If You Never Want Your Kids To Do Drugs… Just Show Them These 14 Images.

Drug addiction is one of the greatest problems facing the world today, one that transcends culture, age, gender, and class. Drug abuse affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and kills 200,000 people annually.

According to the National Institutes of Health, drug addiction seeps half a trillion dollars from the US economy each year in the form of crime (70 percent of prisoners are habitual drug users), health care costs (14 percent of people admitted to hospitals are addicted to drugs or alcohol), and losses in economic productivity. Twenty-two millions Americans suffer from drug abuse and addiction issues of some form or another.

This powerful series of images was created by Rehabs.com, an organization devoted to raising awareness about the problem of addiction and helping those in need find treatment.

These disturbing before-and-afters dramatically illustrate the harsh effects that drug abuse and the lifestyle associated with it can have on a person’s appearance over a relatively short span of time.

These are truly sobering. Needless to say, drug abuse isn’t pretty. Please help in the fight against drug addiction by sharing this with your friends. And if you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, do not wait: get help now. Visit Rehabs.com for information on seeking treatment.