Exploiting vanity for a good cause

[N]ew anti-drug campaign may succeed where others have failed, grabbing teens’ attentions by appealing to their vanity….

“The thinking is that this will give kids a tangible image of what can happen if they get involved in using hard drugs,” [Deputy Bret] King says. “We did want to appeal to their sense of vanity.” …

“It’s less abstract than telling someone they’ll get lung cancer many years down the line. This is something you can actually see right now.”

Photos in the anti-drug campaign are from a new documentary, From Drugs to Mugs.

Before and after photos appear in the following promotional video starting at 6:11 minutes.

The MSNB article on the documentary includes a number of medical explanations as to why drug use changes facial appearance.

Meth, for example, can cause small blood vessels around the face to constrict. … “So consequently, the gums shrink as they do in old age. … The teeth that remain can become discolored and black.”

Both meth and heroin are often cut with sugar. … “And you get acne from oily or sweet things, so if you’re injecting the sugar into your veins it’s even more direct.” …

The gaunt look on many of the addicts can be the result of poor nutrition and lack of sleep. …

As for the facial sores: Sometimes meth users will hallucinate and get the sensation that there are bugs crawling under their skin, Mooney says. Trying to get relief, they’ll sometimes pick at their skin until there are open sores.

Resources:

Image: MSNBC

From Drugs to Mugs, documentary website

Linda Carroll, Shocking mug shots reveal toll of drug abuse, MSNBC, February 25, 2011