Контрольная: 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 £25, 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.