Проблема наркомании среди британских подростков

CONTENTS

Introduction

1. What did the European survey show?

2. The most spread species of drugs.

a) Cannabis

b) Cocaine

c) Heroin

d) Amphetamines

e) Ecstasy

f) Hallucinatory drugs

g) Tranquillisers & Sedatives

3. A story about Simon Foster.

4. Report of Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence.

5. A new anti-drug campaign & it's help.

Conclusion

Bibliography list

INTRODUCTION

The title of this paper is "The drug problem among the British

teenagers". At present there exists a big problem, concerning many

teenagers. This is the problem of drug addiction.

The government of many countries takes measures to eliminate this

addiction. But even in such developed country as Great Britain these

measures aren't very effective. However the police very often arrest 12- &

13-year-old drug users.

The aim of my scientific work is to expose the harm of the drug

addiction & to explain it to the Ukrainian youth, because the drug problem

is a very big problem. If we don't stop it, the damage to humanity will be

irreparable loss. The consequence of the drug-use in many cases is the

death.

What did the European survey show?

Nowadays, there many secret groupings devoted to spreading of drugs.

There are many kinds of drugs & that's why many teenagers cannot resist the

drugs' temptation.

That's why last year, a European survey showed that the number of

teenagers who had tried drugs was 6 per cent in Greece, 15 per cent in

France and 30 per cent in Britain.

Statistics show that drug use by British teenagers has doubled since

1989. Half teenagers who were interviewed admitted they had tried at least

one type of drug. 70 per cent said they had been offered drugs in the past

3 months.

The drugs that the government is most worried about are stimulant

drugs such as Speed and Ecstasy (or 'E' as it is commonly known) and

hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD. They are worried that many young people

believe these drugs to be exciting and fashionable. They think that many of

teenagers will be influenced by films such as Transporting and Pulp

Fiction, which show attractive people taking drugs.

The most spread species of drugs.

It must be noted that the most spread species of drugs are cannabis,

cocaine, heroin & others. The following paragraph deals with the short

story about every of them

Cannabis. Commonly found in herbal form, looking like sage or dried

herbs, or as a resin, resembling chunks of liquorice or a golden powder.

Usually smoked by mixing with tobacco; gives off aromatic, slightly sickly

smell. Produces feeling of elation, relaxation. Can cause psychological

dependence and short-term memory loss; increases risk of bronchitis and

other lung problems.

Cocaine. Fine, white crystalline powder, usually taken by sniffing it

up a use or by injection. Produces state of euphoria. Prolonged "snorting"

causes ulceration and perforation of the nasal septum. Crack cocaine is a

smokable form, varying from yellow/beige "rocks" to white powder.

Powerfully psychologically addictive. Produces rush of euphoria followed by

rapid depression.

Heroin. White or speckled browns powder; can be sniffed, injected, or

heated and the resulting fumes then inhaled. Produces relaxed euphoria,

dehydration and lack of appetite. Highly addictive.

Amphetamines. Commonly a powder found in a variety of colours, but

may be in pill or capsule form. Taken orally, injected or inhaled,

amphetamines cause excitability, talkativeness, feeling of unlimited

energy. Regular use can lead to weight loss and psychological dependence.

Ecstasy. Tablet or capsule in a variety of colours and forms.

Increases awareness and energy, inhibitions disappear; causes dehydration,

increased blood pressure and heart rate; may affect co-ordination. Has been

linked with fatalities.

Hallucinatory drugs. LSD—taken by mouth, as tiny coloured tablets, or

impregnated in paper or gelatine squares. Effects include heightened

awareness of sound and colour, hallucinations; may also cause

disorientation, panic, persecution mania and conviction of invincibility.

Flashbacks can occur several months after use. Psilocybin is another

hallucinogen, found in so-called "magic mushrooms"—certain species of fungi

that grow in the wild.

Tranquillisers and Sedatives. Tablets or capsules in various colours

and forms available legally on prescription. Usually taken orally; cause

drowsiness, light-headedness, feeling of relaxation. May cause

psychological dependence.

A story about Simon Foster.

Next is concern with the story about an English teenager, 15-year-old

Simon Foster.

At school he felt a misfit, until he fell in with a group of boys

with whom he began enjoying something in common: smoking cannabis. "I

thought it was really cool, and that I'd found a niche in life."

