FEATURE FOCUS: MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Helping to prevent addiction
Experimenting with alcohol and drugs can quickly lead to ongoing problems associated with mental and physical health and wellbeing and, for some, may lead to addiction. Early detection and interventions to prevent ongoing and future use amongst students is essential to ensure it doesn’t become a life-long problem.
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n our second feature this month looking at mental health and general wellbeing in schools, John Wicks, CEO at drug and alcohol testing lab, Cansford Laboratories, looks at the challenges facing schools when it comes to preventing substance abuse and offers some pointers for tackling this increasingly common problem.
Suspecting that school pupils are misusing drugs or alcohol is not an easy subject to tackle, yet schools are under increasing pressure to support pupils’ wellbeing and also have a duty of care to help prevent and reduce drug misuse.
According to the Government’s Office for Health Improvements and Disparities report published earlier this year, there were 9,832 young people who said they had a problem with cannabis misuse (89% of all in treatment) and 4,459 (41%) said they had a problem with alcohol misuse. The report, which involved 11,013 young people in contact with alcohol and drug services between April 2020 and March 2021, also found twelve per cent (1,333) had a problem with ecstasy misuse and 9% (976) reported a problem with the misuse of powder cocaine. Twelve per cent (1,368) reported a problem with nicotine use. Other substances reported include ketamine, benzodiazepines, solvents, codeine, amphetamines, new psychoactive substances (NPS), crack, heroin and other opiates.* These statistics correlate with our findings at the laboratory, having seen an increase in the number of enquiries for drugs tests from secondary schools. We have also seen an uptake of enquiries for staff training, to help them spot the signs of drug misuse amongst pupils in a rapidly changing environment. We believe early recognition and intervention by schools is crucial to help pupils get swift access to support to assist
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them with accessing appropriate care early on and averting future addiction.
Reasons for teen drug misuse
Studies indicate that children most often begin to use drugs from the age of 13 and in rare cases, even earlier. They typically start with legal drugs including alcohol and tobacco and transition to illegal drugs, with cannabis commonly being the first.
Peer pressure and curiosity are the most common reasons given for drug misuse amongst teens, as they try to find how they fit into the world. Some teenagers are also at higher risk due to genetics and socioeconomic circumstances, plus other factors including low self-esteem and confidence issues. Exposure to the use of alcohol and other drugs via family or close peers will normalise use and increase the risk of teenagers becoming addicted.
‘Self-medication’ is another common reason for teens to turn to drug and alcohol, perhaps if they’ve suffered trauma in the past, and use drugs or alcohol to numb feelings. Some might have experienced difficult life changes such as divorce or moving house and lean on drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism.
Impact of drug and alcohol misuse A huge concern for schools and for those responsible for students is how substance misuse can directly affect the growth and development of children and teens - especially brain
September 2022
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