Parents | Drug & Alcohol Information

Depressants - slow down the central nervous system, including the sending of messages to and from the brain. In small doses can cause you to be more relaxed and less inhibited. Include: alcohol, marijuana, tranquillisers, sleeping pills, barbiturates (sedative hypnotics), heroin, morphine, opium, most inhalants.

Stimulants - speed up the messages to and from the brain increasing alertness and reducing feelings of tiredness and hunger. Include: amphetamines (speed), cocaine, and coffee (mild).

Hallucinogens - affect perception. May see or hear things that aren't there, or may distort the image of what is there. Include: LSD, magic mushrooms, mescaline and marijuana.

Cannabinoids - The THC in cannabis can be considered as an ‘all rounder' and depends on the individual. (It is a depressant first, and now-a-days the drug is often concentrated enough to act as a hallucinogen and even as a stimulant for some).

Effect of drugs vary - depends on how much and how it is taken, age, size, gender, mood ...

What is drug dependence?

Frequent users of a drug can become dependent on that drug.

There are degrees of dependence, from mild dependency to compulsive drug use, often referred to as addiction. It is impossible to say how often a person must take a drug before they start to become dependent. There can be a genetic predisposition to it.

Dependence can be psychological or physical or both.

People who are psychologically dependent find that using it becomes far more important than other activities in their life. They crave the drug and find it very difficult to stop using it. They need it to feel normal.

Physical dependence is when a person's body adapts to a drug and gets used to functioning with the drug present.

If a physically dependent person suddenly stops taking the drug, they will have withdrawal symptoms, because their body has to readjust to functioning without the drug. Withdrawal symptoms are different for different types of drugs. They may include both physical and emotional symptoms - depression, irritability, nausea, sweating and sleeping problems.

People who are physically dependent on a drug usually develop a tolerance to the drug. This means that they need to take more and more of the drug to get the same effect.

Drugs and Mankind

Why have drugs been part of the human experience since the beginning of human existence?

Drugs allow people to short-cut pleasurable rewarding experience. No work is required to have the emotional high. The different types of euphoria produced by different categories of drugs provide people with a variety of options. Vulnerability to addiction to a particular drug has been shown to correlate with the degree of pleasure that a user derives from it, as well as the lack of perceived negative affects from taking that drug.

But people, who take mind altering chemicals, need to realise that for every high there is a low, and for every trip a return journey. And for those individuals with a special vulnerability, or a predisposition to addiction or schizophrenia, the consequences can be huge.

Our Strongest Defence Against The Drug Problem

Is strong families and communities.

Much of this page is from an Australian Government booklet "our strongest defence against the drug problem..." written by E. Abetz

The best drug prevention programme in the world is a responsible parent sitting down with their children and talking about drugs. It's not the structure of the family that's important; it's the quality of the relationship. It is also important to help adolescents to continue to feel connected to their family, their school and their community.

What families can do about illegal drugs.

• The most effective deterrent to drug use amongst young people is a parent who loves their teenager enough to spend time with him/her.
• Youth need someone who talks with them about their friends, what goes on at school, the sport they play (watch some of their games each season), what interests them... 
• For boys it is important that fathers take this role. They don't have to do anything special, just being dad is enough. But do work to keep the relationship alive. 
• The more parents and other family members get involved in children's lives, the more positive young people will feel about themselves and the more likely they will be to respond favourably to their family's views. (During adolescence this gets harder as the teenager has to start pulling away from his/her parents and practice being independent in preparation for adulthood. So while the frequency and length of each ‘get together' may reduce..., the need remains.) 
• Monitoring a child's activities doesn't mean that you don't trust them; it means that you care enough to be involved. 
• Remember that the contact with illegal drugs involves the risk of a possible criminal record and loss of freedom to travel to some countries. 
• It is worth spending some time to check a few facts so that you can talk confidently about drugs. This will help ensure you do not exaggerate or make false claims that may make young people less likely to take your advice. 
• You do not need to be an expert about drugs to help a young person choose not to use.

Will your children listen to you?

• When a child is considering whether or not to take drugs, an important issue for them is "What will my parents think?"
• It is therefore very important to make your position absolutely clear that you don't want them to use illegal drugs. Not even as an experiment. 
• By being involved in your children's lives, their friendships, school and extra curricular sporting/cultural/music activities, they will be more likely to look to you for advice, and their self-esteem will be enhanced so they can more confidently resist any pressure to take drugs. (Do encourage your child to remain involved in extracurricular activities).
• In talking to your children about drugs, be honest, frank and don't assume that they already know where you stand. They expect you to talk about drugs, so be very plain about what you think. You owe it to them not to leave any doubt at all. 
• It is also very important to talk often about the dangers of drug use and that your rules apply at home, at school and everywhere else. 
• Young people will appreciate your guidance and look to you for your views. But they will expect you to be informed, up front and honest.

Contact us at WellTrust if you have questions about any of this on ph (04) 568 0370