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Year 9

Recreational drug use: stimulants

I can explain how stimulants affect the body in both the short and long term.

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New
New
Year 9

Recreational drug use: stimulants

I can explain how stimulants affect the body in both the short and long term.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Stimulants make you feel more alert and can give you quicker thinking and reaction times.
  2. Caffeine is a legal stimulant present in some foods and drinks.
  3. Cocaine and ecstasy are examples of illegal stimulants used as recreational drugs.
  4. Substance abuse can cause physical and mental health issues.

Common misconception

Legal drugs cannot lead to addiction.

Nearly all drugs used for recreation, legal or illegal, can lead to addiction.

Keywords

  • Drug - a medicine or other substance that has a physiological effect when introduced into the body

  • Recreational - something that is done for fun

  • Stimulant - speeds up the messages sent from the brain the nerves

  • Legal - allowed by the law

  • Illegal - not allowed by the law

Talk about the serious effects heroin can have on a person's life. They are likely to lose their job, friends and family. Many other types of opioids are just as addictive and devastating. Talk about Leah Betts who died in 1995 from drinking 7 litres of water in 90 mins after taking ecstasy.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match up the key term to the definition.
Correct Answer:legal,allowed by the law

allowed by the law

Correct Answer:illegal,not allowed by the law

not allowed by the law

Q2.
Put these in the order of most dangerous drugs. Starting with the most dangerous.
1 - Class A
2 - Class B
3 - Class C
Q3.
Which two drugs are Class A drugs?
alcohol
Correct answer: cocaine
amphetamines
Correct answer: heroin
Q4.
True or false? Depressant drugs slow down the messages from the brain to the rest of the body.
Correct answer: true
false
Q5.
is the drug found in tobacco and most vapes.
Correct Answer: Nicotine
Q6.
What effect does nicotine have on the body?
An image in a quiz
increases lung capacity
Correct answer: raises blood pressure
Correct answer: raises heart rate
lowers blood pressure

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these drugs is not a stimulant?
Correct answer: alcohol
caffeine
cocaine
ecstasy
Q2.
Which of these drugs are illegal?
alcohol
caffeine
Correct answer: heroin
Correct answer: cocaine
Correct answer: ecstasy
Q3.
Put the method in the right order, to describe how to test a person's reaction time using a ruler.
1 - Person 1 rests their arm on the corner of the desk with their hand open.
2 - Person 2 holds a metre ruler vertical, 5 cm above person 1's hand.
3 - Without warning, person 2 should drop the ruler and person 1 should catch it
4 - Read the distance caught on the ruler.
5 - Look up the reaction time in the table.
6 - Repeat 5 times.
Q4.
Which types of food or drinks contain caffeine?
Correct answer: coffee
Correct answer: chocolate
crisps
Correct answer: energy drinks
sweets
Q5.
If a person is addicted to a drug they may experience symptoms when they stop using it.
Correct Answer: withdrawal
Q6.
Which of the following are considered withdrawal symptoms when a person stops taking heroin?
Correct answer: anxiety
Correct answer: nausea
high energy
Correct answer: bone pain
decreased heart rate