Drugs
In this write up about children and drugs, we have directed you to many websites that can help you. Before you read this webpage and the other websites we have suggested we would like to explain the meaning of some words and terms that you will come across.
1. HIGH – This word describes a feeling an individual may get when they take a drug. An individual may feel extremely happy when they are high, or spaced out, they may think they can fly, they have magical powers or they believe they possess powers.
2. ADDICTION – This word describes the action when an individual becomes dependent upon a drug where their body craves it all the time. The individual will fall sick if they don’t get the drug they are addicted to.
3. NARCOTIC – A narcotic is a substance such as heroin that has the following effects on the human body:
- Relieves pain
- Numbs the body’s senses
- Can make an individual fall asleep
- Can help an individual go into a coma
- Can leave an individual less aware and alert
4. INHALANT – An inhalant is a substance that is breathed through the mouth or nose and immediately leaves the individual feeling high and intoxicated. They have mind altering properties. Common inhalants are substances such as glue, spray paints and cleaning fluids.
5. STIMULANT – A stimulant is a substance such as cocaine that increases the function of the brain and the body making an individual feel high, alive and full of energy. This feeling is temporary and when the stimulant wears off the individual can feel very low, lethargic and ill.
6. HALLUCINOGEN – This word is used to describe a substance such as LSD that when ingested by an individual it can make them think weird thoughts, see and hear things that are not there.
7. DEPRESSANT – This word is used to describe a substance which makes an individual less anxious, less angry, and de-stressed. Depressants can relax muscles and induce sleep.
CHILDREN AND DRUGS
There are children that are exposed to drugs because their parents openly take drugs, however, for the majority of children they first come across drugs at school, through their peers, colleges, parks and away from the home.
Unlike smoking and drinking, drugs are not usually part of the daily life of a household.
WHAT ARE LEGAL AND ILLEGAL DRUGS?
Drugs is a word used to describe a wide range of substances some of which are legal and some are illegal.
Legal drugs are prescribed medicines, unprescribed medicine in chemists, alcohol and cigarettes.
Illegal drugs are drugs which are against the law to consume, possess, produce, import, export and supply. Illegal drugs are controlled substances. Under the misuse of drugs act 1971 there are 3 classes of controlled substances
- Class A – Heroin, Ecstasy, Cocaine, Crystal meth, Methadone
- Class B – Barbiturates, Cannabis, Amphetamines
- Class C – Certain Steroids, Buprenorphine, Benzodiazepines
Certain Class B drugs are classified as Class A drugs when they are in injection form.
LINK TO GOVERNMENT WEBSITE FOR MISUSE OF DRUGS ACT 1971
SOME REASONS WHY A CHILD WOULD TAKE DRUGS?
There are many reasons why your child could take an illegal drug. They are:
- Peer pressure.
- Recreation – with friends
- To enjoy a party or nightclub
- To fit in with their social environment.
- They could be bored with life
- To escape the reality of their life or issues that they may be facing
- To manage academic, relationship, social and emotional stress
- To rebel
- To increase their confidence
- To feel good
- To forget about their problems.
- For curiosity
- To reduce pain
- For experimentation
- To test their boundaries
WHAT IS A RISK FACTOR?
Risk factors are those things in a child’s life and environment that could increase their susceptibility to taking drugs:
- If the child has low self esteem
- There is already drug abuse in the family
- The child could be a victim of abuse or other crimes
- The child could be neglected
- The child could feel like a failure
- There is conflict in the home
- The child could come from a broken home
- Abandonment or separation from a parent
WHAT IS A PROTECTIVE FACTOR?
Protective factors are those things in a child’s life and environment that can reduce the risk of a child taking and becoming addicted to drugs:
- A positive self esteem
- Strong family bonds
- Happy family bonds
- The child gets lots of family time
- A child busy with activities and achieving in life
- Positive role models
WHAT HARM CAN DRUGS DO TO YOUR CHILD?
Drugs can be very harmful to your child:
- Illegal drugs can cause damage to your child’s organs.
- An overdose of an illegal drug can kill your child.
- Certain drugs can cause a heart attack.
- Drugs can prevent children from concentrating in education, sports and other school activities and ruin their future.
- Under the influence of drugs, children can do dangerous things.
- Children can become dependent/addicted to drugs and this can make them susceptible to crime, prostitution, and trafficking.
- When children become addicted to drugs, it can start to take over their life so eventually all they focus on and do is try and feed their addiction.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO KEEP YOUR CHILDREN AWAY FROM DRUGS?
The aim of talking to your child about drugs is to encourage them to say no when they are offered drugs and to give them enough information that they do not listen to any friends and peers encouraging drug taking.
