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Binge drinking is a widespread problem. Are young people the only culprits when it comes to dangerous drinking? Research shows that people of all ages are increasingly consuming large amounts of alcohol. This book covers the effects of alcohol on short- and long-term health, as well as the social issues associated with alcohol abuse.

• Every year, more than 10,000 fines for being drunk and disorderly are issued to young people aged 16 to 19
• More than 9,000 people in the UK die from alcohol-related causes each year.
• The UK has one of the highest binge drinking rates in Europe. Approximately a quarter of adults in England admit to binge drinking
• Around 500 people a week in England end up in hospital as a result of alcohol poisoning
• 30% of children feel scared when they see adults drinking

Level: 8.-10. kl./AVU + HG C-F etc.

Activities; Key Facts; Glossary; Web Links

Cannabis is the most widely-used illegal drug in Britain: one 15-year-old in four now admits to having tried it at least once. Users say it is relaxing and fun, but there are worries that it may affect both physical and mental health, with stronger strains such as “skunk” being a particular worry. This book looks at the effects of cannabis on health, at cannabis use among young people and at its position within the law.

Level: 8.-10. kl./AVU + HG C-F etc.

(Replaces The Cannabis Issue)

Cannabis is the most widely-used illegal substance in Britain. Users say it helps them to relax: however, there are worries that smoking the drug can trigger mental health problems, with highly potent ‘skunk’ strains causing particular concern.

Chapter One: The Effects of Cannabis
Cannabis; Cannabis controversy; Risks of cannabis use; Impact of cannabis on bones ‘changes with age’; Behind the medical headlines – cannabis; Cannabis and mental health; Schizophrenia link to cannabis denied; Skunk ‘poses greatest risk of psychosis’; ‘Cannabis alters DNA’; Cannabis and your health; Medicinal use of cannabis; Marijuana use around the world; The world drugs problem, ten years on; Home Office cannabis drugs potency study 2008; Why does cannabis potency matter?; The families torn apart by teenage skunk epidemic; Helpline tells children ‘pot safer than alcohol’; Cannabis and the risks.

Chapter Two: Cannabis and the Law
Cannabis: the law has changed; Cannabis and psychosis; Poll reveals anger at cannabis law; David Nutt: my views on drugs classification; Politicians intoxicated by cowardice in drugs debate; The phoney war on drugs – summary; The streets don’t care what class drugs are; The big question.

Key Facts; Glossary; Additional Resources (websites etc.); Index

Should recreational use of club drugs like ecstasy be illegal? Or does the illegality threaten civil liberties? Is ecstasy harmful or has the harm been exaggerated? Can it in fact be beneficial in therapy and psychiatry? Click “Flere oplysninger” to view the Contents. Editors: Roam Espejo. (101 pages)
Level: Mainly Second and Third year Gymnasium

Sample Pages (PDF)

The crime-infested intersection of West Fayette and Monroe Streets is well-known — and avoided — by most citizens of Baltimore. But this corner's 24-hour open-air drug market provides the economic fuel for a dying neighborhood. This book tells the chilling story of this desolate crossroad. Through the eyes of one broken family — two drug-addicted adults and their smart, vulnerable 15-year-old son, DeAndre McCollough — it examines the realities of inner cities across the country. It assesses why law enforcement policies, moral crusades, and the welfare system have accomplished so little. It looks at the price of the drug culture but also the poignant scenes of hope, caring, and love that rise in the midst of a place America has abandoned. Film available. Authors: Edward Burns and David Simon. (576 pages)
Level: A great resource for the Gymnasium etc.

This excellent mini-series (from the creators of The Wire) is based on the book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood. It tells the true story of men, women, and children living amid the open-air drug markets of West Baltimore. It chronicles a year in the lives of 15-year old DeAndre McCullough, his mother Fran Boyd, and his father Gary McCullough, as well as other addicts and low-level drug dealers caught up in the economy of heroin and cocaine. Acting performances are superb. While we see the explicit fallout of addiction, the series pictures the humanity and neglected potential of lost souls. The Corner is riveting, rather than depressing.

• Directed by: Charles S. Dutton
• Starring: T.K. Carter, Khandi Alexander & Sean Nelson
• Running time: 6 hours
• Subtitle options: English, Danish

America had a radically different relationship with drugs a century ago. Drug prohibitions were few, and while alcohol was considered a menace, the public regularly consumed substances that are widely demonized today. Heroin was marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals and marijuana was available as a tincture of cannabis sold by Parke Davis and Company. This rather benign relationship with psychoactive drugs was transformed into one of confusion and chaos. This book tells the dramatic story of how, as one legal drug after another fell from grace, new pharmaceutical substances took their place. Whether Valium or OxyContin bought at the pharmacy, cocaine purchased on the street, or alcohol from the corner store, drugs and drug use proliferated in twentieth-century America despite an escalating war on drugs. This book looks at the ill-fated belief that drugs are chemically predestined to be either good or evil. The determination to treat the medically sanctioned use of drugs separately from illicit use of substances like heroin or ecstasy has blinded America to how drug effects are transformed by the way in which society deals with them. DeGrandpre demonstrates that psychoactive substances are not angels or demons irrespective of why, how, or by whom they are used. Author: Richard: DeGrandpre. (312 pages)
Level: Gymnasiet etc. / An inspiration and resource for Teachers

Although the use of illegal drugs has fallen over the last ten years, it remains a serious problem for society. In 2007, 25% of pupils aged 11 to 15 said they had tried drugs at least once. What are the effects of illegal drugs and how is drug use being tackled?
Level: 8.-10. kl./AVU + HG C-F etc.

