Your Behavior & Reducing Health Risks

Understanging Health Risks

    Part of becoming an adult is learning how to make responsible decisions.   The first step in doing this is to understand the role of individual responsibility regarding personal risk behaviors.   RISK BEHAVIORS are actions that can potentially threaten your helath or the health of others.  

    Consequences of risky behaviors add up over time.   These CUMULATIVE RISKS   are related risks that increase in effect with each added risk.   Cumulative risks may also result from combinations of risk factors.   The combination of risks greatly magnify the potential to harm yourself or others.   Cumalitve risks can and do occur in all areas of health and safety.

Abstaining From Risk Behaviors

The only way to avoid the consequences of some of the most serious risk behaviors is to practice abstinence.   ABSTINENCE is avoiding harmful behaviors.   This includes the use of tobacco, alcohol, and  other drugs.   Abstaining from many harmful activities and substances helps to avoid negative and/or legal  consequences.   Negative substance use often isolates  a person from family and friends and has a negative effect on social health.