Drug misuse can be harmful to your health in both the short term and the long term, and could possibly lead to dependency.

Why do people misuse drugs?

There are many reasons why people misuse drugs which may include mental health issues, loneliness, peer pressure or other social factors. If you are a parent it will be difficult preventing your child coming into contact with drugs but whether an adult or a child it is important that people have the right information and that the risks are openly talked about. It is important to know that specialist help and support is available. If you have concerns about your own drug use or someone else's, please make contact with local services.

What are the drugs that should I be worried about?

All drugs if misused can be harmful to your health. This includes not only illegal drugs like cocaine but also prescription drugs. Prescription drugs if taken in the wrong amounts, at the wrong time, if they are not personally prescribed to you, can also be harmful.

The illegal drugs that are most commonly used are cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines. Although there are also people who use and are addicted to opiates, such as heroin. The effects upon your health will vary with different drugs and include mental health problems such as depression, paranoia and psychosis. For example, cannabis has been linked to mental health problems such as schizophrenia and, when smoked, to lung diseases including asthma. You can increase your risk of heart attack if you take cocaine. For more information about the health risk of using drugs go to the NHS Choices website.

The new drugs causing concern are New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) (also called 'legal highs'). NPS, such as Mephedrone (meow meow) and Spice, used to be available to buy legally in 'head shops' (shops that sell drug paraphernalia) or online. Since the Psychoactive Substances Act came into effect on May 26 2016, it has been illegal to supply any NPS in the UK for human consumption. This includes selling them or giving them away for free.

The use of these drugs has increased recently. For lots of NPS, there has been little or no research into the short or long-term health risks from human consumption and some risks aren't yet known. We know that they often contain different substances to what the packaging says, or mixtures of different substances. This means you can never be sure what you are taking or what the effects might be. However, we do know that NPS can reduce your inhibitions, so you may do potentially harmful things you wouldn't normally do and they can cause paranoia, coma, seizures and, in rare cases, death.

You can never be sure of what is in an NPS, so you can't be sure what you've bought or been given, or what effect it's likely to have on you or your friends.

For more information go to the NHS Choices website.

Prescription drugs especially painkillers have a risk of making users dependent upon them and being harmful to your health if not taken in the way they are prescribed by your doctor. If you take prescribed painkillers or any other drugs ask your GP or pharmacist if you have any concerns.

Anabolic steroids are prescription-only medicines that are sometimes taken without medical advice, to increase muscle mass and improve athletic performance. They can cause mental health problems and changes in how you look. For more information go to the FRANK website.