The document provides statistics on drug use in the UK and information about different types of drugs. An estimated 1 in 3 adults have taken an illicit drug in their lifetime, with higher rates among young people aged 16-24. It then defines what a drug is and discusses the effects and risks of various drug classes like stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. The document covers topics like addiction, overdosing, the law, and safety advice for drug users. Overall, the document aims to educate people on the realities of drug use while also providing resources for help.
3. DRUGS,
THE STATS
● An estimated 1 in 3 adults (36.5%), around 12 million people, had ever taken an illicit
drug in their lifetime.
○ 3 Million people (8.9%) had done so in the last year.
○ 1.7 million people (5.2%) had done so in the last month.
● Drug usage is consistently higher for young people than for the whole population.
○ For people aged 16-24, 2.5 million people (37.7%) had ever taken an illicit drug in
their lifetime;
○ 1.3 million (19.3%) had done so in the last year.
○ 700,000 people (11.1%) had done so in the last month.
● 10 million adult cigarette smokers in Great Britain
● In 2011, 79,100 people died in England from deaths caused by smoking. This was 18% of
all deaths of adults aged 35 and over.
● 40 million are social drinkers
● 10 million are " at risk" drinkers
● 1 million problem drinkers
● 200,000 are totally dependent drinkers
● Alcohol abuse alone costs the NHS 3 BILLION a year
● Drug abuse costs the NHS 488 MILLION a year
● Drug related crime costs society 13.9 BILLION a year
4. SO WHAT IS A DRUG?
A Drug is simply any chemical that affects the
way your body works.
This could be anything from Caffeine to
Methamphetamine
5. SO WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
● Sungazing while tripping
● LSD makes you go insane
● Natural drugs are better than synthetic drugs...
● Legal drugs or prescription drugs aren’t bad for you
● Theres no harm in mixing drugs
● Ecstasy rots holes in your brain
● I feel better after taking my prescribed medicine, should
I stop?...
● Should I always take medication on an empty
stomach?...
● Antibiotics are the cure...
7. STIMULANTS,
WHAT DO THEY DO?
SHORT TERM
● Euphoria
● Increased alertness and
wakefulness
● Lots of energy
● Excessive amounts of talking
● Decreased appetite
● Insomnia
● Big pupils
● Raised blood pressure, heart rate
and breathing rate
● Increase in body temp
LONG TERM
● Anorexia
● Irritability
● Aggression
● Impulsivity
● Psychosis
● Paranoia
● Delusions
● Tolerance
● Dependance
In 2011, 17 people died from
cocaine use alone.
122 people died from using
cocaine in combination with
something else
8. DEPRESSANTS,
WHAT DO THEY DO?
SHORT TERM
● Relaxation
● Calmness
● Anti-anxiety
● Slow brain function
● Slowed pulse and breathing
● Lowered blood pressure
● Poor concentration
● Confusion
● Fatigue
● Dizziness
● Slurred speech
● Fever
● Visual disturbances
● Dilated pupils
● Disorientation, lack of coordination
LONG TERM:
● Depression
● Chronic fatigue
● Sexual dysfunction
● Chronic insomnia
● Respiratory depression and arrest
● Addiction
● Dependance
In 2011 104 people died from Heroin
use alone.
355 people died from taking heroin and
another drug
9. HALLUCINOGENS,
WHAT DO THEY DO?
SHORT TERM
(varies with the trip, good or bad)
● Visual, auditory and other hallucinations
(Hearing voices, seeing colours and
psychedelic patterns)
