Care Leavers - Alcohol and Drugs

General Information

Information and advice for young people in Solihull who are about to leave or have left our care.

Smoking

Smoking tobacco can be as addictive as heroin and a 20 a day smoker will spend over £1,000 in a year.

Over 100,000 people are killed each year from smoking related diseases, such as lung cancer, throat cancer or heart disease.

How to give up

If you want to stop smoking, advice is available from Quit on 0800 002200 www.quit.org.uk, from your GP or Just for YoU clinic.

Alcohol

In moderation alcohol can be an enjoyable part of your social life, but as a depressant, it is unhealthy if used excessively.

The effects of alcohol

Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream within minutes of drinking and is carried to all parts of the body including the brain. This is what causes us to feel 'drunk'. The amount of alcohol in your body, your 'blood alcohol concentration' varies from person to person, depending on weight and size, whether you have eaten and how much you drink.

Alcohol can cause anxiety and depression, heart and liver damage. Over-reliance on alcohol can bring on a psychological dependency which is more difficult to overcome than the physical addiction.

Alcohol limits

Recommended alcohol limits are published by the government in units. You can work out the number of units in any volume of alcohol by the following:

volume of the drink x %abv / 1000
(in millilitres/ml)

Some examples of the number of units in common drinks:

• 175ml glass of standard wine (about 11%abv) = 2 units
• 440ml can of lager or cider at 4-5% = 2 units
• 330ml bottle of alcopops at 4-6% = between 1.3 and 2 units
• 25 ml pub measure of spirits (about 40%abv) = 1 unit

Sobering up

It takes the liver an hour to break down one unit of alcohol and only time can remove alcohol from your bloodstream.

Illegal Drugs

As the title implies the use and supply of these substances can get you into trouble with the police and in some cases imprisonment.

The effects of drugs

Using drugs can damage your health and affect your ability to deal with your life, run a home, go to work and see your friends. You can become dependent on any drug, not just heroin or cocaine.

Why do people use drugs?

People use drugs for a variety of reasons. Some people take drugs to escape from their problems, cope with stress, for the buzz or to relax.

Find out about the risks

If you choose to take drugs find out about the risks so that you can make an informed choice. Drugs can affect people in different ways and there is no way of knowing how your body will react to a particular substance. Some people say they have no problems or side effects when using drugs - but some young people have become seriously ill, and even died, following a single instance of drug-taking. Ecstasy and solvents can be particularly risky in this respect.

Illegal drugs are classed as either:

Stimulants:

These act on the central nervous system and increase brain activity

(ecstasy, speed, cocaine, crack, tobacco, poppers)

Depressants:

These act on the central nervous system and slow down brain activity

(heroin, solvents, alcohol)

Perception changing drugs:

( LSD/ Acid, cannabis, solvents, magic mushrooms)

LSD and magic mushrooms change the way you hear and see things - called a trip. Trips can be really disturbing and the user can have flashbacks to the trip days, months or even years after taking the drug

Analgesics:

Painkillers

(Heroin)

Anabolic Steroids:

These promote the growth of muscle mass

Drugs are divided into classes A, B & C, according to their perceived safety, and this governs penalties for possession and supply. Cannabis is currently a class B drug but will become a class C drug with a change in the law next year. This means that you are unlikely to be arrested for possession of this drug in the future.

The situation in which you take drugs can be as dangerous as the drugs themselves. Some dealers mix substances like chalk, talc and soap powder with the drugs they sell. If the place where you take drugs is isolated, you may have trouble getting help if you have a bad reaction - especially if no-one knows where you are. Injecting drugs can be particularly dangerous - it is the easiest way to overdose and could result in you contracting HIV - the virus that leads to AIDS.

Contact Details

For more information please contact 16+ team, or see the agencies listed on page two.

Telephone: 0808 16 02 211 - for young people only.
Telephone: 0121 788 4200 - for all other people.
Emergency Duty Team: 0121 605 6060

Email:16plus@solihull.gov.uk