Chapter One: Drug Abuse
Drugs in the UK; Cannabis; Cocaine; Ecstasy; Solvents; Hallucinogens; Heroin, Speed; Drug deaths; Young people and drug use; Street drug trends; Supply of cannabis; Activities.

Chapter Two: Tackling Drugs
New plan to tackle illegal drugs; Tackling substance misuse; Drug legislation; Drugs and politics; Q&A: cannabis reclassification; Drug smuggling; Should drugs be legalised?; Activities.

Key Facts;  Glossary (web links at the end of each article)

(Replaces Gambling Trends)

Buying a lottery ticket is considered harmless by most people. But when does social gambling become a problem? Some frequent gamblers become dependent on the sensations they experience just like those who abuse drugs. This book examines social gambling trends, and looks at the effects of compulsive gambling, how it can begin and how it can best be tackled.

• Uncontrolled gambling causes more than just financial harm. It may also negatively affect other aspects of a gambler’s life.
• 54.3% of adults said they had participated in some form of gambling in the previous four weeks.
• Gambling via a computer or handheld device was the most popular form of remote gambling.
• People between the ages of 16 and 24 are four times more likely to develop a gambling problem than any other age group.
• 2% of adolescents are problem gamblers. Yet only 5% of parents would stop their child from gambling.
• An individual’s inability to control their gambling may be due to a person’s genetic tendency to develop addiction, their inability to cope with normal life stress and even their upbringing and moral attitudes.
• The number of women with gambling problems has doubled in recent years.

Key Facts;  Glossary;  Additional Resources (websites etc.);  Index

It's a hot summer afternoon. Tension is in the air. A gang of youths on bikes gathers outside a chip shop. A teenage boy is stabbed and left bleeding on the street. The boy's mother wonders how this could have happened to her son. She is full of questions, but when the answers lie so close to home, are they really what she wants to hear? (Contains some slang.) Author: Bernardine Evaristo. (81 pages)
Level:  C-D/9.-10.kl

Hello Mum Chapter 1 (Audio)
Hello Mum Chapter 1 (PDF)

(Replaces Drugs in the UK)

Statistics show that illegal drug use in the UK is in decline. However, with an emerging trend in the use of so-called “legal highs”, and the ongoing controversy surrounding the laws which cover drug use, there remain many misconceptions around this topic. This book explores current UK drug policy and trends; the effects of drug abuse, and the rise in demand for compulsory drug education in schools.

Key Facts;  Glossary Index;  Additional Resources (websites etc.);  Index.

This book brings together both sides in the debate about the positive and negative effects of the recreational and medical use of marijuana. Editor: Arthur Gillard. (121 pages)
Level: Mainly Second and Third year Gymnasium

Contents: Introduction; Marijuana Is Dangerous (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration); Marijuana Is Beneficial (Lester Grinspoon); Marijuana Is Addictive (Joseph A. Califano Jr.); Marijuana Is Not Addictive (Paul Armentano); Marijuana Has Known Medical Benefits (The Economist); Medical Marijuana Lacks Scientific Support (Peter J. Cohen); Marijuana Use Is Unhealthy (E.J. Sanna); Marijuana Can Help Ease Chronic Pain (Jana Christian); Nonmedical Marijuana Use Is Extremely Risky (Joseph A. Califano Jr.); The Harmfulness of Marijuana Use Is Exaggerated (Maia Szalavitz); Marijuana Prohibition Is Harmful (Gary Cartwright); Marijuana Users Need to Be Held Accountable for Their Actions (Ross Clark); Common Sense Is Needed in Marijuana Policy (Cathy Young); Organizations to Contact; Bibliography; Index.

Sample Pages (PDF)

(Replaces Problem Drinking)

Many people enjoy an occassional drink with friend, but the excesses of binge drinking are often brought to our attention by the media, particularly with young people.

• Figures show that the number of young people who do not drink is growing
• But among those who do drink there has been an increase in alcohol consumption.
• What constitutes binge drinking and how common is it?
• Are young people the only culprits?
• What are the health risks?

This book examines these issues, as well as covering topics such as alcohol units, the licensing laws, alcohol addiction, alcohol-related crime and drink spiking.

Key Facts;  Glossary;  Additional Resources (websites etc.);  Index

(Replaces Smoking Trends)

It is well established that smoking affects an individual’s health, causing painful chronic illnesses such as lung cancer and emphysema. However, there are still an estimated 10 million smokers in Britain. What motivates people to start smoking? Should they be encouraged to quit? Is it acceptable for the government to prohibit smoking in public places to limit the effect of passive smoking, or is this an example of the “nanny state”? This book looks at the issues.

Chapters: 1. Smoking and Health; 2. Smoking and Society

Key Facts;  Glossary;  Additional Resources;  Index