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Which are the best ways to educate the public against the dangers posed buy alcohol, drugs and cigarettes?

Cigarettes are drugs! Beer is a drug. Cocaine and crack are drugs too. And no doubt drug use needs to be addressed as a wider social problem because it’s about public health, it’s about mental health, it’s about homelessness. And there is really far too great an emphasis on it being a problem solely associated with crime.

All drugs can be addictive. Once you try them you build an appetite for them. They can be dangerous, deadly and burn out your brain.

Drugs can produce a pleasurable effect on the mind and fool you into thinking you feel better or think better, or play games better. At first that may seem true- but each time you take a drug you are failing to perform as well as you did before.

Some people think that a relaxed approach of the drug problem is the best solution.

They suggest introducing new laws to legalize certain aspects of drugs. Though there are more people who are for penalizing drug use and they try to produce a range of ideas to lead the fight against the drugs menace. They think that new measures are needed to combat it and these measures should be effective in the war against smoking, alcohol and drugs.

It is common knowledge that anti-smokers control the Tobacco Industry. At the same time the governments of many countries are trying to get their citizens to stop smoking through ads, high taxes, age restrictions and dire health warning on every cigarette pack. They ban smoking in public places Television, radio stations cannot advertise cigarettes.

We have chosen this issue because of its vital importance and practical value. The aim of our work is to conduct an opinion poll and to find out how teenagers feel about drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. This work is addressed to teenagers to make them aware of the harmful social consequences of drug and alcohol abuse. Our purpose is to provide young people with the useful information about the effects of drug addiction and to suggest some ways of avoiding drug taking.

Drugs and Health.

Despite what a person may think about drugs, the body identifies drugs as toxins or poisons as soon as they are taken.

This causes the liver and kidneys to instantly begin breaking the drug down to allow it to be excreted by normal bodily functions. The drug or poisons are broken down into what are called “metabolites”, which are more easily eliminated from the body.

The word Drug is defined as “any substance other than food that can affect the way your mind and body work.” There are hundreds of different drugs, each with its particular affect on the body’s nervous system. Narcotics are a series of drugs that affect the mind, causing mental changes.

Drugs destroy the public health and the first their victims are young people. A boy took a high dose if drugs because of an unhappy and of his love. He had hallucinations and paranoia and was violent. He lost consciousness and was taken to hospital, where he was restrained for several hours. After that he was depressed and stayed off work for a month. The drugs help to escape from the reality for a moment and ruin the life forever.

Cocaine

We have read about some athletes who have taken cocaine. Some have died from it. Cocaine reduces performance on the field and can be addictive. Once you’ve become “hooked” you can’t control your need for more.

For some, cocaine seems to improve performance the first time it’s used. But this, performance drops off and the user doesn’t know it or believe it because cocaine fools the brain into thinking one is doing great. Wrong! Real performance gets worse and worse every tine you use it.

Steroids

Use of steroids for performance is a popular myth. Ben Johnson lost his 100 meter gold Olympic medal after admitting he took steroids.

Steroids have many bad effects for young people. They increase weight and strength but can cause wide mood swings and aggressive behavior, acne and pimples, bone damage, and decrease sex drive.

Marijuana

Most commonly used by teenagers who start experimenting with drugs . Called the “gateway drug” contains mind altering substance that stays in the brain one month after smoking one marijuana “joint” cigarette. Often leads to other more serious drug usage.

The mixture of marijuana, beer. As kids get older, some are temped to try marijuana and beer. Don’t go for it! It can be deadly!!! It’s the deadliest combination of drug activity for youth today!

Beer and marijuana taken together can cause a drug overdose before you know it. Each doubles the effects of the other.

Why do people use them?

People choose to use drugs (including legal ones like coffee, cigarettes, beers, etc.) for lots of reasons. Here is what some young people have said:

• "I wanted to try it out"

• "I wanted to rebel against what I was told not to do"

• "I wanted to show my parents that they couldn't stop me'¹

• "I wanted to block out things that happened in my life"

• "I fell I could show people I was laugh and I can hack it"

• "I was just there and drugs were offered to me, so I thought 'why not?'⁴

• "If I don't have it I start to get withdrawals or feel irritable"

As they pass though the bloodstream, many of the drug metabolites are drawn to the fatty tissues that surround blood vessels and become trapped there.

