Lesson video

Hello, my name is Miss Willow, and I'm going to be guiding you through today's learning.

Today's lesson is called Understanding Addiction, and it fits into our unit about risky substances and understanding why do people get addicted.

In this lesson, we're going to be talking about addiction and we're going to be talking about drugs and peer pressure.

For some people, this might make them feel upset or uncomfortable, so for this lesson, we recommend that you have an adult with you.

If at any point during this lesson you do become upset or uncomfortable, it's really important that you close the screen and that you go and speak to a trusted adult.

Okay, let's make a start on today's learning.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to describe what drug addiction is and how it affects people.

Before we get started, we need to go over some ground rules.

These ground rules keep everyone safe and make sure that everyone feels comfortable.

For example, Laura says that it's important to listen to other people.

That means we're not going to interrupt other people if they're speaking.

Next, Jacob says that it's important to not have any judgement.

That means we're not going to judge other people for what they say, how they feel, or what they've experienced.

Andeep says that we need to respect each other's privacy.

And that means we are not going to ask each other personal questions as that could make some people feel uncomfortable.

And finally, Izzy says that we can choose our level of participation.

That means it's up to us how much we want to join in.

Next, we're gonna go through some of the key words that are going to come up lots of times in today's lesson.

It's really important that we have a really good understanding of what each of these words mean.

First of all, we have drug.

A drug is a substance that affects the way our body or minds work.

A substance is a solid, liquid, or gas that affects the way our body or mind works.

For example, caffeine, which is in things like tea and coffee, illegal drugs, and alcohol.

Addictive.

If something's addictive, it makes you want to keep using it, even if it's not very good for you.

An addiction, when someone can't stop doing something, even if it's not good for them.

And finally, dependency.

Dependency means relying on a drug to feel normal, socialise, or relax.

Okay, today's lesson is split into three learning cycles.

First of all, we're gonna look at what is a drug addiction.

By the end of the second cycle, you'll be able to answer the question, why do people get addicted? And finally, we are going to look at what do people need if they are addicted? Let's make a start on the first learning cycle.

What is drug addiction? On the screen, you can see three photographs.

We've got a photo of some alcohol, of smoking, and illegal drugs.

Sophia asks, what do these substances have in common? Maybe you wants to tell the person next to you, tell me, or have a think to yourself.

What do these substances in the photos have in common? Well done if you said they are all addictive substances.

And remember, that was one of today's key words.

Alcohol in drinks is addictive.

Nicotine, which is in cigarettes and some vapes, is addictive.

And the same for illegal drugs and some medicines, they're also addictive.

Addiction can happen when somebody regularly takes an addictive substance.

Someone with a drug addiction, they can feel that they can't stop taking a certain drug and they experience some strong urges to take the drug that are really difficult to ignore.

Lucas tells us that this means someone can find it really difficult to stop taking an addictive substance once they've started taking it and they've taken it quite regularly.

Which of these statements about drug addiction are true? Is it A, addiction means wanting to try a drug, B, addiction means trying a drug once, or C, addiction means not being able to stop taking a drug? Take a couple of minutes and have a think.

Maybe you want to tell the person next to you, tell me, or just have a think to yourself.

Which of these statements about drug addiction are true? Well done if you said C, addiction means not being able to stop taking a drug, that statement is true.

Sam tells us that an addiction is an illness and people with addictions are unwell.

Alex says It is possible to be addicted to a wide range of addictive substances.

And Andeep says that anyone can become addicted to an addictive substance.

Somebody who experiences addiction can withdraw from their friends, family, and activities they normally enjoy.

This means that they might stop seeing their friends and family and they might stop doing hobbies that they used to have.

They might spend lots of money on their addiction, so they might spend a lot of money on that addictive substance that they're regularly taking.

They can feel unwell if they stop taking the drug, so they might start to feel sick in some ways.

And they can struggle to admit that they need help.

Aisha says that someone with an addiction might struggle to ask for help because people with addiction are, unfortunately, not always treated with the compassion and respect that they deserve.

Okay, let's do another check for understanding.

Which is a sign that someone might have an addiction? Is it A, they withdraw from friends and family, B, they do not want to take a drug repeatedly, or C, they feel unwell when they take a drug? Take a couple of minutes and have a think.

Which of these is a sign that someone might have an addiction? Well done if you said A, they withdraw from friends and family.

This might mean that they stop spending time with them and they maybe don't want to see them as often.

This can be a sign that they have an addiction.

