Drug Education Teacher Booklet

For more information see positivechoices.org.au Drugs & Alcohol: What You Need to Know 3 INTRODUCTION This resource has been developed to inform teachers about drugs and alcohol to help prevent and reduce the harms associated with their use. The best way for young people to stay safe from drug and alcohol harms is to avoid or delay the onset of use. Young people may also be affected by an adult or a friend’s drug use so it is important they know how to respond if they or others are affected by drug and alcohol use. WHAT IS A DRUG? Drugs (including alcohol) are substances that affect the way the body functions when they are used. If a drug is illegal it means that it is forbidden by law. Different drugs have different effects on people, and different factors can impact on the experience of drug use. These include: ● the drug itself (e.g. the pharmacological properties of the substance being taken); ● the individual taking the drug (e.g. age, sex, physical and mental health of a person); ● the environment (the setting where the drug is being used). Drinking two or three beers might be relatively low risk for a healthy adult but the risk of harm increases if they drink on an empty stomach, try to drive a car after drinking, or have a pre- existing health problem. The effects of drugs, including alcohol, are influenced by many factors which make them unpredictable and potentially dangerous, especially for young people. On pages 19-34 you will find a list of common drugs and their effects. HOW MANY YOUNG PEOPLE USE DRUGS AND ALCOHOL IN AUSTRALIA? It may be shown differently by the media, but the truth is that most young people have never tried an illegal drug or had a full serve of alcohol. This is important because if young people think that most of their friends use drugs they might be more inclined to try drugs as well. HOW MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 12-17 USED DRUGS AND ALCOHOL IN THE PAST MONTH? 1 ALCOHOL (AT LEAST A FULL SERVE) 1 IN 4 27% CANNABIS 1 IN 12 8% COCAINE 1 IN 100 1% ECSTASY 1 IN 50 2% HALLUCINOGENS 1 IN 100 1% HEROIN 1 IN 100 1% METHAMPHETAMINE 1 IN 100 1% TOBACCO 1 IN 14 7% 1 Guerin, N. & White, V. (2018). ASSAD 2017 Statistics & Trends: Australian Secondary Students’ Use of Tobacco, Alcohol, Over-the- counter Drugs, and Illicit Substances. Cancer Council Victoria.