This term we have been looking at the topic ‘Changes’. We have learned about climate change and changes in the body.
We have learned about drugs and the effect of this on the body as these can change the people who use them in all kinds of ways: they can make you happy, angry, upset, sad, scared, excited, tired or paranoid. They can stop your body working if they are taken too much or for too long, especially the brain, lungs and liver. We looked at what legal and illegal drugs are and that drugs are harmful if they are used inappropriately, incorrectly or excessively. Here is what we have learned:
A drug is any substance which causes a change in the way the body, or part of the body work.
Illegal drugs are drugs that are against the law to carry, take or sell. Some are illegal because they can be really harmful or be addictive. They are sorted into different classes: Class A drugs are things like heroin and cocaine – these are the worst drugs and most harmful, there are class B and Class C drugs too.
Legal drugs are drugs that are prescribed to you by a doctor or bought over the counter which help you and your body, we call these medicines, or they have an age limit on them, like alcohol and tobacco products. Coffee, tea, coca-cola, energy drinks and chocolate all contain caffeine which is also a legal drug. Caffeine is a mild stimulant which can make us feel more awake, but if we take too much it can make us irritable and give us headaches. The drug in tobacco is called nicotine which is addictive – we are going to learn more about smoking next week when the health visitor comes in to talk to us.
Alcohol can also be addictive and affects your body as it changes the way you think and feel. Addiction is when something becomes a habit and is hard to break. Some people feel they need these ‘drugs’ to help them as they are dependent on them and can feel sick if they don’t have them. There are lots of different organisations that can help people with addiction. The AA (alcoholics anonymous) is one for people who are affected by alcohol, it might be the person themselves or their families. It gives them a chance to share their experiences and see/speak with others, they try to support each other to recover.
It is illegal to sell alcohol or tobacco to anyone under the age of 18! The government recommends that pregnant women do not drink as this could harm the baby.
Alcohol relaxes you and reduces tension but it does lead to poor concentration, slow reflexes/reaction time, reduces coordination, slurs you speech, makes you sleepy, affects your emotions/vision, make you sick or pass out.
Primary 4 and 5 created posters on the short term and long term effects that alcohol have on your body.
Short term risks usually linked to drunkenness are head injuries, fractures, facial injuries and scarring. They can also include alcohol poising.
Long term risks can include: liver damage, stomach ulcers, increased blood pressure which can cause heart disease/heart attacks or strokes, male sperm production decreases and it disrupts normal brain development.