There are some words at the bottom of the screen that I'd like you to use to fill in the blanks.

Fill in the blanks to explain what you have learned about addiction in this learning cycle.

You might want to pause the video and get a worksheet if you need one and make a start.

Off you go.

Okay.

Your completed explanation should look like this.

Addiction can happen when somebody regularly takes an addictive substance.

Someone with an addiction feels that they can't stop taking the drug.

Somebody who experiences addiction may feel unwell if they stop taking the drug.

And sometimes people with addiction struggle to ask for help.

Well done if you got this right.

Okay, let's move on to our second learning cycle.

Why do people get addicted? Addictive substances affect your brain and body in a way that some people enjoy.

When someone takes an addictive substance such as alcohol, people can feel relaxed, they can feel full of energy, they might feel less stressed if something's bothering them.

And they can feel happy and peaceful.

Remember that this doesn't happen to everyone, but some people will feel this way.

Jacob tells us that these feelings, which can be more positive, can mean people take an addictive substance more frequently, again, even if they know that it might not be very good for their health.

Addictive substances can cause people to develop a dependency, and this means that they feel the need to take the substance in order to feel normal, socialise, or relax.

They might feel they need the substance so that they can feel normal, comfortable socialising, or relaxed.

And this dependency can to addiction.

If they feel dependent on a substance, they can start to take it more regularly, and this could be what causes an addiction.

Okay, let's do another check for understanding.

Which of these is a sign of alcohol dependency? Remember, alcohol is an addictive substance.

A, having an alcoholic drink at a party.

B, having an alcoholic drink to feel comfortable socialising.

Or C, having an alcoholic drink because someone told you to.

Which of these are a sign of alcohol dependency? You might want to pause the video, have a think to yourself or tell the person next to you.

Off you go.

Well done if you said, B, having an alcoholic drink to feel comfortable socialising would be an example of someone having an alcohol dependency.

This is because they feel dependent on having an alcoholic drink to feel comfortable in a social situation.

Perhaps they're spending time with family or friends, and this could lead to an addiction overall.

Someone quitting an addictive substance can experience something called withdrawal symptoms, and this can make them feel unwell.

These symptoms may include feeling sick, vomiting, shaking, mood swings, aches and pains, and sweating and chills.

Withdrawal symptoms can be really challenging for people who are experiencing addiction.

They can make it difficult for someone to stop taking an addictive substance.

As Izzy says, withdrawal symptoms can be experienced if somebody has an addiction to drugs, smoking, or alcohol.

Dependency and addiction can be imagined a little bit like a cycle.

So first of all, someone takes an addictive substance.

Maybe this is alcohol or illegal drugs, but they take a substance that is addictive.

This might change how they feel and some people might enjoy how this feels.

Eventually, the addictive substance will wear off.

This means that it doesn't have the same effect on them anymore, and they kind of go back to normal.

But then a strong urge to take the addictive substance again or withdrawal symptom starts.

This means that the person could decide to take the substance again and again.

We are in this cycle.

It changes how a person feels.

The addictive substance wears off, and they might take the substance again.

And this can lead to an addiction.

Let's do another check for understanding.

Is it true or false? Withdrawal symptoms make it less likely for someone to keep taking an addictive substance.

Is this true or is it false? Pause the video and have a think.

You might want to tell the person next to you, tell me, or just have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said false, but now I want you to think about why.

Why is this statement false? Well done if you said that withdrawal symptoms make it more likely for someone to keep taking an addictive substance so that the withdrawal symptoms go away.

Sometimes people will experience addiction because they're struggling with their emotions, so they might be feeling sad, anxious, or lonely.

Regularly taking an addictive drug is an example of an unhealthy way of managing your feelings, and Sam asks what are some healthy ways of managing our feelings? Maybe you want to think to yourself when you are feeling low or sad or anxious, what are some healthy things that you do in order to manage that? Lucas says that we can always talk to a trusted adult about our feelings and do things that we enjoy.

Maybe you want to have another think about who your trusted adult is.

Who would you go to if you are feeling low, sad, or anxious? Now we're going to put your learning from this learning cycle into practise.

Describe two reasons why someone can get addicted to a drug or any other addictive substance.

In your answer, I'd really like you to include the following words, addictive.

dependency, withdrawal symptoms, and feel.

See if you can describe two reasons why someone can get addicted to a drug or a different addictive substance.

Pause the video while you do this.

I'm really excited to see your answer.

Off you go.

