Lesson video

Welcome to RSHE lesson on drugs and alcohol.

My name is Mr. Duffy and today we're going to look at the consequences of addiction.

This lesson does cover issues about addiction.

If this is a sensitive topic to you, we recommend checking with a trusted adult before starting or doing the lesson with a trusted adult nearby.

So hopefully you've done really well on that intro quiz.

We're going to look at risk taking, isolation, chaotic lifestyle or finances, and you'll do your exit quiz at the end.

So let's take a look at some key words then.

So addiction is defined as not having control over doing, taking, or using something to the point where it could be harmful to you.

Dependence can be a bodily response to a substance.

This often occurs if you rely on medications to control a chronic medical condition.

So for this lesson you're going to need an exercise book or paper because you are going to need to write some things down and in which case you're going to need a pen or a pencil.

So what causes addiction? There are lots of reasons why addictions begin.

In the case of drugs, alcohol, and nicotine these substances affect the way someone feels both physically and mentally.

These feelings can be enjoyable and create a powerful urge to use this substance again.

So all people who are dependent on a chemical drug are addicted.

Is this true or false? It's false.

It's really important to differentiate between a dependent and an addiction.

So there'll be some people who have chronic pain and are dependent on those drugs reducing that pain.

So it may be that they have chronic back pain in which case they need something like a co codamol which is an opioid, but it's legal and it's prescribed by a doctor and they are dependent on that drug to manage their pain.

However, some people will become dependent on that drug, dependent on that chemical and this can lead to an addiction.

So it's important that just because someone's dependent on it, doesn't necessarily mean that they're actually addicted to it.

They are very different.

So the physical dangers then can include a tolerance to the drug.

This means that they need more drugs to get the same effect.

So the body has adapted to the drug that they are taking and they need more of it to get the same effect.

We have withdrawal symptoms as someone tries to cut back or quit, health problems like irregular heart rate, high blood pressure, lung damage and seizures, injury both accidental and self-inflicted, overdose and in the worst case scenario, death.

So apart from those physical dangers of addiction, what are the other dangers? Pause the video and I'll see you a second.

So we can have risk taking behaviour, and this is usually based on depressants.

So depressants slows or depress the function of the central nervous system.

They slow messages going to and from the brain.

In small quantities, depressants can cause a person to feel relaxed and inhibited.

This can lead to a person increasing their risk of accidents resulting in injury, causing death in some serious cases, misjudging risky situations, losing self control like having unprotected sex or getting involved in violence.

So risk taking with stimulants, speed up the central nervous system.

So they speed up messages to and from the brain making someone feel more alert and confident.

This can also lead to risk taking in the same way that depressing can because it can lead to people thinking that they can do things that maybe they can't in reality because they feel overconfident.

Also things like, going back to depressants, misjudging in risky situation.

They may be in a situation they've misjudged the risk and get themselves involved in something that could cause injury or could cause harm, but it can also lead to anxiety, panic, and paranoia.

So what are the other dangers that could happen to an addict? If we think about misjudging these risky situations.

For people who aren't an addict, those things are still likely or still can happen.

Misjudging a risky situation when drunk, for example.

But for an addict they going to be misjudging those situations more often because they are more likely to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs more often.

So those situations are going to present themselves more than they would do, to someone who binge drinks at the weekend.

But what are the other dangers that might happen to an addict? Pause the video, write your ideas down.

I'll see you in a second.

Isolation can be a big problem for an addict.

People with an addiction tend to push the people who are closest to them away.

And this removes or drastically reduces an individual's support network when they need it the most.

Because they crave the drug, because they crave that feeling, they going to do anything to get it.

And if that means pushing a family member or friend away because maybe they're trying to help them, that's what they will do.

Being an addict can also have an adverse effect on their relationships due to the dependent need for that drug or alcohol.

So they may be married.

They may be in a relationship.

But because they need the drug so much, they'll do anything to get it.

And they are, and relationships can break down as a result and actually they then become quite isolated.

They can have what we know, what we call as a chaotic lifestyle and this can affect their finances in the way in which they lead their life.

Relationships break down as an addict may steal from family and friends in order to fund their addiction.

So they may steal money from the people closest to them.

Not only can this cost regular purchasing substances or purchasing behavioural impulses mount up, but addiction can also drive a person further and further, from their place of employment and financial responsibilities.

So because it's now costing them a lot of money, they're stealing to fund the habit.

It's affecting them at work, it's affecting their financial responsibilities.

So they're going further and further potentially into debt.

If they haven't already got that money available, readily available and if they're not working it's affecting their work that may then lose their employment and end up in a position where they are in debts potentially in debts, potentially lose some of their belongings because they sell it to fund their habit and they end up in this chaotic lifestyle where the cycle of use and purchasing is never ending.

And that's really one of the biggest dangers for an addict.

So let's go back to Chelsea.

We've seen her in some of our other lessons.

Chelsea has an older brother who she thinks might be using drugs.

She had a 20 pound note in her purse, which has now gone.

She thinks her brother may have taken it.

What would Chelsea's concerns be? Pause the video, write your ideas down.

I'll see you in a second.

Brilliant, welcome back.

So my concerns if I was Chelsea would be, how deep is he now in drugs? He's no longer maybe able to afford them through having a job.

Has he lost his job? As a result he's now having to steal money to fund the habit which would suggest, is he using more and more of the drug because he's built up a tolerance? He's now having to buy more because he's needing more to get the same effect.

And my concerns for Chelsea would be, he's now having to steal to fund his habit.

How.

is he that deep? Is he now in a position where he's no longer really able to afford the addiction? So that will be my concern if I was Chelsea first for her brother.

There's lots of help and advice on this subject.

If you do require further information, please visit Talk to Frank or the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the NHS.

Go and check that websites out, they've got wealth of information that and certainly the Talk to Frank is aimed at young people.

So it's in your language, which is really useful.

So please go and visit these websites, get some more information if you require it.

Really would like to see your work on Twitter.

So if you'd like to please ask your parent or carer to share your work on Twitter tagging @OakNational and #LearnwithOak.

I've been Mr. Duffy.

I really hope you've enjoyed the lesson today.

Really hope you've learned something today too.

I've been Mr. Duffy and I'll see you soon.

Goodbye.