Substance Abuse
Many youth and teens admit to using -- and misusing -- alcohol, drugs, energy drinks and other substances. It is important to realize the risks associated with substance misuse by knowing what's at stake.
Types of Substances
Alcohol is called a depressant drug because it slows
down your brain’s ability to think and to make decisions and
judgements. Whether the alcohol comes in beer, wine, or liquor doesn’t
matter. It’s the amount of alcohol in your drink, not the type of
drink, that affects you.
Barbiturates are powerful depressant drugs - which
means they slow down your central nervous system. That’s why the slang
word for them is “downers.”
Caffeine. As with the discovery of many other drugs, the
biological effects of caffeine were first noted as a result of the
observance of animal behaviour.
Cannabis, Marijuana, hashish and hashish oil are all products
of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, a hardy annual that grows in both
tropical and temperate climates.
Energy Drinks are relatively new products with unique safety concerns.
Energy drinks usually have high amounts of caffeine, sugar and other
herbal and vitamin ingredients, but little nutritional value.
Hallucinogens are drugs that bend your mind so that you see and hear things that don’t really exist – you have hallucinations.
Steroids include a wide variety of chemicals found
in both plants and animals - for example, cholesterol, toad poisons, sex
hormones, and plant toxins.
Solvents and Aerosols are drugs that were never meant to be drugs.
Resources
Fourcast Addiction Services (Serving Northumberland, Haliburton, Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes) - 1-800-461-1909
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
Drug and Alcohol Helpline - 1-800-565-8603
Energy Drinks - Videos and Resources - Middlesex-London Health Unit
False Security Report: Student Attitudes to Substance Use in City of Kawartha Lakes - Prepared by John Howard Society of Kawartha Lakes & Haliburton and HKPR District Health Unit
Dear Kawartha Lakes Youth - video - John Howard Society of Kawartha Lakes
Tips for Talking to Youth About Substance Use - CAMH
Drugs Not 4 Me Campaign