Okay, let's have a look at what I've got, and you can see if you've got two of the same answers or you might have come up with something similar.

So you might have had any two of these.

They might develop a dependency on an addictive drug, which then becomes an addiction.

They might enjoy the way they feel when they take a drug causing them to want to take more of the drug.

And they might find having withdrawal symptoms difficult to manage, and so they don't want to stop taking a drug.

Or they might be struggling with how they feel, and so they take an addictive drug to manage their emotions.

Remember, this would be an unhealthy way of managing emotions.

Okay, let's move on to our final learning cycle.

You've worked really hard so far, so well done.

Let's keep it up.

Like anyone with an illness, people experiencing addiction need some support, and Lucas says that it could be hard for someone with an addiction to recognise that they're unwell.

And Alex says, it is really important to support someone with an addiction.

Someone who experiences addiction can need support from a doctor or other medical professional.

They might need someone to talk to, someone that they trust to talk about how they feel.

They might need medication to help them, and they might need treatment in hospital.

This is because it can be quite dangerous for someone who has an addiction to stop taking an addictive substance without support, they can experience severe withdrawal symptoms, which can make them feel really poorly and can be quite dangerous.

It also means that they could be more likely to take the addictive substance if they're experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. It can be really hard when someone we love has an addiction.

Aisha says that anyone who loves someone with an addiction may also need support for themselves.

And Izzy says that it's important to remember.

If you are worried about someone with an addiction or their loved one, it's really important that you tell a trusted adult.

It's important to remember that addiction is an illness and like lots of different illnesses, people can get better.

Okay, let's do another check for understanding.

If someone has a drug addiction, which two things are some things that they should do in order to try and get better? Should they A, go to a doctor, B, talk to a trusted adult, or C, stop taking the drug without support? This would mean doing it on their own without talking to someone.

What do you think? Which two things should they do? Well done if you said A and B.

If someone has a drug addiction, they should go to a doctor and they should talk to a trusted adult.

There are some negative stereotypes around people who have addictions such as that they're bad people for having an addiction, but people with addiction should be treated with care and compassion like anyone else who's ill.

Jun says that by being kind and non-judgmental, we can make sure that people with addictions feel really comfortable asking for support, and this can mean that it's easier for them to get better.

With support, people with addictions can break the cycle that we talked about earlier.

So someone could decide that they want to stop taking a drug, they seek support perhaps from a doctor or other medical professional.

They're able to stop taking the drug safely, and this means that over time they recover from their addiction.

Okay, let's do another true or false.

Is it true or false that people with addictions are bad people? Pause the video and have a think.

Is this true or false? Well done if you said false, but why? Why is this false? People with addictions are unwell and they need support in order to help them break the cycle of addiction.

Let's move on to our final practise task.

There are some incorrect statements said by some of our Oak Academy friends.

I'd like you to correct the incorrect statements in a different speech bubble.

So Jun says, it's safe to stop taking drugs without support so people with addictions do not need support from a doctor.

Sophia says that to stop people from experiencing addiction, we should not support people who are addicted.

And Laura says that the only people affected by addiction are people experiencing addiction themselves.

Can you correct these incorrect statements? Off you go.

Okay.

Let's see what you might have written.

For Jun's statement you should have said, it is not safe to stop taking drugs without support so people with addictions should seek support from a doctor.

For Sophia's statement you might have said, to stop people from experiencing addiction, we should support people who are addicted so that they feel comfortable seeking help.

And finally, Laura's statement should say something like this, it is difficult when someone we love has an addiction.

We should seek support if someone we love is experiencing addiction.

We're now going to summarise the key learning points from today's learning.

Addiction means not being able to stop taking an addictive substance whilst dependency means relying on an addictive substance to feel normal, socialise, or relax.

Some of the reasons people can experience addiction are because they're struggling with their own emotions.

They like how the substance affects them, or they struggle with managing the withdrawal symptoms that come from stop taking a drug.

People with addictions are unwell, and so they need support to help them get better, but it is really hard when someone we love has an addiction.

It is important to seek out support for ourselves too.

Some of what we've discussed in today's lesson might feel a little bit tricky.

You might feel like you want some additional support to talk about what we've discussed in today's lesson.

It's really important that if you want to discuss anything, you always go to a trusted adult, but there are some other really helpful organisations on the screen that are also there to help you if you need additional support.

Well done for your really hard work on today's lesson.

I'm really proud of the work that we've done together, and I hope to see you again soon.