1. Educate yourself about drugs, what is addiction, how they can harm your child and how your child can get hold of them
LINK TO NHS WEBSITE FOR ADDICTION – WHAT IS IT?
2. Once you are armed with information you can now educate your children about the harmful effects of drugs and why they shouldn’t take them. Use language and terms that a child can understand.
3. Educate your child about the criminal aspects of drugs, dealing, buying drugs, jail time and criminal record.
4. If you know the areas where you live where drugs are sold, try and get your children to avoid that area
5. Teach your children other ways to relax and relieve stress rather than use drugs. Do this from a young age. Teach them meditation and breathing exercises.
6. Listen to your children about their fears, worries, stresses and how they feel so they do not try drugs to cope with their worries. Pay attention to their questions and concerns.
7. Give your child lots of love, security, attention, family time and happy moments so that they do not go looking for this elsewhere and fall into the hands of individuals who will give them drugs.
8. Keep your child’s self esteem up with lots of attention, warmth, love and kind words.
9. Be aware of who your children hang around with and who their friends are.
10. Encourage your children to say no when they are offered drugs. Tell them you will come and pick them up if they find themselves in a situation where they are being pressured to take drugs.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU FIND OUT YOUR CHILD IS TAKING DRUGS?
It can be very shocking, traumatising and overwhelming to discover your child is taking drugs. Of course you will want to help them stop their addiction, stop their craving for the drug and get them better.
We have written this section to inform you that you are not alone and there is much help out there for you. Here are some suggestions:
Contact your GP
Make an appointment for your child with your GP. Go with your child and explain everything to your GP. They will help. They can refer your child to the local drug treatment service.
Contact your child’s school
The school staff member in charge of dealing with drug issues, the pastoral care team and the safeguarding lead will help you and refer you to the local drug treatment service. If they cannot, they will guide you where to go..
Contact your local authority
Go onto your local authority website and there will be a section concerning drug misuse and help. There will be a telephone number and an email address. Contact them for help. They will also refer you to your local drug treatment service.
LINK TO GOVERNMENT WEBSITE TO FIND YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY
Contact Frank
Call the Frank helpline on 0300 123 6600 and they will guide you as the parent on what help is available for you and your child.
You can also visit the Frank website for help and guidance. Their website will help you find local drug treatment centres.
LINK TO FRANKS WEBSITE FOR DRUG TREATMENT CENTRES
Read the following webpages – click on the links below
LINK TO NHS WEBSITE FOR DRUG ADDICTION – GETTING HELP
LINK TO NHS WEBSITE FOR HEROIN ADDICTION – GETTING HELP
LINK TO NHS WEBSITE FOR COCAINE ADDICTION – GETTING HELP
LINK TO NHS WEBSITE FOR ADVICE FOR FAMILIES OF PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS
LINK TO NHS WEBSITE FOR DRUG ADDICTION SUPPORT SERVICES – FIND YOUR LOCAL SERVICE
LINK TO WEBSITE FOR ADFAM – FINDING SUPPORT
LINK TO NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS UK – NEED HELP
LINK TO REHAB ONLINE WEBSITE – FIND A REHAB
WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOUR CHILD TRIES TO STOP TAKING DRUGS?
When you succeed in getting your child to agree to stop taking drugs, you will need to help them come off the drugs. Depending upon the level of addiction and the type of drug your child is addicted to, your child may have or could have withdrawal symptoms. This is where you will have to show your resilience, patience and care while your child’s body gets used to weaning itself off its dependency on drugs.
Your child may experience both physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. Some of the symptoms your child may experience are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Body tremors
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Lethargy
- High temperature
- Excessive sweating
- Stomach pains
- Clammy skin
- Headaches
- Cravings
WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN YOU ARE HELPING WEAN YOUR CHILD OFF DRUGS?
When you are helping your child come off drugs and cope with withdrawal symptoms, you will need to keep an eye on the following things:
- Your child does not relapse and starts to take drugs again. This may happen and most probably could do but do not despair you can turn it round.
- Keeping friends away from your child that could supply them with drugs.
- Keeping them from disappearing so they can get hold of some drugs.
- Making sure they do not fall fatally ill
- Making sure they do not choke on their vomit.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF YOUR CHILD IS CAUGHT WITH AN ILLEGAL DRUG?
If your child is caught in school with an illegal drug
All schools will have a drug protection policy. It may be a part of their child protection policy. This policy is available online on the schools website or from the schools office upon request. It details what the school will do when a child is found to possess or take drugs on school premises. What will happen to a child will depend upon which drug is found, what the child was doing and whether there is a safeguarding issue, is the child and other children at any form of risk. The school will call the child’s parents, an ambulance if one is required, maybe the police and social services.