An occasional adventure became regular routine. But after 18 months,

Simon was caught red-handed. He was expelled from school and, fined Ј25,

acquired a criminal record.

His horrified parents found it hard to talk to him about the problem;

their anxiety all too often turned attempts at discussion into shouting

matches. They took the view that Simon should face up to life's

difficulties as they had done when young.

Simon promised never to touch drugs again—but after he won a place at

a London sixth-form college, he soon made contact with local pushers. He

did so badly in his A levels that university was out of the question. He

began drifting through life, taking short-lived reporting jobs on local

newspapers and trying just about every drug, from Valium and amphetamines

to LSD and even heroin. But cocaine became the main love of his life. "I

never forgot the first 'high' it gave me. From then on it was as if I was

forever chasing that wonderful buzz of total euphoria."

As he came to rely on cocaine, his life spiralled into nightmare. "I

kept telling myself that I was just a 'recreational' user. But I spent more

and more time behind closed curtains in my flat, gripped by loneliness,

fear and paranoia. Yet I was terrified of giving up the drug that seemed to

help me cope with those feelings."

At 25, realizing at last that he could no longer ignore the problem,

he sought help from a group therapy programme. Now drug-free and trying to

make a living as a freelance writer, he concludes: "My addiction wasted my

time, money and opportunities. Understanding that was a major step towards

recovery." Thousands of other young people risk going down the same route

as Simon Foster.

Report of Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence.

A 1993 report by the Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence

estimated that by the age of 20, up to one person in three has tried drugs,

mainly cannabis. About one in ten—around half a million youngsters—are

thought to have tried amphetamines; another half-million are believed to

use Ecstasy regularly. In 1992, there were 2,754 under-17s convicted for

possessing drugs—a 264 per cent increase since 1988.

Children are trying drugs earlier and earlier. An annual countrywide

summary of the experience of children aged 11 to 15, by Exeter University,

found that in 1992 the percentage at each age that had used drugs had

almost doubled since 1990.

In December 1992, Scarborough police charged or cautioned 26 children

between 12 and 16 about use of LSD. In Dorset, police arrested children of

12 and 13 for possession of LSD and Ecstasy.

A new anti-drugs compaign.

In connection with this problem the government of Great Britain

decided that it needed a new anti-drugs compaign. However, before it did

this, it studied young people's attitudes. The survey showed that teenagers

knew that drugs were bad for them but they could not actually name any

health risk associated with particular drugs. It also showed that 61 per

cent of teenage drug-users would consider stopping using drugs if they

thought they were a serious danger to their health.

It was also understood that many teenagers ignored drugs warnings in

schools because they thought they were childish. In fact, it was proved

that in some cases, the reason for taking drugs was to rebel against

warnings from adults.

Using the results of the survey, a new campaign has been started. The

new campaign hopes to treat teenagers like adults. It informs young people

of the health risks associated with particular drugs. It does this with

photos of teenagers. On the advertisements, the parts of their bodies which

can be damaged by drugs, are indicated by biological diagrams showing the

health risks.

Many teenagers try drugs as a 'dare' to show their friends that they

are not scared. Often their friends insist until the person says 'yes'. The

health authority hope that the advertisements will help teenagers to say

'no' to this and be able to have good reasons to say it. In addition to

posters, the health authority has also made radio advertisements and put

the number of their drugs helpline (a telephone number that can be called

confidentially for help) in a lot of places. The people at the helpline

advise people what to do if they have a drug problem or need more

information about the dangers of drugs.

CONCLUSION.

In this work the problem of drugs has been disclosed. We see that

drug addiction brings incorrigible harm to humanity. Still there is more &

more people fall for its temptation. We know that medicine-drugs are given

to seriously ill people to alleviate their suffering. But these medicines

have one insidious property: organism gets accustomed to them quickly &

wants new doses.

Drug addiction is our enemy. And if we don't struggle against it,

it'll bring many losses. In addiction I want to say that drug addiction is

as a white storm cloud, which isn't seen on the horizon, but unfortunately,

many young people have already been caught in its big, terrible rain.

Take care of this white storm cloud!

BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST.

1. New Anti-drugs Compaign for Young People// Team.

1.a New Anti-drugs Compaign for Young People// English learner's "Digest"

– 1998. – №10. – p.7.

2. Kids and Drugs// David Moller.

2.a Kids and Drugs// Readers "Digest" – 1994. – №2 – p. 118-123.