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Drugs
and Alcohol
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Booze
and drugs are all around us. They can make young people
feel more confident, outgoing and happy. They are also
a way in which people get out of it and escape stress
and hassles.
So what's the problem then?
Using drugs and alcohol can lead to lots of problems for
young people. They can lead to people messing up their
relationships, having physical health problems, not coping
with school or work and sometimes ongoing mental health
problems.
Alcohol
It is true that alcohol can make you feel more confident
and comfortable in social situations, but it can also
mean that you may make bad decisions because you are less
aware of what is happening to you. This can mean you are
unsafe or end up doing things you would not have done
sober. It may also mean you end up with no cash and sometimes
no friends.
It is important to think about
safe drinking and remember that:
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Alcohol is a depressant drug, which means it slows
down your reactions, both mentally and physically |
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Drinking heaps can mean you are unable to get
up for school or work and that your life is affected
in a bad way |
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It may also affect your ability to do things like
play sport or do other stuff you're into |
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You may do stuff that means you get hassled by
parents and sometimes end up in trouble with the
police |
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Drinking a lot over a period of time may mean
getting addicted and /or developing physical problems
and can even lead to death |
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If you are drinking with mates, look after each
other. It is good for one person to stay straight
so that someone is in control |
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Don't drink and drive, and stop mates driving
when they have been drinking |
More info is available on these websites on the good and
bad effects of drinking alcohol:
What about drugs then?
Drugs change the way our bodies and brains work. They
can be prescribed by doctors for health reasons, but are
also sold on the street to get high or out of it. All
drugs can cause physical or mental problems in some way.
Using two or more drugs and alcohol at the same time makes
it all the more risky.
So what are the risks then?
Drugs cause problems not just
to your health. Some of the problems are similar to those
of using alcohol but some are different:
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Like with alcohol being out of it on drugs can
mean you end up making bad decisions and don't keep
yourself safe |
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Can lead to you stuffing up relationships |
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May mean that you can't do the things you enjoy,
like sports, skating, surfing etc. |
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You may have problems turning up for school or
work |
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You will probably end up broke |
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You may land in trouble with police |
You may notice that you are having
problems with drugs and these may be the early signs of
not keeping it together:
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Finding listening hard and not concentrating |
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Not turning up for school/work |
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Forgetting things more than usual |
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Feeling slowed up |
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Get into arguments about being late for things |
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Falling out with mates a lot about your drug use |
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Spending all your cash on drugs |
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Never feeling straight |
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Paranoia |
If some of this stuff is your life, it may be a sign that
drugs are becoming a problem for you, and you may want
to think about getting some help. If you want help reducing
your drug use or stopping all together there are specialist
services in New Zealand that will help you.
You can contact the youth team at the regional alcohol
and drugs services in Auckland and they can give you more
info on what is available at the following contact numbers:
| North Auckland
: 09 488 2701 |
West Auckland
: 09 836 6166 |
| Central Auckland
: 09 623 2323 |
East Auckland
: 09 570 3750 |
| South Auckland
: 09 277 8080 |
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What are the drugs young people
use?
We have not listed all the drugs and substances that are
used by young people but full information of the types
and specific details about effects and ill effects is
available at:
www.urge.org.nz/drugs/other.html
Resources are available for schools produced by the Foundation
for Alcohol and Drug Education and these are detailed
at their website:
www.fade.org.nz
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