9781422288115

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WHAT’S THE DOWNSIDE OF OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS?

Lots of people, especially teenagers, think that OTC drugs must be safe since they’re legal. But because they’re so easy to get, OTC drugs are also easy to abuse. When you take too much of them too often, some OTC drugs can be addic- tive. Overdoses can damage your body for life. They may even cause death.

When a drug is addictive, a person’s body comes to depend on it in order to function. He will need

to take more and more of the drug— and even though the drug may interfere with his relationships and with his work, he will keep taking it. Stopping the drug will be very difficult for him if he is addicted.

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