Drugs

Introduction

Drugs are chemical substances that affect the way your body works. They alter the chemical reactions that take place inside your body. In the case of medicinal drugs, these changes are helpful, but in many cases they are harmful. 

In this activity you will be using your research skills to find out about:

  • the difference between medicinal and recreational drugs
  • stimulants
  • depressants
  • hallucinogens
  • withdrawal symptoms and addiction. 

You will be using your literacy skills to produce a  presentation to persuade teenagers not to take illegal recreational drugs. 

Task

You are going to produce a produce a presentation about the different types of drugs which exist, and the effect they have on your body. This presentation will be shown to teenagers to educate them about the dangers of taking illegal recreational drugs. 

Your presentation should: 

  • provide teenagers with information on each of the main groups of drugs
  • contain seven slides, including
    - a title slide
    - a slide defining medicinal drugs, including at least one example
    - a slide defining recreational drugs, including at least one example
    - one slide each for the major types of drug (stimulants, depressants, and          hallucinogens) with examples, and information about the effects of the drug on
      the body and withdrawal symptoms
    - a final slide providing information on addiction and withdrawal symptoms.
  • include pictures and appropriate scientific terminology; key scientific vocabulary should be clearly defined.
Process

Step 1 
Research the following topics:

  • the difference between medicinal and recreational drugs
  • stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens – what they are, their effect on the body, and dangers associated with taking them
  • addiction – what it is, and examples of the withdrawal symptoms people may suffer if they stop taking a drug

Step 2  
Find an appropriate picture of a drug to represent each category (medicinal drugs, stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens).

Step 3 (extension) 
Find any relevant statistics to back up your research on the dangers of taking drugs (e.g., the number of deaths per year caused by use of a particular drug).

Step 4 
Plan how each slide of your presentation should be structured and the important information you want to include.

Step 5 
Make your presentation. 

Sources

Types of drug 

This website contains information on the different groups of drugs.www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/organisms_behaviour_health/diet_drugs/revision/8/

Illegal recreational drugs 

This website contains information on the most commonly taken illegal drugs.www.nhs.uk/Livewell/drugs/Pages/Drugsoverview.aspx

A to Z of drugs

This website contains detailed information on every type of recreational drug. Choose a specific drug and look it up in the A–Z list for information on the effects of the drug on the body and risks of taking it.

www.talktofrank.com/

Evaluation

You have now made a presentation which can be shown to teenagers to introduce them to the dangers of taking illegal recreational drugs.  

Look at the questions below and check you have met all the criteria given in the brief.  

  • Does your presentation describe the difference between medicinal and
    recreational drugs?
  • Is your presentation made up of seven slides?
  • Have you provided information on each type of drug (stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens) with examples, and details about the effects of the drug on the body and withdrawal symptoms?
  • Have you included information about the dangers of taking these types of drug (backed up with statistics if you completed the extension task)?
  • Have you included a picture on each slide of at least one example of that
    type of drug?
  • Have you explained what is meant by the terms ‘addiction’ and ‘withdrawal symptoms’?
  • Have you used appropriate scientific terminology and explained what all key
    words mean?