A life-destroying drug

Source: www.maganews.com.br

Social problem

A life-destroying drug

Crack ruins the lives of addicts and their families, and also contributes to increased crime

Crack is one of the most dangerous drugs there is. It has an effect a few seconds after first being inhaled. Initially the user feels euphoric, but the stimulating effect soon wears [1] off: it lasts from3 to 10 minutes. After this initial feeling of pleasure, users feel down and depressed. To feel good again users look for more of the drug, and the cycle begins. Users lose their self-control and become enslaved [2],  to the addiction.  Constant use of this drug damages people’s mental and physical health, affecting the brain, lungs [3], sleep and appetite. People get weaker [4],  and lose weight. Addicts run a much greater risk of suffering pulmonary and cardiac diseases. According to research, the drug’s power over users is such that only 10% of addicts who look for treatment manage to release themselves from its grasp [5],.

Increased crime

As crack causes very strong chemical dependency, addicts lose their jobs,girlfriends, boyfriends, friends and family. The police associate crack use with increased crime. This is because the addiction leads [6] users to commit criminal acts to get the money to buy the drug. In some cases, users even steal belongings [7] and money from their own families.  Besides ruining their own lives, crack users also ruin their families’ lives.

Matéria publicada na edição de Junho / Julho da Revista Maganews (número 55).

Áudio:  Haley Alcântara

Foto 1 (Christian Tragni / Folhapress) –  Crack addicts on a street in the center of São Paulo city.

Foto 2 – One of the posters in Brazil’s campaign against crack

Vocabulary

1 to wear off – exp. idiom. = desaparecer

2 enslaved – escravizado

3 lung – pulmão

4 weaker – mais fraco

5 grasp – aqui = vício / dependência / algo que nos acorrenta

6 to lead – aqui = levar

7 to steal belongings – furtar / roubar objetos (bens)