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Aims:

• to provide a non-judgemental basis for informed discussion about drugs
• to raise awareness of the complex issues surrounding drug use in society
• to represent the perspectives of a wide range of young people about the issues
• to examine the consequences of drug use and explore harm reduction strategies.

Synopsis:

The A–Z of Drugs series aims to present a realistic and balanced view of current issues around drug use in society. It uses an A–Z framework supported by striking images and multimedia techniques. Each programme provides information on the use and effects of various drugs, raising issues for individuals and society in the process. Real-life stories and the views of young people, health professionals and those working to reduce harm from drugs provide major insights into a complex area.

Programme 1: A–E

Programme 1 introduces drugs as a topic and explains the differences between over-the-counter and illegal or illicit drugs. Following the alphabetical format of the series, the programme then looks at alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, crack and ecstasy and their side effects, including blackouts and dependency. The programme also examines the role of drug dealers in supply and addiction.

Teachers and lecturers should familiarise themselves with guidelines that apply when working in drug education and be familiar with policies in their institutions relating to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

00.00 – 01.16
Introduction
Drugs: over-the-counter, prescribed and illicit.

01.17 – 06.06
A – alcohol
Girls get tipsy to boost confidence before night out. Liberty’s drinking is out of control. Attends treatment centre. Finds she’s an alcoholic. Life without alcohol possible.

06.07 – 06.34
B – blackout
Liberty describes waking up in hospital with no idea how she got there.

06.35 – 11.08
C – cannabis
People take it to feel good. Distorts time, vision and hearing. Can lead to psychological addiction, anxiety and paranoia. Different views on the drug and legislation.

11.09 – 13.24
C – cocaine
Short-acting, extremely addictive stimulant. Provides aggressive confidence initially, then needed to maintain confidence.

13.25 – 15.43
C – crack
Strong, short-acting stimulant usually smoked in pipe. Doctor explains it devastates lives more than other drugs.

15.44 – 17.49
D – dependency
Explanation of psychological and physical dependency. Difficult to recognise and admit to.

17.50 – 18.09
D – dealer
Dealers come in all guises: friends, neighbours, business people.

18.10 – 24.10
E – ecstasy
Stimulant. Makes people feel warm and loving. Reducing risks. How does anyone know if they're going to have a serious reaction to the drug first time?

Curriculum Relevance:

This programme has a major PSHE and citizenship focus with opportunities for cross-curricular work involving human biology, psychology, sociology, religious and moral education, history, English, drama and art. It has a locus in whole-school approaches to drug issues in the school and the community.

England & Wales

PSHE and Citizenship: Key Stage 4
National Healthy Schools Standard for Citizenship: Key Stage 4

Northern Ireland

Personal and Social Education Guidance for Key Stages 3 and 4
Social and Environmental Studies: Health and Drugs Education

Teachers should be aware of relevant guidelines for Key Stage 4 emerging from the Civic, Social and Political Education programme of study in the revised NI curriculum.

Scotland

Scottish Executive: Guidance on Health Education, PSD, Citizenship, Drug Education, and Drugs in Schools – middle to upper secondary stages.

Background Information:

What’s in a name?
A wide range of slang terms are used for drugs. Some of these are specific to different parts of the country. It is important that young people are clear about exactly what any drug or substance is and what the effects of taking it are. For up-to-date information on drugs, drug categories, short- and long-term effects and legal issues, visit the Links section.

UK’s increasing alcohol consumption
A recent study (2003) of 32 accident and emergency departments in the UK revealed four out of ten people seen on Saturday night and Sunday morning had been involved in alcohol-related incidents, often a violent assault or drink-driving incident. Alcohol is recognised by doctors as a growing problem among young people, especially young women. The alcohol problem in the UK, where one-third of men and one-fifth of women drink above recommended levels, is recognised as much bigger than the drug problem. There has been a:

• 25% increase in alcohol-related deaths in the last 10 years
• 32% increase in alcohol misuse among young males aged 18–24 in the last 12 years
• 70% increase in alcohol misuse by young women aged 18–24 in the last 12 years

When alcohol is cheap and readily available it’s often the first thing people turn to when they have a problem, or in the case of young people when they feel the need to boost their confidence or to escape. Gradually they can become dependent. The drinks industry spends vast sums annually on marketing alcoholic drinks, particularly to young people.

There are calls for a national alcohol strategy in the UK. The Cabinet Office is drawing up an action plan. Some pressure groups would like to raise the legal age of drinking to 21, ban certain forms of advertising and raise the price of alcohol. There is also a fear that 24-hour continental-style licensing could make matters worse.

Ecstasy – A teen perspective
In September 2002 there was considerable alarm when a research report revealed that a single night on ecstasy might cause brain damage and symptoms of Parkinson's disease. It now appears the findings were wrong as the monkeys used in the research were given a different drug by mistake. Ecstasy’s impact on the brain appears subtle, and studies often report conflicting results. Unless researchers acknowledge these in their papers they risk misleading the public, damaging the credibility of scientific research and being ignored in the future.

Governments and anti-drug campaigners can be tempted to use the results of research that supports their agenda while ignoring criticism of the work the results come from. If scientists or authority figures tell young people something which doesn’t match their own experience they will question it, and have the perfect excuse to ignore future warnings.

Activities:

Optimal use of the programmes in this series will depend on the context in individual schools and colleges, work undertaken previously, class size, ability levels and time constraints.

Before viewing
It’s always useful to find out how much young people know themselves. It can be affirming for them and help to identify misconceptions and areas of focus for future work.

Group or class activity: On large sheets of paper write the names of the drugs that appear in Programme 1: alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, crack and ecstasy.

Ask what students know about each drug and record this. You might want to use the following headings:

• What is it?
• How is it used?
• Short-term effects
• Long-term effects
• Law

Don’t spend too long on the task; just enough to have an overview and judge students’ levels of understanding. Display the outcomes. Do the same with the drugs featured in Programmes 2 and 3 and keep adding to the information displayed while working through the series.

After viewing
Get students to add any additional information from the film. Was there anything new, surprising or missing, or perhaps something they would like to question? What made the greatest impact? What do they feel they need to know more about?

Activity 1
There’s a strong emphasis on harm reduction in Programme 1. As a class, or in small groups, discuss the harm-reduction issues surrounding each of the five drugs in the film.
If time is available, compile a harm-reduction summary.

Activity 2
Liberty’s story. Ask the class to identify the origins of her problem and how she progressed to alcoholism. Are there any similarities between her story and that of the girls going for a night out? What are the differences? Are there any similarities with Alex’s story about cocaine? You may wish to show this section again.

Links:

This web page contains links to other websites that are neither controlled nor maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

www.talktofrank.com

Aimed at young people who can consult the A–Z of drugs, check out worries, find sources of help and talk to Frank.


www.wrecked.co.uk

Developed by Health Promotion England. Aims to educate young people aged 17–25. Section on alcohol.


www.rethink.org/at-ease

For young people who are under stress or worried about their thoughts and feelings. Looks at issues that affect emotions and mental health.