LINK TO OUR L.I.P HELP GUIDE FOR PASTORAL CARE AND CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
Under the education and inspections act 2006 a school can search a child and their possessions for a prohibited item, including illegal drugs. They can also confiscate illegal drugs. If they do, the school staff must either hand the drugs to the police or dispose of them depending upon their judgement.
If the school notify the police that an illegal drug has been found on a pupil they do not have to give the name of the pupil when the school staff hand the drug over to the police. However most schools will and the child could be arrested.
LINK TO GOVERNMENT WEBSITE FOR EDUCATION AND INSPECTIONS ACT 2006
LINK TO OUR L.I.P HELP GUIDE TO SEARCH, SCREENING & CONFISCATION IN SCHOOLS.
If your child is found with an illegal drug in public or anywhere else
If a child is caught in possession of an illegal drug they have committed a criminal offence. The police will arrest your child and charge them with possession of an illegal substance.
The punishment for a drug offence will depend upon the class of drug involved. Class A drugs will carry the most severe punishments.
LINK TO GOVERNMENT WEBSITE FOR DRUG PENALTIES
LINK TO CPS WEBSITE FOR DRUG OFFENCES.
WHAT IS THE PUNISHMENT FOR A CHILD WHO HAS BEEN CAUGHT WITH AN ILLEGAL DRUG?
If your child is under 18 years of age and they are arrested by the police for an illegal drug issue/crime you as the parent will be informed.
If your child is between 10 years and 17 years of age and they are arrested by the police for an illegal drug issue/crime their punishment will depend upon the severity of the crime and the drug involved. They may:
- Get a youth caution which will stay on their record. If further drug offences are committed then they could be charged.
- If they have been in trouble before they could get a criminal record.
- They could get a referral order
- They could be sentenced to a youth offenders programme
LINK TO GOVERNMENT WEBSITE FOR YOUTH OFFENDING TEAMS.
WHO CAN YOU REPORT TO IF YOUR CHILD IS TAKING, SELLING OR BEING OFFERED DRUGS?
You can call the police – You can dial 999 if you or your child is at risk or a crime has been committed. Alternatively if there is no emergency you can dial 101 or file a report online.
LINK TO POLICE WEBSITE TO REPORT A CRIME ONLINE
You can contact Crimestoppers – You can report a crime anonymously to crimestoppers. Their telephone number is 0800 555 111
LINK TO WEBSITE FOR CRIMESTOPPERS.
WHERE ELSE CAN YOU AS A PARENT TALK, GET HELP AND ADVICE?
You can contact NSPCC – If your child is taking drugs or has been offered drugs you can contact the NSPCC and speak to them about your concerns. If the child is in danger they will call the police.
LINK TO WEBSITE FOR NSPCC – CONTACT US
You can contact FAMILY LIVES – Family lives was previously known as parentline. You can speak to them about your concerns that your child is taking drugs or been offered drugs.
LINK TO WEBSITE FOR FAMILY LIVES – CONTACT US
You can contact FRANK – Frank is an organisation dedicated to help with drug addiction. Call their helpline 0300 123 6600 and they will talk to you.
LINK TO WEBSITE FOR FRANK – CONTACT US
You can contact SAMARITANS – The samaritans are a free organisation that you can talk to about addiction. Call their helpline on 116 123. They are available 24 hours a day. You can email them, chat online or write them a letter.
LINK TO WEBSITE FOR SAMARITANS – CONTACT US
You can contact SUPPORTLINE – Supportline can provide confidential emotional support over the phone for addiction. Their helpline number is 01708 765 200. You can also email them
LINK TO WEBSITE FOR SUPPORTLINE – CONTACT US
You can contact your local authority child services – You can call them directly or look on their website to see if there are any local support groups where you can get support.
LINK TO GOVERNMENT WEBSITE TO FIND YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY
You can contact VICTIM SUPPORT – Victim support is a charity that can help individuals who have been the victim of a crime. They have a free confidential support telephone line and live chat. They are independent of the police.
LINK TO WEBSITE FOR VICTIM SUPPORT – CONTACT US
You can contact other organisations –
LINK TO OUR L.I.P HELP GUIDE TO CONNECT WITH CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS THAT COULD HELP YOU.
You can read our help guide for where you can reach out to get help if your child is a victim –
LINK TO OUR L.I.P HELP GUIDE FOR WHERE CAN YOU REACH OUT TO GET HELP IF YOUR CHILD IS A VICTIM
WHERE CAN YOUR CHILD TALK, GET HELP AND ADVICE?
Your child can contact CHILDLINE – If your child has been taking drugs or has been offered drugs and they need to talk to someone, they can call childline.