DRUGS: THE LOWDOWN ON GETTING HIGH
PROGRAMME OUTLINE
00:00 – 00:46
We see sensational newspaper headlines while the commentary asks: Amongst all the hype about drugs, how do we tell fact from fiction?
00:46 – 02:12
We meet Neal, Hannah, Georgie, Graham and Dan. All have used drugs. We learn from short clips how good, and bad, drugs can make you feel, and how much you can end up using. Psychiatrist Dr Mark Salter explains why humans like to get stoned.
02:12 – 05:22
We learn the basics about cannabis. This is the first drug that most people come across. It is one way that young friends enjoy shared experiences without their parents. Hannah didn't enjoy it that much, but Neal liked it.
05:23 – 07:43
We find out what cannabis is, and what the effects are. It is a Class C drug that has depressant effects. Many people believe it to be mild and natural, but it is a potent drug, particularly in the case of the common hybrid form, skunk. We meet Dan, who began smoking cannabis, very heavily, alone in his bedroom. From the start, he used it differently to the others.
07:44 – 09:28
For most people who have used drugs, cannabis is the one and only drug they ever try. Others go on to try the stimulants, such as ecstasy (E), amphetamine (speed) or cocaine (coke). We hear how Hannah loved her first experience of E. It is a party drug that produces a good feeling, described as being 'loved up'.
09:29 – 11:43
Cocaine leads to far more self-absorbed feelings. Georgie tells how she believed that coke was the coolest thing she could do – she was 14 years old. She goes on to explain that the way she looked had given her low self-esteem. The coke made her feel good about herself, and she enjoyed sharing the experience of this forbidden fruit with her friends.
11:44 – 13:15
Speed is also a stimulant. Neal tells of how he went from smoking cannabis to injecting speed in one go. He loved speed straight away.
13:16 – 16:50
Because drug highs are so good, it is easy to get carried away. Graham tells the story of the dangerous drug concoctions he would take. Drug workers warn that mixing drugs can lead to real problems. They advise on the safest way to use.
16:51 – 19:30
Dan tells of his incredibly heavy use of cannabis. Dr Mark Salter explains that it loses its effect if used regularly. His advice is, if you do use drugs, to dabble occasionally. Long-term or regular use leads to problems.
19:31 – 21:50
Hannah tells of how she would feel so good on E, but that she was putting herself in the way of danger without realising. Then, as the E wore off, her mood could turn from 'loved up' bliss to aggressive, angry distress. We learn how the drug experiences can be affected by the mood and situation you are in when you take them.
21:51 – 26:32
Graham describes the hangover, or 'come-down' from a couple of days of boozing and drug-taking. Weekend clubbing gave his life such extreme ups and downs that he ceased to live normally. He sold his possessions to get drugs, got kicked out of his home, lost his job and eventually became homeless.
26:32 – 30:36
Dan explains that he used cannabis very heavily to get away from unhappy feelings about his home life. Dr Mark Salter lists characteristics in people that may put them at risk of serious or excessive drug abuse. Dan describes the spiralling effects of his drug use – ending in debt and mental illness. We learn that problem drug-use happens when drugs are used to replace some part of the normal functioning of life.
30:36 – 34:16
Neal describes his journey into paranoia and mental illness and his eventual suicide attempt. Neal's father describes how he felt at the time.
34:16 – 37:12
Georgie tells her story. Despite what she describes as an idyllic childhood, Georgie fell pray to cocaine in a big way. Dr Mark Salter lists the signs of an approaching drug problem and we learn how people can lose years of their lives to drugs, either through the drugs cycle or time in prison.
37:12 – 39:58
Hannah describes how she wouldn't stop the drugs for anyone, until she got pregnant with her son.
39:58 – 42:35
Georgie describes how at 17 the way she looked prompted her to get help. She was admitted to a rehabilitation unit, which gave her a tough but structured regime.
42:35 – 46:00
We learn that there are several different types of support available for people dealing with a drug problem. Dan describes the support he had when he was giving up. Drugs are a whole way of life, and problem users have to change everything about their lives.
46:00 – 46:53
Neal talks about how he has adjusted to everyday life after drug addiction and, at last, found peace.
46:53 – 48:00
The decision to take drugs, or not, is one that many young people face today. A few of them give their take on drugs in the last minute of the film.
