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Illegal drugs were a huge topic in our staying safe course. Illegal drugs kill over 420 people per year. the most common illegal drug related death is drug overdose, but many more are contributed to unsafe behavior while on drugs, unsafe driving, violence etc. like many legal drugs, they contain benzos and opioids along with a huge range of other addictive. Illegal drugs are usually taken to make you feel a certain way, usually happy, calm and dreamy. because of all of the addictive's in drugs, it is very easy to die from overdose. Illegal drugs are sold often in high schools and selling or taking them can ruin your life. By selling them, you can risk a fine of $1,000,000 or a lifetime jail sentence or both. Yikes!

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A useful video on the topic that we watched in class 

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we learnt that prescription drugs can be just as dangerous as illegal ones - many prescription drugs contain chemicals known as benzos and opioids. these kinds of drugs are usually used to treat anxiety or insomnia, while opioids are often used in painkillers. Like illegal drugs, these can have devastating effects on your health. when your body becomes overwhelmed. It quickly shuts down nerves and leads to heart failure. We learnt that over 1000 people die from legal drug overdose each year.

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Prescribing Death: Australia's prescription drug crisis - The Feed

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Here's a video I found useful - found on the google site

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What's in Cigarette Smoke? | City of Hope

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Much of our time on this topic was spent learning about cigarettes, their dangers, how they work and the consequences of using them. The legal age for smoking in australia is 18, and especially before this age it can have huge consequences on your health. between the ages of around 12 to 20, it is easier to get addicted to things as your body and mind changes. Because of the nicotine in the cigarettes/vapes/general smokes it is already addictive for adults, but in this stage of development it can be very hard to break the addiction. smoking is famously bad for the lungs, and it raises chances of lung cancer by 30 times due to the over 7000 chemicals in them, which includes chemicals such as arsenic and methane. We learnt about this in lesson 3 on the topic (i believe) and we worked on something similar in our avatar worksheet (above).

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In the same lesson we learnt about energy drinks, we also learnt about caffeine and how it works. Caffeine blocks adenosine, a key molecule that causes tiredness and slows brain receptors. caffeine has numerous health benefits, such as a longer lifespan, a faster metabolism, a lower likelihood of heart failure and better liver health. however, there is a dark side of caffeine: caffeine keeps you awake and restless, it is very addictive and it can cause headaches and anxiety. Caffeine is found in certain plants and fruits and in nature it is used to keep insects remembering and coming back to the same plant.

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Much of the work that we did was based on alcohol, how it works, and its affect on the brain. Alcohol is ok in small quantities, but in large quantities it overloads the liver and works its way up to the brain, causing drunkenness and a hangover after a while, in very large doses, the alcohol can knock you out, send you unconscious or even kill you. It can also cause you to be sick, or feel dizzy or faint. this is because The ethanol (chemical in alcohol that causes drunkenness) goes to your brain and stops nerves from firing as quickly slowing their responses to other nerves, making it harder to make sensible decisions while drunk. Different drinks of different sizes contain various amounts of alcohol, ranging from 0 (water) to up to 96% (in certain vodkas). Alcohol is often offered at parties, and it is important not to drink it until you are above 18 years old. Drinking before this age (as well as the health risk) can cost you up to $10,000 in fines.

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We learnt about alcohol in our avatar worksheet

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We learnt about energy drinks towards the end of the topic. we learnt that energy drinks contain high amounts of caffeine - over 4 times the amount of a cup of coffee. Energy drinks can be very dangerous to peoples brains due to the amount of caffeine contained in them: this blocks so much adenosine that drinkers often experience severe Headaches, insomnia, tiredness, irritability, stomach aches and hyperactivity as well as an increased chance of having heart problems later on.