Alcohol is the most common drug used by young people in the UK. Almost four in 10 16-24-year-olds in England said they drank alcohol in the last week, according to a recent NHS survey. 

Young people are particularly at risk of alcohol-related harm. The information in this booklet will help young people to identify the risks associated with alcohol and give them advice on how to stay safe. It describes what alcohol is, how it’s manufactured, how your body breaks it down and how it affects you if you drink more than the body can deal with.

It explains the meaning of labels on alcoholic drinks, such as what makes up a unit of alcohol and how to work out its strength.

It illustrates the latest government recommended limits and lists typical short-term positive effects of drinking within them and the short and long-term negative effects of drinking over the limit.

The resource details the most common warning signs when alcohol is starting to damage someone’s health or personal life, and what to do to get help. It gives harm reduction advice on the following risks associated with drinking alcohol: 

• Alcohol dependence
• Mixing alcohol and other drugs
• Overdose
• Seizures
• Alcohol and sex
• Alcohol and violence
• Drink driving

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Alcohol and A&E

This resource was previoulsy the Alcohol and A&E resource

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Cannabis has always been one of the UK's most commonly used illegal drugs. According to the Office for National Statistics report, Drug misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2020, 7.8% of adults aged 16 to 59 years (around 2.6 million) reported using cannabis Cannabis was also the most common drug used by young adults, 18.7% of those aged 16 to 24 years old (around 1.2 million) had reported using the drug.

With the increasing use of high-strength herbal cannabis and the recent introduction of synthetic cannabinoids, such as Spice, the physical and mental health risks of using cannabis have become more acute. Clear, accurate and credible health information is key to reducing those risks.

This A3 cannabis awareness poster will help people who use or are considering using cannabis consider the associated health risks and consequences.

The poster folds to A5 in size and contains an attention-grabbing image of a marijuana plant on the front. The flip side is designed in a grid format, with each block of copy complemented by colourful illustrations and pictures. 

Information includes the following:

• How it's used
• Physical and mental health risks
• Synthetic cannabinoids
• The law
• How it makes you feel
• Reducing the risks

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This booklet is suitable for people of all ages who use drugs in a nightclub environment.

This fully illustrated booklet provides the most current health information and advice on:

Life+

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This is an A6, six-page advice leaflet on drink spiking: what it is, the substances used, the signs of spiking, prevention, injection spiking, what to do if you're spiked, the law and reporting incidents.

Drink spiking affects both genders, with 10% of women and 5% of men reporting incidents. While anyone can be a victim, certain groups are more at risk. Police data for the year ending April 2023 showed 6,732 spiking reports.

A YouGov survey from December 2022 indicated the average age of spiking victims is 26, with women constituting 74% of cases. Most incidents occur in public spaces, predominantly bars (nearly half) and nightclubs.

The motives behind spiking vary. Data up to October 2022 suggests 1 in 6 spiking instances aim to commit another crime, with drink spiking and female victims being particularly targeted.

Knowledge of drink spiking is crucial. This leaflet will provide readers with important information on several key aspects of drink spiking:

• What drink spiking is
• The types of drugs used
• How to avoid drink spiking
• Signs of spiking
• What to do if you think someone's spiked you
• The law
• Reporting drink spiking

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In 2019, drivers impaired by legal or illegal drugs contributed to 2,278 reported road casualties – 92 of these resulted in fatalities and 737 serious injuries.

Some 11,614 motorists were found guilty of drug-driving offences in 2019, a rise of nearly 20% compared with 9,687 successful prosecutions in 2018.

This resource will raise awareness of the dangers of using drugs before getting behind the wheel.

It will explain:

• How drugs affect the way you drive
• Drug driving and the law
• Permitted drug levels
• What is a Roadside drugs text
• What happens if you test positive
• Drug driving penalties

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Pregabalin and gabapentin are medicines that belong to a family of chemicals known as gabapentinoids. They go by brand names such as Neurontin, Lyrica and Gralise.

Although a relatively safe drug if used according to guidelines, it will increase the risks of harm and overdose when used in conjunction with alcohol, opiates, and some other drugs.

This gabapentinoids resource provides information about:

• What gabapentinoids are
• The Law
• The risk of mixing them with other drugs
• Addiction
• Overdose
• How to reduce the harm

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This double-sided drug awareness postcard is an ideal resource for health professionals, educators, and anyone seeking insights into LSD.