We used this information from the Encyclopedia of Independence (for children and their parents) p.35 - 37

Normal life situations like stress, exercise or anger can launch the metabolites into the bloodstream from the fatty tissue, where they flow to the brain and cause drug cravings.

Bio physical treatment is a non traditional program that uses a combination of first: extensive detox, using sauna, exercise, vitamins, minerals and nutrients

The second aspects is addressing the why of addiction and also giving the skills in life to the individuals in order to put the person on top of his life.

Also the bio physical treatment will bring the person to take responsibility of his addiction, not just being affected all his life by his dependence.

The bio-physical treatment the is most successful way of pulling a final end to addiction.

Safety first!

Of course the safest thing is not to use drugs! If you choose to use a drug, you can reduce the harms of that drug. Here are some general tips to keep safe.

■ It is your choice, not someone else's! Don't feel pressured into using any drug (including alcohol, cigarettes or illegal drugs).

■ Find out about it first. Do some research and know what you arc taking and what the effects are likely to be - see our topics in the Drugs section.

■ Injecting drugs is always a health risk - never share injecting equipment with anyone.

■ Never try to drive or operate machinery after taking a drug.

We used this information from the Encyclopedia of Independence (for children and their parents) p. 40 – 47, p.69.

Drug addiction is degrading and deadly but Cigarette smoking can be regarded as the most important, preventable cause of premature death in the United Stales. It accounts for nearly 440,000 of the more than 2 4 million annual deaths. Cigarette smokers have a higher risk of developing several chronic disorders. These include fatty buildups in arteries, several types of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (lung problems). Atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty substances in the arteries) is a chief contributor to the high number of deaths from smoking. Many studies detail the evidence that cigarette smoking is a major cause of coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack.

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease by itself. When it acts with other factors, it greatly increases risk. Smoking increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and increases me tendency for blood to clot. Smoking also increases the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease after bypass surgery.

Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for young men and women. It produces a greater relative risk in persons under age 50 than in those over 50.

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease by itself. When il acts with other factors, it greatly increases risk. Smoking increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and increases the tendency for blood to clot. Smoking also increases the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease after bypass surgery.

Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for young men and women. It produces a greater relative risk in persons under age 50 than in those over 50.

Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives greatly increase their risk of coronary heart disease and stroke compared with nonsmoking women who use oral contraceptives.

Smoking decreases 111)1 (good) cholesterol. Cigarette smoking combined with a family history of heart disease also seems to greatly increase the risk.

What about cigarette smoking and stroke and peripheral arterial disease?

Women risk of stroke many times. Smoking also creates a higher risk for peripheral arterial disease and aortic aneurysm.

What about cigar and pipe smoking'.'

People who smoke cigars or pipes seem to have a higher risk of death from coronary heart disease (and possibly stroke), but their risk isn't as great as that of cigarette smokers This is probably because they're less likely to inhale the smoke. Currently there's very little scientific information on cigar and pipe smoking and cardiovascular disease, especially among young men. who represent the vast majority of cigar users.

What about passive or secondhand smoke?

The link between second hand smoke (also called environmental tobacco smoke) and disease is well known, and the connection to cardiovascular-related disability and death is also clear. About 37,000 to 40,000 people die from heart and blood vessel disease caused by other people's smoke each year. Of these, about 35,000 nonsmokers die from coronary heart disease, which includes heart attack

Once You Start, It's Hard to Stop

Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive. Like heroin or other addictive drugs, the body and mind quickly become so used to the nicotine in cigarettes that a person needs to have it just to feel normal

People start smoking for a variety of different reasons. Some think it looks cool ()thers start because their family members or friends smoke. Statistics show that about 9 out of 10 tobacco users start before they're 18 years old. Most adults who started smoking in their

Teens never expected lo become addicted. That's why people say it's just so much easier to not stan smoking at all.

