Transcript Young people and drug use

Prison staff and harm reduction
Additional module:
Young people and drug use
Training Criminal Justice Professionals
in Harm Reduction Services for Vulnerable Groups
funded by the
European Commission
Directorate General for Health and Consumers
Young people and drug use
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Activity
Creating a profile of a young person
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Lecture
Young people and drug use
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Young people‘s vulnerability
to drug use I.
 Young people are especially vulnerable to
substance use
 Drug dependence is a chronic relapsing disease
 The younger a person is when starting substance
use, the more likely are negative health outcomes
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Young people‘s vulnerability
to drug use II.
 Young people are in a phase of identity seeking
 They identify with certain role models
 They are highly prone to peer pressure and often
disregard parental guidance
 Involvement with psychoactive substances during
the period of adolescence is associated with
other risk behaviours such as unprotected sexual
contacts
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Young people‘s vulnerability
to drug use III.
 Experimentation
 Independence and rebelliousness
 Acceptance
 Boredom
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Effects of a drug
 The effects of a drug depend on
 The individual(s)
 The substance(s)
 The environment (context)
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Patterns of drug use among
young people I.
 Experimental use
 Functional use
 Dysfunctional use
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Patterns of drug use among
young people II.
 Harmful use
 Dependent use
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Indicators for drug use I.
 Personality changes
 Extreme mood swings
 Possible change in physical appearance or
wellbeing
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Indicators for drug use II.
 Change in school/ job performance
 Changes in general “lifestyle”
 Seeking money, or increase in money supply if
dealing
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Activity
Protective and risk factors for drug use in
young people
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