How did it all start? Did you smoke one of your mom's fags, then a couple of years later, a joint with your mates, then pills at the club every weekend, then a line or three every day?
It's human nature to experiment, but it's also human nature to take things too far. Knowing your limits, and knowing where you've gone wrong are the first steps to recovering from a drug addiction.
And if you have to experiment, learn about what you are dealing with before plunging into it. This section can help.
Cocaine is a white powder substance which comes from coca leaves or is manufactured synthetically. It is a local anaesthetic and acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system.
Drug abuse is high in South Africa. Age, socio-economic status and region all seem to determine people's drug of choice.
The popular club drug ecstasy can leave its users with some pretty unhappy side effects.
Despite all the enthusiasm for marijuana's medical uses, some studies are showing that it is not always as effective as advertised and that there can be significant side effects.
The crippling damage drugs cause to the brain has remained unseen - until now.
Forget the breathalyser: there's a DrugAlyzer on the market. And forget about urine or blood tests - this one tests sweat and saliva.
From getting high off the fumes of fermented faeces to drinking aftershave to get drunk, these are some of the weirder and very ill-advised ways people have tried to get high.
Cocaine is a white powdery substance which comes from coca leaves or is manufactured synthetically. It is a local anaesthetic and acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system.
Scientists have known for a long time that cocaine use could cause blood pressure to rise, sometimes so much so that a stroke or heart attack would occur.
Read our guide to dagga, Ecstasy, crack, and other substances abused in SA, what they look like, the signs and symptoms associated with each, and possible treatment.
Learn more about ecstasy - what it looks like, how it is used and how it affects you.
Italian researchers have found that if rat foetuses are exposed to marijuana, it may affect the babies' behaviour and memory after birth.
Anoux Venter was hooked on heroin - and on her boyfriend. The drug devastated her life and those of the people around her.
5 kilos of cocaine worth R3,5 million. Several SAA crew members. A suspicious customs official. Not again.
Here are 10 questions from the expert forums, mostly from friends and family members, who want to know what they can do about addiction in their families and social circles.
