Alcohol

The most common drug abused by young people is alcohol. Alcohol results in more accidents and deaths every year than any other drug.

• Find out more about alcohol and safer drinking

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

Not taking drugs

Many people of all ages chose not to take drugs. This includes a growing number of young people. Taking drugs is illegal, and can damage your health, mental health, or both. Drugs also make it harder to cope with things like relationships, jobs, doing chores and paying bills, and school.

People use lots of reasons to avoid drugs:

• Religious reasons
• Training for sports, keeping fit
• Health problems or medication
• Family history of drug or alcohol problems
• School or work tomorrow
• Healthy lifestyle
• Allergies or sensitivities
• Don't have time or money to spare
• Not their scene

If you decide not to take drugs, that's your decision, and you should expect other people to respect that.

• Worried about someone else's drug use? Talk to FRANK, in complete confidence

Taking drugs

People take drugs for many different reasons. They might be pressured into taking drugs by friends, family or partners, or take drugs as an attempt to escape difficulty and pain in their life. But many people take drugs for no particular reason; just a suggestion, curiosity, or the opportunity is enough.

A person who takes an illegal drug runs risks:

• Prosecution and a criminal record Taking drugs is illegal.
• Immediate health risk Different risks for every drug, but bad reactions 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 you get them from may lie about what they are, or not know what they are.
• Accidents or dangerous behaviour Most drugs lower your inhibitions, 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 can also make you feel unhappy, panicked or distressed. These feelings can be very strong.

Some people seem to be more at risk from drugs than others, but it is impossible to predict who will be more vulnerable to bad effects. You can suffer a bad reaction to drugs even if:

• You are happy and healthy
• You are used to taking drugs
• You've taken the same drug before

People who take illegal drugs regularly, in large amounts, over a long period, are taking these risks all the time. Over time, the chances of all these bad things happening increases, and the amount of drugs you take is also likely to increase.

You are also 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).

• Worried about your drug use? Talk to FRANK, in complete confidence

Just the Facts

You can pick up a small booklet call The Funked Up Book of Drugs in young people's centres throughout Oxfordshire. This tells you about the effects of different drugs and provides safety advice, including local contacts who can provide help and support.

• Download The Funked Up Book of Drugs

There is also a table in the Young People's Survival Guide for Oxfordshire, that lists some of the commoner illegal drugs, some alternative names for them, and some of the possible side effects. You can download an info sheet based on that table here.

• Download Common Effects of Drugs Info Sheet

Further support

If you're worried by your own drug use, or by somebody else's, support is available. Lots of people start by contacting Frank, the drugs helpline, which is available on 0800 77 66 00 at any time. There is also local support, suitable for young people, available:

The T2 drug service is for young people aged 13-19 who are using drugs and/or alcohol and would like to address issues with their drug or alcohol misuse, e.g. problems at home, work or school, bad effects on relationships, difficult thoughts or emotions, feeling "out of control".

• Find out more, contact workers, refer yourself

Evolve provides community support for 10-18 year olds with complex and serious substance drug and/or alcohol issues in Oxfordshire. Evolve works with young people to effect change around their substance misuse, whilst also addressing related issues and risks. They can also help you if you are affected by someone else's substance misuse.

• Access and contact workers at www.evolveoxon.co.uk (external link)

Experience : getting off cannabis with the help of a T2 drugs worker

My worker helped me to get off the drugs and back onto the straight and narrow. He listened to me and got into my head; but in a good way, he would say something that would touch me and make me think about my life so that I would give an honest response. over the next 5 months I took on board what was said to me and made an effort to change some of the smaller things in my life. Now I have changed my lifestyle, I can sleep better, I take on board encouragement, my self esteem has improved and I don't live in fear or feel paranoid anymore. The best thing is that I don't feel the need to smoke anymore and this is a really positive change now I am far more in control of my life. – C, age 19 [read the rest of C's story]