Alcohol

The most commonly abused drug among young people, and the one responsible for more accidents and deaths every year is alcohol.

Knowing how to enjoy drinking while keeping yourself and other people safe is crucial if you're planning on drinking at all.

Many people of all ages chose not to drink or take drugs. Reasons for this may include

• Religious reasons
• Training for sports events
• Health problems or medication
• Family history of drug or alcohol problems
• Not willing to take the risk
• Healthy lifestyle

When someone choses not to drink or take drugs it's important to respect their decision.

Drugs

Some drugs are common and legally used by people above a certain age, such as tobacco and alcohol. Some are given to you on prescription to treat illnesses. There are also illegal drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy. In the UK, the rate of illegal drug use among young people is one of the highest in the EU. Most young people will come into contact with drugs at some point.

If you need to talk to someone in complete confidence about drugs you can talk to Frank on 0800 77 66 00 at any time.

• Key Link: www.talktofrank.com

Taking drugs

People take drugs for many different reasons. They might be pressured into taking drugs by friends or partners, or take drugs as an attempt to escape difficulty and pain in their life. But for many people, a suggestion from a friend, curiosity, or just the opportunity is enough.

A person who decides to take an illegal drug runs the risk of:

• Prosecution and a criminal record because you are doing something illegal.
• Immediate health risk different for every drug (see below) but bad reactions can include madness (speed), sudden death (solvents) and brain damage (e).
• Taking the wrong thing or taking too much Drugs vary in strength, and may be contaminated with other substances. The person selling or giving them to you them may lie about what they are, or not know what they are. Different people react differently.
• Accidents or dangerous behaviour most drugs lower your inhibitions, some make you unable to look after yourself, some make you very confused, leaving you vulnerable to attack, sexual assault, fights and accidents.
• Mental distress Though drugs are taken to feel good, many of them can also make you feel unhappy, panicked or distressed. The feelings can be very strong.

A person who uses illegal drugs regularly runs a much higher risk of all these happening. In addition you are likely to suffer serious long-term health effects, dependency (getting addicted) and changes in your behaviour and lifestyle (getting chucked out of home, losing the support of friends and family).

Facts

This table lists some of the commoner illegal drugs, some alternative names for them, and some of the possible side effects. You can get much more comprehensive information, from FRANK, so if you're not seeing the effect or name you want to know more about below, go there. There's also up-to-date information about drugs and the law.

• Key Link: www.talktofrank.com

Drug	Slang	Buzz	Downside
Anabolic Steroids	roids, juice, gear	may build up muscle when combined with training	'roid rage', boys can grow breasts, girls can grow facial hair and go bald
Cannabis	bhang, weed, charse, punk, skunk, hash, spliff, pollen, purple haze, northern lights	feel relaxed and more friendly, giggly, heightened sense of colour and music, loss of inhibitions	impairs mental functions so dangerous if driving, links with depression and schizophrenia, risky for people with heart/circulation problems
Cocaine	barley, charly, clem, coke, gack, toot, showbiz sherbet	quick and euphoric high	very short high, expensive and more-ish, damages nasal passages and lungs, depression and self-loathing
Ecstacy	E, love doves, disco biscuits, hug drug, XTCs, fantasy	feelings of belonging, intense response to music, high energy followed by a feeling of calm	feelings of panic, accident prone, dancing for a long time in hot place can cause dehydration leading to death, use can cause brain damage, mental illness
Solvents, Gases, Aerosols	glue sniffing	feel on a high, laughing, talking a lot, hallucinations, sense of unreality	dazed, unpredictable behaviour, vomiting, choking, unconsciousness, sudden death (one person dies while using solvents every week in UK)
Heroin	smack, junk, H, skag, brown	sense of euphoria, relief from stress and anxiety	addiction, HIV/AIDS, constipation, incapacitation, depression, apathy, loss of periods, loss of libido, dependence, death from overdose
LSD	acid, trips, tabs, microdots, purple haze	enhanced perception, hallucinations, colours may seem brighter, time slower or faster	bad trips can last for hours, serious physical injuries, psychosis, long-lasting mental effects
Magic Mushrooms	'shrooms, mushies, liberty caps	hallucinations, euphoria, 'tripping'	some users complain of nausea, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhoea, bad trip
Poppers (amyl nitrate)	rock hard, TNT, kix, liquid gold	giddiness, head rush	serious headaches, severe health risk for people with heart problems, anaemia, or breathing problems
Speed (amphetamines)	uppers, base, whizz, sulph, billy	you feel happy, energetic, not hungry	depression, violent mood swings, paranoia, potentially lethal when combined with e, coke or poppers

Evolve

Evolve is Oxfordshire's Young Person's Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service. Evolve is a confidential treatment service which provides community support for 10-18 year olds with complex and serious substance misuse issues in Oxfordshire. It wors with young people to effect change around their substance misuse, whilst also addressing related issues and risks.

Evolve works from a central base in Oxford and satellite offices around the county. Project workers can also see young people in a range of venues across the county including young peoples homes, GP surgeries, Information Shops, Youth Clubs or other offices we can book.

You can find out more about Evolve, including how to access their services, on their website.

• www.evolveoxon.co.uk