Drugs affect people in many different ways. One person may take drugs of abuse, but never become addicted, while another person has an experience and is immediately addicted to that drug. Drug addiction is defined as dependence on an illegal drug or medication. When you are addicted, you cannot control your drug use even though you know the consequences. The scary thing is that drug addiction can cause a strong and intense craving for drugs. Even if you want to quit, most people can't do it on their own, it's very difficult and most need therapeutic help. For many people this is what will lead to their death or long-term mental/physical disability. Being addicted will also affect your relationships with friends and family, as well as your employment status. Illegal drug abuse and addiction costs individual Americans more than half a trillion dollars a year. This could be through medical, criminal or even social costs. Drug use also contributes to approximately 440,000 overdose deaths per year. For the U.S. government, this costs hundreds of billions of dollars in increased healthcare, crime, and lost productivity. What can we do to prevent or help hopeless addicts resulting from drug abuse and addiction? And what are our law enforcement agencies doing about this situation? No one starts out as a drug addict or addict. So why do people take advantage of drugs or become addicted? They begin experimenting with drugs for many reasons, whether it be curiosity, pleasure, anxiety relief, and peer pressure. Others have likely been abused, neglected, or experienced a traumatic event during their life, leading them to try medications as a solution. Furthermore, depression or other mental illnesses can also contribute... half of paper... to educate children first, then again as teenagers, this way they have more knowledge both at a young age and then again at a more mature age , more advanced. Although many events and cultural factors influence drug abuse trends, when young people perceive drug abuse as harmful, they reduce drug intake. Therefore, educating our children, or the next generation, will help them understand the dangers and how much of their lives is at risk. You should always think twice before considering the horrible truth of drugs!! Works Cited Prevention Research." National Institute on Drug Abuse. Np, April-May 2012. Web. May 31, 2013. .WebsiteLinkTagsEdit Delete"Drug Abuse Information." Drug Abuse Information. . Anti-Abuse Roundup of drugs, nd Web 31 May 2013.