This concise guide clearly explains LSD's classification as a psychedelic Class A drug, including the legality issues surrounding its possession, distribution, and sale.

The resource outlines LSD's common forms — from tabs and blotters to liquid and gelatin — and introduces street names like Acid and Lucy.

Discover how LSD influences thoughts, moods, and perceptions, altering reality and sensory experiences. The guide covers the spectrum of effects, from euphoria to anxiety, and how individual mood can impact these experiences.

It also highlights the risks associated with LSD use, including potential flashbacks, dosage variability, and mental health implications, as well as the dangers of mixing LSD with other substances.

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Magic Mushrooms have played a part in ancient and contemporary cultures. From priests and shamans, who used them in religious ceremonies and sacred rituals, to 20th Century so-called hippies and ravers, who have enjoyed their psychedelic and psychoactive effects. Today Magic mushrooms  are used by an increasing number of people. Recent medical research has found that their active compounds might even have a role to play in treating anxiety and depression.

In the UK, the first mention of them was in the London Medical and Physical Journal in 1799, which describes a family unwittingly picking magic mushrooms from the banks of the Thames for breakfast - which must have led to some fascinating at-the-table conversation.

In 1958, Albert Hoffman, a Swiss scientist who would go on to invent LSD, discovered and isolated psilocybin and psilocin as the 'active' ingredients of magic mushrooms.

Recreational use of magic mushrooms in the UK appears to have developed in the late 1970s as, at the time, a legal alternative to LSD.

They've recently become popular again after peaking during the rave culture of the 1990s and mid-2000s. According to a recent Home Office report, the number of young people taking magic mushrooms has doubled from 49,00 in 2016/17 to over 100,000 in 2018/19.

But it's not just young people that have been increasingly turning to mushrooms. According to the annual Global Drugs Survey, UK respondents who use magic mushrooms have increased from 13.7 per cent in 2014 to 19.3 per cent in 2019. The same report highlighted that use of other hallucinogens like DMT, ketamine and LSD between 2015 and 2020 had also doubled.

This two-sided A6 picture-based drug card illustrates what magic mushrooms look like, how they make you feel and the potential risks associated with using them.

Gallery

Pastoral Manager & Designated Safeguarding Lead

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Nitrous Oxide is becoming an increasingly popular drug in nightclubs, concerts and festivals throughout the UK.

Data from the 2017/18 Crime Survey for England and Wales, suggests that over 800,000 16 to 59 year-olds had tried Nitrous Oxide in the past year.

It is a colourless and mainly odourless gas, which produces a short-lasting euphoria as well as heightened senses and a slight feeling of disconnect from the body after being inhaled.

This double-sided, laminated, colour postcard uses easy-to-understand language to educate Nitrous Oxide users and the general public about its effects and risks.

Gallery

Pastoral Manager & Designated Safeguarding Lead

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Amyl nitrites, what we now know as poppers, originated in the 19th century to treat angina because they improve blood flow to the heart by dilating blood vessels.

However, their use evolved and, by the 1960s and 1970s, poppers had found a new life as a recreational drug.

Amyl nitrites as poppers appeal to a broad range of people for their short-lived rush and feelings of euphoria.

Using poppers is not risk-free. They are associated with various short and and long-term health risks.

Written and designed for anyone who wants to know more about poppers, this double-sided, drug awareness picture card delivers essential facts about poppers, their effects, risks and legal status.

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More and more people are using so-called smart drugs, also known as nootropics. They’ve become increasingly popular among students who hopeto boost brainpower, focus and memory, in an attempt to do well in their studies and improve their academic performance. 

More than 20 per cent of students have used stimulant drugs, according to a recent Loughborough University survey of 54 British universities.

This smart drugs leaflet focuses on the two most commonly misused as smart drugs - modafinil and Ritalin -usually prescribed to treat ADHD and sleep disorders like narcolepsy.

The resource details important information to help the user to understand what they’re taking and includes the following:

• how they work
• their appearance 
• their effects
• onset and duration 
• how they can be detected in the body
• the law.

It goes on to highlight the risks associated with using smart drugs:

• irregular sleep patterns
• focus shift
• potential risks during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• dependency and withdrawal 
• purchasing drugs online
• impaired driving.

