WHY EDUCATE YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT DRUGS? PREPARE FOR LIFE AFTER SCHOOL KEEP SAFE AND PROTECTED DEAL WITH PEER PRESSURE RECOGNISE THE RELATIONSHIP

Transcription

1

2 Background 15 years experience. Drugs, alcohol, domestic violence, mental and emotional health Education, prevention, treatment, criminal justice Adults, young people and families Time to Change champion Personal experience: all!

3

4 WHY EDUCATE YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT DRUGS? PREPARE FOR LIFE AFTER SCHOOL KEEP SAFE AND PROTECTED DEAL WITH PEER PRESSURE RECOGNISE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DRUGS AND OTHER RISKY BEHAVIOURS KNOW THE DANGERS AND RISKS TO THEMSELVES, FAMILY AND WIDER SOCIETY TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO MAKE INFORMED AND RATIONAL DECISIONS

5 WHAT IS CANNABIS? Hash: black/brown block made from the resin of the plant Grass/weed: dried leaves and flowering parts of the plant Smoked or eaten ie hash cakes

6 SIGNS OF USE RELAXED APPEARANCE GIGGLY LETHARGIC ATTITUDE BLOODSHOT EYES IMPAIRED COORDINATION SLOWED REFLEXES DILATED PUPIL SIZE INCREASED APPETITE

7 WHAT IS COCAINE? White powder, snorted up the nose using a bank note Slang names include charlie, ching, snow, white, coke

8 SIGNS OF USE ALERT CONFIDENT VERY TALKATIVE DILATED PUPIL SIZE SUPPRESSED APPETITE CONSTANT GOING TO THE TOILET TO USE AS EFFECTS ONLY LAST MINS IRRITABLE AND AGITATED

9 WHAT IS ECSTASY? Different coloured tablets with different logos on, normally swallowed but sometimes crushed up and snorted Slang names include E, disco biscuits, doves, pills, mitsis MDMA more common form nowadays which is powder form of ecstasy

10 SIGNS OF USE IN TUNE WITH SURROUNDINGS POPULAR WITH THE DANCE MUSIC SCENE RISK OF OVERHEATING DILATED PUPIL SIZE SUPPRESSED APPETITE ANXIETY PARANOID DEPRESSED

11 WHAT IS KETAMINE? Legitimately used by vets to put out animals, but sometimes misused to make people feel floaty and relaxed Slang names include K, ket, special K, donkey dust

12 SIGNS OF USE MILD HALLUCINOGEN, SEE THINGS THAT ARE NOT THERE OBJECTS, SOUNDS AND COLOURS DISTORTED K HOLE EFFECT INVOLUNTARY MUSCLE MOVEMENTS URINE INFECTIONS

13 WHAT IS NITROUS OXIDE? Legitimately used by doctors or dentists, odourless gas Slang names include nos, laughing gas, hippie crack

14 SIGNS OF USE EFFECTS ONLY LAST 5-10 MINUTES THE USER WILL FEEL DIZZY, GIGGLY AND RELAXED DILATED PUPIL SIZE RISKS INCLUDE NERVE DAMAGE, NOT FEELING THE ENDS OF YOUR FINGERS AND TOES CAN CAUSE INSTANT DEATH (SOLVENT ABUSE)

15 TRENDS 24% of young people report they had ever taken drugs and 10% in the last month Cannabis remains the most widely used drug The proportion of pupils who have taken drugs increases with age. Boys are more likely than girls to have taken drugs Vulnerable pupils, defined as those who had truanted or been excluded from school, were more likely to take drugs

16 TIPS FOR TALKING Find out some facts before you start talking. Don t expect to know everything though! You can go on the web together to find out Think about how you will react if they tell you they have tried using drugs If they say they have tried drugs, stay calm and don t panic If they say they haven t tried drugs and you think they are lying, don t accuse them Don t make assumptions about what they know or do Pick a good time to talk when you both have time and not when they are high

17 TIPS FOR TALKING Use opportunities to talk such as when you are both watching a soap story line about drugs or if it comes on in the news Listen with respect to what they have to say and don t lose your temper if you do not agree with them as it may make them rebel Let them know you are there for them if they want to talk about drugs Set boundaries about what is acceptable and not acceptable in your household Call on a friend or relative if your child is too embarrassed to talk to you

18 FURTHER INFORMATION Info about drugs Info for parents about any youth issues or Support for young people using drugs Support for family members who have a relative using drugs

19 THANKS FOR LISTENING, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?? Stacey Miller