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Aims:

• to provide a non-judgemental basis for informed discussion about drugs
• to raise awareness of the issues surrounding experimentation and addiction
• to represent the perspectives of a wide range of young people about these issues
• to examine drug use in the contexts of prevention, harm reduction and treatment.

Synopsis:

The A–Z of Drugs series aims to present a realistic and balanced view of current issues around drug use in society. It uses an A–Z framework supported by striking images and multimedia techniques. Each programme provides information on the use and effects of various drugs, raising issues for individuals and society in the process. Real-life stories and the views of young people, health professionals and those working to reduce harm from drugs provide major insights to a complex area.

Programme 3: P–Z

Programme 3 examines the issues surrounding experimentation and addiction, and discusses current thinking on prevention, harm reduction and treatment. Following the alphabetical format of the series, the programme then looks at pills, speed and sniffing glue and their side effects, alongside the risks of unprotected sex whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The programme closes with former users reflecting on how much time and money they wasted on drugs and expressing shame at what they did to feed their addiction.

Teachers and lecturers should familiarise themselves with guidelines that apply when working in drug education and be familiar with policies in their institutions relating to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

00.00 – 04.12
P – parents
Sons steal to feed their habit. Girl exposed to drugs in hippy household.

04.13 – 05.09
P – pills
Use of any drug – over-the-counter, prescription, legal or illicit – needs informed decision.

05.10 – 05.31
Q – questions
‘Ask Frank’ 0800 77 6600. Confidential helpline.

05.32 – 07.11
R – reasons
Initially: curiosity, experimentation, confidence and escape. Can lead to long-term psychological and physical dependence.

07.12 – 08.26
S – speed
Stimulant. Lack of knowledge leaves girl vulnerable.

08.27 – 09.18
S – sniffing
Sniffing glue and solvents: initial buzz, loss of time, awful smell. Mashes your head.

09.19 – 15.50
T – treatment
Life at residential treatment centre for young people. Doctor describes treatment.

15.51 – 18.05
U – unprotected sex
Alcohol and drugs lower inhibitions. Risk of unwanted pregnancy, psychological damage, HIV and other infections.

18.06 – 18.24
V – vomit
Can kill. Prevention. First aid.

18.25 – 19.22
W – wasted
From ‘cool’ to be wasted, to wasted opportunities, years, lives.

19.23 – 19.55
X – x-ray
Drugs affect body, not just mind. Example of tobacco and alcohol.

19.56 – 22.10
Y – you
You decide if you do drugs. Many people choose not to. Addiction means no choice. Joseph in alcohol detox. Individuals must commit to changing.

22.11 – 24.12
Z – zero
Former users reflect on waste of time and money and shame at what they did to feed their addiction.

Curriculum Relevance:

This programme has a major PSHE and citizenship focus with opportunities for cross-curricular work involving human biology, psychology, sociology, religious and moral education, history, English, drama and art. It has a locus in whole-school approaches to drug issues in the school and the community.

England & Wales

PSHE and Citizenship: Key Stage 4
National Healthy Schools Standard for Citizenship: Key Stage 4

Northern Ireland

Personal and Social Education Guidance for Key Stages 3 and 4
Social and Environmental Studies: Health and Drugs Education

Teachers should be aware of relevant guidelines for Key Stage 4 emerging from the Civic, Social and Political Education programme of study in the revised NI curriculum.

Scotland

Scottish Executive: Guidance on Health Education, PSD, Citizenship, Drug Education, and Drugs in Schools – middle to upper secondary stages.

Background Information:

Parents and carers
The fact that drugs are a part of life and potentially harmful causes anxiety for parents and carers, who may also feel guilt about their own smoking and alcohol use. Research shows that young people of all ages want their parents to listen to them and understand them more.

Teenagers who get involved in substance misuse tend to have different attitudes to it from those who do not, being more positive and having different perceptions about risk and legal position. Buying and selling drugs among friends is generally not perceived as dealing.

Drugs and their effects
All drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, affect the brain. Different drugs act on different areas, altering the chemical balance responsible for feelings and sensations. It’s not possible to say how any one drug will affect any one person. Drugs may be more harmful to young people because their bodies and brains are still developing. The same drug can have different effects on different individuals, or even a different effect on the same person at a different time.

The purity and strength of a drug can vary a great deal. People build up a tolerance to some drugs and this can pose problems for medical use and, where a drug is being used for other purposes, can result in people taking larger quantities or taking it more frequently to try to get the same effect. A person’s mood, circumstance and surroundings all play a part. Some drugs are more addictive than others and some people are much more likely to become addicted or are made more vulnerable by their drug use.

Alcohol and tobacco
Media coverage and political knee-jerk responses to illicit drug use often help mask the fact that the real dangers to health and well-being for the general population, including young people, and for society, are alcohol and tobacco.

Activities:

Before viewing
Continue with the process described in the activities for Programme 1. The drugs featured in Programme 3 are: over-the-counter and prescription drugs, speed, glue and solvents.

Once again, briefly find out what students know about these and add the outcomes to the display as described in the activities for Programme 1.

Ask students particularly to watch out for reasons people give for trying and not trying drugs.

After viewing
Continue to add to the display by getting students to identify anything new they’ve learned from watching the film. Remember to constantly review and update the work following discussion, viewing and information generated from other sources. Continue developing the harm-reduction summary, perhaps turning it into a leaflet.

Key questions

• How do students feel about the woman whose sons stole from her?
• What reasons do people give for trying and not trying drugs?
• What are the dangers of misuse of over-the-counter and prescription drugs?
• Which incidents in the film show the dangers of not being informed about drugs?
• How had Jenny, Lisa and Joseph ended up in a treatment centre?
• What are the students’ opinions about the treatment centre and its methods?
• What were their reactions to the presentation of alcohol and tobacco damage?

Activity
Ask students to imagine they are the parent or carer of a 15 year old. What would their reaction be if they found out the teenager smoked, or drank alcohol, or was using an illegal drug? Would their reaction vary depending on what the drug was? Would their reaction be any different if the person were male or female? How would they handle the situation? Is there anything they might see differently from the perspective of parent or carer than the way they do now?

Links:

This web page contains links to other websites that are neither controlled nor maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

www.givingupsmoking.co.uk

Wide range of information and support to help people stop smoking and stop permanently. Has a section on young people and smoking.


www.talktofrank.com

Aimed at young people who can consult the A-Z of drugs, check out worries, find sources of help and talk to Frank.


www.alcoholconcern.org.uk

National charity on alcohol misuse. Offers a wide range of services. Press releases and fact sheets particularly useful for educational purposes.

www.brook.org.uk

Brook online is aimed at young people and designed to address concerns about sexuality from their perspective. Provides clear information on a range of issues.