It gives clear advice on reducing the risks associated with using Ritalin and modafinil as smart drugs.

The leaflet suggests study techniques to improve academic performance as an alternative to ‘reaching for the pills’.

It includes what to do in an emergency if someone suffers severe symptoms after taking smart drugs, and lists helpline resources for further support and information related to drug use and mental health.

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This harm-reduction booklet is about spice, a mixture of chemicals called synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) and chopped-up leaves and herbs.

It’s usually smoked and the effects mimic cannabis. There are hundreds of different SCRAs, and they vary in strength and toxicity.

The prevalence of spice is difficult to estimate, but spice-related visits to A&E suggest its use is increasing.In 2018, in England, there were over 30,000 visits to hospital related to synthetic cannabinoid use.

A study published in the journal ‘Addiction’ in 2017 found that people who used synthetic cannabinoids were more likely to have mental health problems and experience adverse health issues.

The effects of spice are felt in seconds, peaking in half an hour and lasting a few hours. Users can feel euphoric, relaxed and drowsy. Spicehas several harmful effects too, including anxiety, paranoia, seizures, psychosis, and, in some cases, can result in overdose and death.

Research conducted by Middlesex University’s Drug and Alcohol Research Centre claims synthetic cannabinoids were involved in nearly half of male prisoner deaths in England and Wales between 2015 and 2020.

This resource includes the following information:

An introduction to spice:

• understand what spice is
• how it's made
• discover the wide variety of SCRAs
• strength and toxicity

Its effects and health issues:

• how spice makes you feel, including euphoric, relaxad, and drowsy
• the harmful effects of spice, such as anxiety, paranoia, seizures, psychosis, and the potential for overdose
• the link between synthetic cannabinoids and mental health

Unpredictable nature and risks:

• how to recognise the unpredictable nature of spice and its potential risks
• learn how to identify warning signs of overdose and addiction
• understand the symtoms of withdrawal and tolerance
• discover practical harm-reduction strategies that include dosage, using in the company of others, prioritising mental health, and seeking professional support

Emergency situations:

• how to respond to distressing behaviour
• recognise symptoms that require immediate medical attention

This resource is an important guide for people who use spice, consider using it, or have concerns about someone affected by spice. It provides clear and concise information about the associated risks and offers practical advice on reducing them.

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East London NHS Foundation Trust

Some street drugs have been contaminated with the synthetic opioids fentanyl and nitazenes. These include heroin, illicit Oxycodone pills, Xanax powders, and synthetic cannabis (spice). 

Fentanyl and nitazenes are much stronger than heroin and have led to increased deaths caused by overdose.

The advice in this leaflet will help users of heroin or other opioid-style drugs to reduce the chances of overdosing.

This resource provides users with the following essential information on how to recognise and respond to potential opiate overdoses, with a particular focus on harm reduction:

• How to recognise an opiate overdose: Learn to identify the signs
• How to respond to an overdose: Know what to do
• Strategies in how to reduce the risk of harm: Discover tips for safer drug use
• How to get hold of naloxone: Where to source naloxone in your area

You can order printed versions of this resource or go to our harm reduction section to use the information on your website or printed materials.

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An estimated 4.3 million people in the UK vape or use e-cigarettes according to a report by Ash(Action on Smoking and Health).

The report showed e-cigarettes were becoming especially popular among young people, with 18- to 24-year-olds the biggest consumers in 2022.

The NHSwebsite says e-cigarettes are 'far less harmful than cigarettes', but that vaping is not completely risk-free and that e-cigarettes contain 'some potentially harmful chemicals' and that the long-term risks of vaping are unclear.

This awareness resource will provide information on what's in e-cigarettes, the law, and the health implications of vaping.

Gallery

Pastoral Manager & Designated Safeguarding Lead

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Design and content updated July 2024

Increasingly, cannabisis consumed in herbal rather than resin form. Over the last 30 years, it's been the most used illegal drug in England and Wales. The most recent UK figures (taking us to March 2023) suggest just over 2.6 million adults aged 16 to 59 used cannabis in the last year. The actual figure is probably much higher.

The information in this booklet will help cannabis users understand:

• what herbal cannabis is
• active ingredients and potency/strength of cannabis
• cannabis and mental health
• the warning signs of developing a problem
• reducing the risks
• how to cut down or stop
• cannabis and the law

Fresh design and content

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