● Euphoria
● Heightened sensations
● Temporary psychosis
● Agitation
● Paranoia
● Distorted perceptions
● Nausea, loss of appetite
● Irregular heartbeats
● Anxiousness
● Mixed emotions
● Hugely dilated pupils
● Raised heart rate
● Rapid mood and behaviour changes
● Sweating
● Altered sense of reality
LONG TERM
● Persistent psychosis
● Permanently altered sense of reality
● Flashbacks
● Depression
● Paranoia
● Delusions
● Mental disturbances
10. WHY DO PEOPLE TAKE DRUGS?
CURIOSITY
PEER PRESSURE
TO COPE
DEPRESSION
ILLNESS
FIT IN
GRIEF
MAKE FRIENDS
STRESSEXPERIMENTATION
RELAX
TO GET THAT
MIND ALTERING
EXPERIENCE
BOREDOM
REBEL
ADDICTION
TO PARTY
TO ESCAPE
11. SOCIAL EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE
● Drug abuse won't just affect your physical health
● It affect all aspects of your life, social, mental and physical
● Abusing drugs can lead to behavioural changes
○ Loss of motivation
■ leads to lack of productivity
○ Reduced libido
○ Reduced social skills
○ Loss of concentration and focus
○ Lowered inhibitions
○ Increase of decrease in determination
● Social changes
○ Loss of interest in friends/family
○ Loss of integrity and compromised principles (will do anything for the next hit)
○ Lose touch with reality and morality
○ Loss of friends and respect from other people
○ Relationship breakdown
■ Adds stress to a relationship
○ Failure to achieve life goals
12. OVERDOSING
● This is when you take so much of a drug
that it becomes toxic and can seriously
harm health.
● Most overdoses are accidental
● Overdoses are not just caused by “Bad”
drugs.
● Paracetamol overdoses are the most
common
● Depressant overdoses are also very
common, especially when taken in
combination
● Overdosing doesn't mean certain death
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU
OVERDOSE ON STIMULANTS?
● Erratic heart beat
● Bleeds in the brain
● Seizures and convulsions
● Stroke
● Respiratory failure
● Heart failure
● Brain damage
● Coma
● Death
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU OVERDOSE
ON HALLUCINOGENS
● Convulsions, seizures
● Brain bleeds, that could cause stroke
● Brain damage
● Psychosis
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU OVERDOSE
ON DEPRESSANTS
● Difficulty breathing
● Slow pulse
● Delirium
● Muscle cramps
● Coma
● Death
13. ADDICTION AND DEPENDENCE
Psychological Addiction
Four stages
● Initiation - Start of addiction (first
encounter with drug)
● Maintenance - Roots of addiction founded
● Cessation - Breaking addictive behaviours
● Relapse - Inevitable re-initiation of
addictive tendencies, start back at
maintenance stage.
● Withdrawal symptoms vary depending on the
drug they can be anything from a bad headache
to sudden death.
● The exact cause of dependence is not known.
Many factors are involved
○ A person's genes
○ The action of the drug
○ Have depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety
disorders, and schizophrenia
○ Have easy access to drugs
○ Have low self-esteem, or problems with
relationships
○ Live a stressful lifestyle, economic or
emotional
○ Live in a culture where there is a high
social acceptance of drug use
Addiction is the compulsive use of a drug
despite its negative or dangerous effects
You can have one without the other,
and an example would be cocaine, it
causes addiction but not
dependence
Drug dependence means that a person
needs a drug to function normally. Abruptly
stopping the drug leads to withdrawal
symptoms.
14. THE LAW
Class Drug Possession Supply and production
A Crack cocaine, cocaine,
ecstasy (MDMA),
heroin, LSD, magic
mushrooms, methadone,
methamphetamine (crystal
meth)
Up to 7 years in prison, an
unlimited fine or both
Up to life in prison, an
unlimited fine or both
B Amphetamines, barbiturates,
cannabis, codeine,
methylphenidate (Ritalin),
synthetic cannabinoids,
synthetic cathinones (eg
mephedrone,
methoxetamine)
Up to 5 years in prison, an
unlimited fine or both
Up to 14 years in prison, an
unlimited fine or both
C Anabolic steroids,
benzodiazepines (diazepam),
gamma hydroxybutyrate
(GHB), gamma-butyrolactone
(GBL), ketamine, piperazines
(BZP)
Up to 2 years in prison, an
unlimited fine or both
Up to 14 years in prison, an
unlimited fine or both
Temporary class drugs* NBOMe and Benzofuran
compounds
None, but police can take
away a suspected
temporary class drug
Up to 14 years in prison, an
unlimited fine or both
15. We are not here to stop you from doing drugs, and while we advise you not too, we are here to
educate you on the risks and effects that drug use can bring. It’s a decision that only you can
make.
