Drugs And Alcohol
Young Persons Substance Misuse Service (NHS Service):
01633 436893
The national Drugs Helpline:
www.talktofrank.co.uk|
or call 0800 776600
(24 hour helpline, calls won't show on your phone bill)
Drug Aid: 02920 881000
CAD: 01495 768248
Drugs and family Support
(DAFS): 01495 292020
Fact: Passing drugs among friends is supplying in the eyes of the law.
Fact: Some countries may refuse visas to people with drug convictions.
Fact: A drug conviction could stand between you and your ideal job
Fact: If the police catch someone smoking cannabis in a club they will have the power to prosecute the landlord, club owner or person holding the party.
Hangovers what can you do if you have a hangover?
When you have a hangover your body is dehydrated. If you wake up with a hangover drink lots of water to replace the fluids you have lost. If you have drunk a lot of alcohol, a good way to avoid a hangover is to drink plenty of water before you go to bed. Be careful not to take too many paracetamol tablets as this can have a very serious effect on your liver, especially if combined with alcohol. The best way to avoid a hangover is not to get drunk in the first place!
Effects on health
Cannabis
-
Users can get anxious, panicky and suspicious.
-
Cannabis can mess up short-term memory
-
Regular, heavy use makes it harder to learn and concentrate. Being stoned all the time isn't going to win anyone 'Employee Of The Month'.
-
Frequent use of cannabis can cut a man's sperm count and suppress ovulation in women.
-
Some people begin to feel tired all the time and can't seem to get motivated.
-
Some research has shown that cannabis may worsen mental illnesses like schizophrenia. It may also slow down any recovery from these illnesses. If you've got a history of mental illness in the family you should think very carefully about getting stoned.
-
Cannabis can cause a range of mental health problems from short lived and more common problems such as anxiety and paranoid feelings, to less common difficulties with actual psychotic states that may require medical treatment and/or a stay in hospital
Speed
-
Speed users have died from overdose.
-
Speed puts a strain on your heart. It's bad news for people with high blood pressure or a heart condition
-
Avoid taking speed and anti-depressants or alcohol. This combination has been known to be fatal.
-
Taking a lot of speed can give your immune system a battering. You could get more colds, flu and sore throats if you use it a lot.
-
Speed can lead to anxiety, depression, irritability and aggression as well as mental illness such as psychosis and paranoid feelings.
-
Too much sniffing speed and you're sneezing lumps out of your nose into a hanky
Ecstasy
-
Short-term effects can include anxiety, panic attacks, confused episodes, first-time epileptic fits and paranoia. Current evidence suggests that long term use can cause depression, personality change and memory loss.
-
No one knows what an E's got in it until they've swallowed it. There may be negative side effects from other ingredients in the tablet, such as chemicals like MPTP, a drug known to cause irreversible Parkinson's disease - taking E is a gamble.
-
Anyone with a heart condition, blood pressure problems, epilepsy or asthma can have a very dangerous reaction to the drug
-
There have been over 200 ecstasy related deaths in the UK since 1996. Some are linked to the way ecstasy controls the body's temperature control mechanism. E can cause the body's temperature to rise to dangerously high levels. If your also dancing and dehydrated, there's the potential for 'double heat-stroke'. Some deaths have been linked to other drugs which have been sold as ecstasy.
-
Using E has also been linked to liver, kidney and heart problems. Anyone using too much can get paranoid and depressed as well
My best friend has started messing around with drugs. It is only cannabis but I am worried that she might go on to other drugs. What should I do? Also what support is there for young people with drug problems?
I am scared that I am getting addicted to drugs (cannabis). I only smoke it because there is nothing to do.
Some people in my school are selling drugs what can I do?
If you have a youth worker in your school, or Youth Access then ask to see them in private. What you tell them is confidential. If you are unable to do this, then tell your year head or personal tutor (if you're in college). If you know that this is going on then probably others know it too and have perhaps already told someone.
What happens if the police catch you taking drugs?
If you are under 18, and it's your first offence of cannabis possession you will normally be arrested, taken to the police station and given a warning or a reprimand. If it's not your first offence, you will be given either a final warning or you will be charged. If you have been given a warning in the past and you get caught again you'll most likely be charged. When you get a warning you are referred to the local Youth Offending team (YOT).
In the eyes of the law, passing drugs among friends is supplying. Possession / supplying of drugs is a serious offence, if you are charged and found guilty this will mean that you will have a criminal record. This could have an affect on your future employment prospects.
Alchohol
Facts
-
Dependence on alcohol can creep up on you. Tolerance increases with use so if you drink on a regular basis, over time you'll need more and more alcohol to reach the same state.
-
It can make you mouthy, argumentative and aggressive. So if you discover you're a nasty drunk you'd be wise to curb drinking - especially if you want to keep your friends.
-
Alcohol is blamed for all kinds of problems in Britain from violent crime to domestic violence and car related deaths to people choking on their own vomit.
-
Under 18 (except for 16 and 17 year olds having a meal in a pub), it's against the law for anyone under 18 to buy alcohol in a pub, off-licence or supermarket. It's also illegal to buy alcohol in a pub for someone who's not 18
-
Official guidelines recommend no more than 3-4 units a day for adult men, 2-3 for adult women. One unit is half a pint of beer, lager or cider. One small glass of wine. Or a 25ml measure of spirits.
-
Serious overindulgence can lead to alcohol poisoning which could put you in a coma or even kill you.
-
Long-term use of alcohol has been linked with illnesses like liver damage, stomach cancer and heart disease
-
Drink driving don't do it! If you drink a large amount of alcohol you may still be over the limit the following day.
-
Alcohol can play a major part in many people's social lives. That's why it's easy to forget that it's actually a very powerful drug. It's a depressant which means it slows down your body's responses in all kinds of ways.
My friend drinks alcohol on a regular basis and gets drunk and acts foolishly. What can I do to help him?
My friend's dad is an alcoholic my friend never talks about it but I know it is affecting him. How can he get help?
I like to go drinking with my friends but don't want to get drunk. What can I do to stop myself getting drunk?
The best way to avoid getting drunk is not to drink alcohol. If you do drink alcohol keep the amounts small, drink slowly, drink long non-alcoholic drinks in between each alcoholic drink and be sure that you have eaten before you start drinking. Remember that if you are not used to drinking alcohol, you will get drunk much more and with lesser amounts, than someone who drinks regularly. Drinks are available with low alcohol contents eg low alcohol larger, alcohol free wine.
I think somebody spiked my drink when I went clubbing in Newport. I didn't drink very much but can't remember anything about the last couple of hours of the evening. How can I ensure this doesn't happen again? Also what happens if your drink is spiked?
When a drink is spiked it means that alcohol or drugs have been added to the drink without the person knowing. There are a range of effects from drinking spiked drinks depending on what has been used to spike the drink. These include vomiting, loss of consciousness, poor balance, slurred speech, etc. Also your behaviour could be affected including lowered inhibitions and losing control.
If you think you have drunk a spiked drink, alert someone. If you are out alone or can't reach friends, alert a staff member at the pub you are at. You should also get medical attention immediately.
To prevent your drink being spiked make sure you don't leave your drink unattended. Never let someone you don't know buy you a drink. When you buy a drink watch the person behind the bar pour it. Buy drinks in bottles with lids.
www.drugscope.co.uk|
Kaleidoscope: 01633 211 001
Fusion: 01633 525053
Gwent Alcohol Project (GAP),
1 Palmyra Place, Newport:
01633 252045
Alcoholics Anonymous:
02920 373939
Alateen: 020 7403 0888 or
http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/english.html|