[originaltext] The first step to stop drug abuse is knowing why people start

The first step to stop drug abuse is knowing why people start to use drugs. The reasons people abuse drugs are as different as people are from one another. But there seems to be one common thread: people seem to take drugs to change the way they feel. They want to feel better or to feel happy or to feel nothing. Sometimes, they want to forget or to remember. People often feel better about themselves when they are under the influence of drugs. But the effects don’t last long. Drugs don’t solve problems. They just postpone them. No matter how far drugs may take you, it’s always a round trip. After a while, people who misuse drugs may feel worse about themselves, and then they will use more and more drugs. If someone you know is using or abusing drugs, you can help. The most important part you can play is to be there. You can let your friends know that you care. You can listen and try to solve the problem behind your friend’s need to use drugs. Two people together can often solve a problem that seems too big for one person alone. Studies of heavy drug users in the United States show that they felt unloved and unwanted. They didn’t have close friends to talk to. When you or your friends take the time to care for each other, you’re all helping to stop drug abuse. After all, what are friends for?