How Smoking Affects Your Health

There are no physical reasons to start smoking. The body doesn't need tobacco the way il needs food, water, sleep, and exercise. In fact, many of the chemicals in cigarettes, like nicotine and cyanide, arc actually poisons that can kill in high enough doses

The body is smart. It goes on the defense when it's being poisoned. For this reason, many people find it takes several tries to get started smoking: First-time smokers often feel pain or burning in the throat and lungs, and some people feel sick or even throw up the first few times they try tobacco.

The consequences of this poisoning happen gradually. Over the long term, smoking leads people to develop health problems like cancer, emphysema (breakdown of lung tissue), organ damage, and heart disease. These diseases limit a person's ability lo be normally active — and can be fatal. Much time a smoker lights up, that single cigarette takes about 5 to 20 minutes off the person's life.

The consequences Of smoking may seem very far off, but long-lenn health problems aren't the only hazard of smoking Nicotine and the other toxins in cigarettes, cigars, and pipes can affect a person's body quickly, which means thai teen smokers experience main of these problems:

• Bad skin Because smoking restricts blood vessels, it can prevent oxygen and nutrients trom getting to the skin — which is why smokers often appear pale and unhealthy An Italian study also linked smoking to an increased risk of getting a type of skin rash called psoriasis.

• Bad breath Cigarettes leave smokers with a condition called halitosis, or persistent bad breath

• Bad-smelling clothes and hair. The smell of stale smoke tends to linger not just on people's clothing, but on their hair, furniture, and cars And it's often hard to gel the smell of smoke out.

• Reduced athletic performance. People who smoke usually can't compete with nonsmoking peers because the physical effects ol smoking (like rapid heartbeat. decreased circulation, and shortness of breath! impair sports performance

• Greater risk Of injur, and slower healing time. Smoking affects the body's abilit) to produce collagen, so common sports injuries, such as damage to tendons and ligaments, will heal more slowly in smokers than nonsmokcrs.

• Increased risk of illness. Studies show that smokers get more colds, flu. bronchitis. and pneumonia than nonsmokers And people with certain health conditions, like asthma, become more sick if they smoke (and often if they're just around people who smoke) Because teens who smoke as a way to manage weight often light up instead of eating, their bodies lack the nutrients they need to grow, develop, and fight off illness properly

Why should you give up smoking?

Apart from the health risks, smoking is not seen as 'cool' any more. It’s banned in so many places these days, that it can be hard to hang out with your friends

■ Smoking is very likely to kill you!!!

■ Smoking makes your hair and clothes smell and your breath smell.

■ Smokers get SO used to the smell of stale tobacco smoke on their hair, clothes and breath, that they don't notice it anymore. But others do!

■ Smoking affects your sense of taste and smell, making both of them less sensitive

■ Smoking makes you about 10 times more likely to die early from a major stroke or heart attack.

■ Smokers suffer more frequently from severe bronchitis and emphysema (a disease where the chemicals in tobacco smoke severely damage the lining of the lungs, and make it difficult to breathe)

■ Smoking increases the risk of developing diabetes

Smoking as well as alcohol can do a lot of harm to your body.

Alcohol was discovered thousands of years ago when humans tasted liquids, The Ancient Greeks and the Romans were wine connoisseurs and by the Middle Ages alcoholic brews were drunk as a safe alternative to water.

Today, drinking is an increasingly popular social phenomenon and recent research has suggested a health benefit of moderate alcohol consumption. Hut the dangers of drinking are also being more widely understood.

Why do young people drink alcohol?

• Experimental

• They might be curious, want to be one of the group, or maybe get pressured into doing it Some young people have told us they drink because "it makes me feel older" and "it gives me an image among peers" and simply "to try it out".

• Social

• Some people drink when they go to parties and nightclubs, as part of socializing and relaxing with friends.

Situational use

The young people might want to get something out of drinking, like being able to sleep or to forget things.

• Dependent

• Some people need to drink every day just to gel through the day, because they are addicted to alcohol.

How much is enough?

Many of us enjoy a wine with dinner or a beer at a social event but how much alcohol is too much for a woman'.'

Low risk drinking for women is an average of no more than two standard drinks per day, with a least one or two alcohol free days per week according to the Australian Alcohol Guidelines. Alcohol consumption above these levels places you at risk of a range of health problems. I nese adverse conditions include