David used quite a lot of cocaine when he was in his early twenties, but has kicked the habit after two stints in rehab. Mike likes a few drinks at night, but quit smoking when the twins were born. Margot likes the odd cigarette, but hates it when she has to inhale other people’s smoke.
Things to remember
- Although smoking, drinking and drugging could be quite acceptable in certain social circles, it should not be forgotten that alcohol, nicotine and mind-altering drugs are harmful substances.
- SANCA (South African National Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse) recommends that adult women should not have more than 2 units of alcohol per day and men 4.
- Smoking simply has no benefits for you or those around you. All it does is feed your nicotine addiction and dirty the air for everyone around you.
- Drugs are illegal, so there’s no control over what dealers and merchants put into them. A number of people have died in this way after unwittingly taking rat poison or other extremely harmful substances.
- Apart from being expensive, drugs can also seriously impact on your ability to lead a productive and meaningful life.
- Smoking too much, drinking too much and taking drugs can all three lead to death, sometimes in the most undignified and protracted ways.
‘Actually, it only takes one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can’t remember if it’s the thirteenth or the fourteenth.” George Burns
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What are you drinking?