DRUG SAFETY
If your mind is made up about it and you
are going to take drugs, please be aware
of the associated risks such as
● Sharing needles and the risks of HIV
or Hep C
● The impurities in the drug you are
taking and the dangers this can
bring, e.g MDMA, coke
Whilst we do not condone or encourage drug use, your health and safety is our main
concern.
Good advice to remember when taking
drugs
● Stay hydrated (With MDMA be
careful as too much or too less and
be extremely dangerous)
● Try to eat something before
● Do it in a safe environment whenever
possible
● If you decide to “trip” get a sober
friend to “trip sit”
● Never take more than you need.
● Never double dose
● Know your limits and practice
moderation
● Don’t take drugs from random people
● Do some research, know what you
are getting into
Don’t just take drugs because all your
friends are doing it
16. WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFO
Talk to Frank: http://www.talktofrank.com/worried-about-a-friend
Drugscope: http://www.drugscope.org.uk/
Childline https://www.childline.org.uk/talk/Pages/Talk.aspx
NHS: http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/drugs/Pages/Drugshome.aspx
Drug Aware http://drugaware.com.au/Stay-Safe.aspx
Email us: Health4youths@gmail.com
Just one risky action
can have life-long
consequences.
Introduction and simple overview, ask “What do you think a drug is”
Crime Survey for England and Wales 2011/12
http://www.drugscope.org.uk/resources/faqs/faqpages/how-many-people-use-drugs
myth that was around in the 90s was that if you took LSD youd look at the sun and go blind
Loosely tied into 3 categories but most drugs can be put in more than 1 and they all share different effects
Most people who use drugs don’t just drop dead (relevant stats)
Risks of running into the law
Death rates due to drugs
Stats: for 15-24 year olds, alcohol in
combination with other drugs was the most frequently implicated psychoactive substance in their
deaths.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 1999. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 33.) Chapter 2—How Stimulants Affect the Brain and Behavior. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64328/
Recreation, partying, chilling, relaxing
Curiosity, experimentation, for the sometimes mindset altering experiences
Escape
Peer pressure, to fit in
Addiction
Cost, Taking drugs is usually cheap
Might seem like a solution but most of the time will end up as a bigger problem
Friendships, relationships, Love life, school/uni work, work life, productivity, motivation
Talk about overdosing and treatment
Paracetamol most common suicidal overdose, liver damage very painful death
Short term effects, sexual dysfunction, drug induced psychosis, CVD effects e.g. increased risks of this and this
Long term effects, altered mental state, CVD effects
How quickly recreational use can turn into addiction, and how subtle it can be
Difference between psychological addiction and physical dependency
There are several stages of drug use that may lead to dependence. Young people seem to move more quickly through the stages than do adults.
Experimental use -- typically involves peers, done for recreational use; the user may enjoy defying parents or other authority figures.
Regular use -- the user misses more and more school or work; worries about losing drug source; uses drugs to "fix" negative feelings; begins to stay away from friends and family; may change friends to those who are regular users; shows increased tolerance and ability to "handle" the drug.
Daily preoccupation -- the user loses any motivation; does not care about school and work; has obvious behavior changes; thinking about drug use is more important than all other interests, including relationships; the user becomes secretive; may begin dealing drugs to help support habit; use of other, harder drugs may increase; legal problems may increase.
Dependence -- cannot face daily life without drugs; denies problem; physical condition gets worse; loss of "control" over use; may become suicidal; financial and legal problems get worse; may have broken ties with family members or friends.
The UK class system overview, and their sentences for selling and using
Possessing drugs
You may be charged with possessing an illegal substance if you’re caught with drugs, whether they’re yours or not.
If you’re under 18, the police are allowed to tell your parent, guardian or carer that you’ve been caught with drugs.
Your penalty will depend on:
the class and quantity of drug
where you and the drugs were found
your personal history (previous crimes, including any previous drug offences)
other aggravating or mitigating factors
Dealing or supplying drugs
The penalty is likely to be more severe if you are found to be supplying or dealing drugs. Sharing drugs is also considered supplying.
The police will probably charge you if they suspect you of supplying drugs. The amount of drugs found and whether you have a criminal record will affect your penalty.
We are not here to stop you from doing drugs, we are here to educate you on the risks and effects that doing drugs will bring so that you can make the right choice when it comes to it
