Drug & Alcohol Education

A drug is a chemical that you take into your body, which changes your mood and the way you feel. If you're worried about drugs you can talk to ChildLine and Frank

Why do people take drugs?

There are many reasons why people might take drugs. These might include:

• • To look grown up or good in front of people

  • They like the thought of doing something dangerous

  • Their friends are doing it

  • Wanting to escape feelings of sadness or hopelessness

  • To escape problems at home or school

  • They enjoy the feelings they get from taking drugs

Although substances can feel good at first, they can ultimately do a lot of harm to the body and brain. Drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, taking illegal drugs and sniffing glue can all cause serious damage to the human body. Some drugs severely impair a person's ability to make healthy choices and decisions.

Drugs are chemicals that change the way a person's body or/and mind works. Some drugs are prescribed by a doctor; others are bought over the counter at a chemist or a shop and some are illegally supplied.

Drugs can be broadly divided into three categories based on their main effects.

They may act solely as

• • stimulants,

  • depressants or

  • hallucinogens

Quite a few drugs show two of these effects at the same time, and are then described either as stimulant hallucinogens (e.g. ecstasy) or as depressant hallucinogens (e.g. cannabis).

Stimulants make you feel like you have lots of energy and confidence. They include cocaine, speed, ecstasy, and mephedrone.

Depressants make you feel relaxed and chilled out. They include alcohol, tranquillisers, heroin and cannabis.

Hallucinogens can make you view reality in distorted way and sometimes cause vivid hallucinations. They include LSD and magic mushrooms.

In addition to these 3 broad categories, each particular drug has its own specific effects and risks.

When you obtain drugs anywhere other than from a reliable pharmacy, it can be difficult to say exactly what effects and risks the drug may have. A drug maybe quite new and its harms may not yet be fully known or the drug you are actually taking may not be what you believe it to be.