"The Aim For Success speaker, Angela Smith, discussed the

consequences of taking drugs and other harmful substances...

She showed us the amount of tar that accumulates in a  

smoker's lungs after just one year of smoking.  The amount was unbelievable! ... She also showed us what a person's

brain scan looks like after using drugs.  The change in the

scans was noticeable after only using drugs once!

She also shared some true stories...One of the stories had

a huge impact on me.  A girl had tried synthetic marijuana with some of her friends. When she went home that day, she developed a migraine headache and decided to lie down.

She awoke screaming and ran around her house like a wild

frightened animal.  Her parents rushed her to the emergency

room.  The doctors found...her brain was swelling as a reaction to the drug.  The surgeon had to drill a hole into

her skull to relieve the pressure on the girl's brain.

Miraculously, she survived.  However, she became blind  

and paralyzed on one side of her body.  Her decision to try drugs was a terrible one.  She can never get her prior  

life or her prior healthy body back.  She is permanently trapped inside herself.

That story made me think about how I will act in situations where I am offered drugs and other harmful substances.  Ten years from today, I plan to be finished with college and moving on to bigger and better things.  I plan to have a family and lots of friends.  I also wish to have a well-paying job that helps me provide for my family...

If I had not learned about the consequences of using drugs, I would not be aware of the problems they can cause.  I might have chosen the wrong path without thinking about all the negative consequences of my choice..."