Eli5: If there are billions of bacteria in our body, why is it bad for someone to just pop some anti biotics even without being sick

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Antibiotics kill bacteria. There are billions of bacteria in our body. Why is it drug abuse if I just decide to toss in a few in my mouth, without being sick, since there would always be bacteria to kill

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Just because you have a machine that *can* destroy a building, it doesn’t mean that you *must* start destroying random buildings for fun. You have to destroy those that *need to be* destroyed and keep the rest.

Same with antibiotics. Bacteria that don’t cause harm should not be killed. Some are just peaceful bystanders, but you have really useful bacteria that help your digestion or produce vitamins. Those you actually need.

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