Know the facts about drugs Part-I

There are no easy answers to the problems caused by drug use, but knowing the facts can help you deal with drugs issues.

• What do you know about drugs?

• What would you do if you thought someone you cared about was using drugs?

• What would you do if you were offered drugs?

• How would you react if you found out that a friend of yours was dealing drugs?

• If you are a parent, how would you react if you found something that you thought was drugs in your child’s pocket or bag?

Understanding drugs

People use many different kinds of drugs. These drugs may be legal or illegal, helpful or harmful. Every drug has side-effects and risks, but some drugs have more risks than others, especially illegal drugs. Using drugs can become a problem depending on a number of factors. These are: What drug is used Who is using the drug (especially their mood and personality) Why they are using the drug Where and How they are using the drug Different drugs create different problems for different people. These problems need different answers. To begin to understand the problem, you have to know what is happening in the life of the person who is using the drug and what drug they are using. In this booklet we look at the problem of illegal drug use. The most commonly used illegal drugs are cannabis, ecstasy, heroin and cocaine.

Why do people use drugs?

Different people use different drugs for different reasons. What we are talking about in this booklet are illegal drugs. You may experiment with illegal drugs because of curiosity, because your friends are doing it or to escape boredom or worries. You may take certain drugs to change how you feel. You may believe it’s a fun or fashionable thing to do. You may continue to use a drug because you enjoy it, or because it’s part of your social life or culture. This is often called ‘recreational’ drug use. Sometimes drug use can become an important part of your life. This may be because of emotional, psychological or social problems you are experiencing. Some drugs can make you addicted or dependent, where you lose control over your drug use and feel you cannot function without the drug. Some people use more than one drug at the same time – this is known as ‘polydrug use’. Mixing drugs can be dangerous because the effects and side-effects are added together. This includes mixing illegal drugs with legal drugs such as alcohol or medication. For example, taking alcohol with cocaine increases your risk of irregular heart rhythms, heart attacks and even death.