Shocking: The Effects Of Drug Addiction On The Face

Oh my goodness, I’m so blessed that I’ve never taken drugs, especially meth, heroin or cocaine. When I was very young, my mother told me drugs would kill me, and I believed her. I still do.  These pictures truly break my heart, but I think this is important to write about. If a teenager going through some peer pressure sees these pictures, it might be all that’s needed to convince him or her not to get caught up in that craziness.

These are actual mug shots of drug addicts taken in Oregon. You can see the effects of the drugs on their faces, and if you look at the dates, sometimes it is in a shockingly short period of time. If not taking drugs because of the health effects isn’t enough motivation, perhaps seeing what it does to our beautiful bodies will be enough to convince some people not to do it, or at least that is what Deputy Bret King and the sheriff’s department who created this anti-drug campaign is hoping.

Wanna know what drug causes what effect? Those sores on their faces are caused by meth. Often times users will feel like there are bugs crawling under their skin on their face, and they pick at it until it bleeds. Also, meth and heroin are often times cut with sugar, and when injected into the veins, sugar causes acne. It’s like an amplified effect of eating a bunch of candy bars. Meth also causes blood vessels to constrict, so part of the face shrinks, which gives the look of premature aging and sunken in features. Teeth can also be affected by turning black, or even falling out.  Also, since many drug addicts don’t eat or sleep well, that contributes to their face transformation.

The photographs are part of a 48-minute documentary called From Drugs to Mugs. You can purchase the DVD if you’d like to show it as part of an anti-drug campaign to a school or group of young people. Heck, I’m going to show it to my son. There is no such thing as going overboard when educating people about the dangers of drug abuse.

Unfortunately a large number of people are still out there fighting addiction. Anyone facing addiction who lives near Alaska should highly consider the treatment centers in the state, as they have some of the best drug rehab & addiction services in the nation. It only takes a few moments to set up an appointment. There’s no reason to put off treatment, because nobody deserves to suffer the same fate as the addicts in these mugshots.

Via: [MSNBC] [Amusing Planet]