College students who abuse prescription drugs have been found much more likely to abuse illegal drugs as well. Taking prescription stimulants or tranquilizers and abusing alcohol can open the gateway to using other drugs like marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin.

The Dangers of Illegal Drugs

Illegal drugs are just as dangerous—if not more so—than prescription drugs that are abused. Depending on how long the drugs are used and the amount of drugs taken, illegal drugs can have a profound impact on the body. Some illegal drugs can cause severe damage and even death after just one use. Other illegal drugs do their damage more gradually over a longer period of time. These drugs damage the mind and body more slowly.

Inhalants are one type of drug, for example, that when abused can cause severe side effects. Inhalants can cause severe mood swings, suffocation, nosebleeds, and loss of sense of smell. They can also result in liver, lung, kidney, and brain damage. Crack cocaine is another example of an illegal drug that is often abused with other types of drugs. Crack, which has a number of code names on the street and across campuses including “snow” and “blow,” has several dangerous side effects. The drug can result in heart attack, seizure, respiratory failure, and a reduced ability to fight infection.

One of the biggest dangers about the abuse of illegal drugs is the potential for overdose. It is nearly impossible for people to know the composition of the drug they are taking because illegal drugs are not manufactured and distributed under the strict conditions that prescription drugs are. It is also difficult if not impossible to know the strength of the drugs. Students may also tend to mix illegal substances with other drugs and alcohol. Mixing these drugs can cause major interactions and can result in serious injury or death.

Students who are already abusing prescription drugs and alcohol will have an especially hard time living with an addiction to illegal drugs, as well. Students who combine the two substances are at an increased risk for more grave consequences such as organ damage and death.