
Injection drug use        
Men 14,057 (19) 95,244 (18.5)
Women 5,204 (7) 33,452 (6.5)
Heterosexual contact with an        
injection drug user
Men 928 (1.2) 5,664 (1.1)
Women 1,921 (2.6) 13,046 (2.5)
Men who have sex with men and 3,425 (4.6) 33,195 (6.5)
inject drugs
Pediatric cases (<13 years old)        
Mother who is an injection drug 211 (0.3) 2,594 (0.5)
user
Mother who has sex with an 114 (0.2) 1,164 (0.2)
injection drug user
Total cases related to injection 25,860 (34.9) 184,359 (35.8)
drug use
Total cases reported 74,180 (100) 513,486

All drug users, injecting and non injecting, place themselves at great risk for HIV transmission
when engaging in unsafe sexual behavior while under the influence of drugs, such as alcohol
and cocaine, or exchanging sex for money or drugs.

Now for the restriction of this illegal substances first internationally there are countries that
are allowing or some of these addictive substance are legal. They have a age limit (it depend on
the culture or on their parents but sometimes 18 or 21 this is based on my research) that allow
them to take this legal addictive substances. Here in the Philippines, only alcohol beverages and
cigarettes are the legal one and those illegal drugs are prohibited here in the Philippines. Like in
the other countries, taking illegal substances is prohibited and when you get caught using,
buying or selling you will be in prison because it is illegal. There is an age limit when taking
cigarette and alcohol beverages. It is allowed here in our country same as the other countries
unless there is a liquor ban like in this present time that we have a pandemic, our government
implemented liquor ban to lessen contact and to prevent virus from spreading. Overall taking
these substances does have a big impact in our lives it is our lives. But for me realizing the
effects of it I might not choose or try a single of it because based on my research, drug addict or
alcoholic people they usually say that “Noong nakatikim ako, hinanap hanap ng katawan ko.” It
means that once you’ve tried it is very difficult to get rid of it because doing this abusive stuff
doesn’t make you realize that you are desperate or addicted. So think about the outcomes or
consequences before you make a move.