Alternative names: Amyl, butyl, poppers, rush, stud.
 

How is it taken: Yellow / gold coloured liquid that is inhaled directly from a small bottle or from a cloth soaked in the liquid.
 

Effects on the body:
Nitrites effect the cardiovascular system (heart). Their effects last for just a few minutes and are felt soon after inhalation. Heartbeat increases and blood rushes to the head. This can cause headaches, dizziness, a slowed sense of time and feeling sick. Some users take nitrites to enhance sexual experiences although others have reported that it stops them getting an erection.
 
Users often take nitrites with other drugs. Combinations of any drugs can prove dangerous as their effects become unpredictable.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
Physical addiction or withdrawal is not usual with nitrites. However, long-term users can become psychologically dependent on the drug so that they need it to have a good time. Tolerance can also happen where users need to take more nitrite to achieve the same rush. Prolonged use can also cause skin rash around the nose and mouth.
 
The use of nitrites has led to heart attacks and can be harmful to people with eye problems such as glaucoma where the pressure inside the eyeball increases dangerously.
 
Nitrites come in a liquid form and can cause death if they are swallowed.
 

Alternative names: Speed, whizz, uppers, ice, meth.
 

How is it taken: Powdered amphetamine can be snorted, swallowed and added to drinks. Heavy users may even inject a solution of the amphetamine powder. Solid amphetamine and metamphetamine can be taken as tablets or smoked.
 

Effects on the body:
Both amphetamine and metamphetamine are stimulants. They affect the nervous system to cause an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and a reduction in appetite. These usually last for about for 4-8 hours. Both drugs give the user more energy, confidence and alertness. When the user comes down, they often feel tired and lethargic. It may take several days for the body to fully recover.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
Taking large amounts of amphetamine can cause feelings of panic and paranoia which usually disappear as the body breaks down the drug. Regular use can lead to eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa. Amphetamines can cause heart failure, especially if taken in high doses.
 
Metamphetamine gives a stronger high and feelings of depression, mood swings and tiredness as the drug wears off. This can lead to users becoming tolerant and needing to take more drug for the same effect. Psychologically dependence can follow where they have to keep taking the drug to try to avoid the unpleasant withdrawal effects.
 

Alternative names: Barbs, barbies, pink ladies, sleepers.
 

How is it taken: Capsules taken by mouth. Heavy users may break open the capsules and make a solution for injection.
 

Effects on the body:
Barbiturates were once widely prescribed to help people sleep. This meant that many were available for illegal use. New sleeping tablets mean that barbiturates are now prescribed only rarely and their illegal use has also greatly reduced.
 
Barbiturates are sedatives and work on the brain to slow impulses, reduce breathing and heart rates. A small dose helps relaxation but with higher doses anger and anxiety are often experienced. Loss of co-ordination, slurred speech, sleepiness and eventually loss of consciousness happen as the amount of the drug taken is increased. In relatively small doses this can be fatal as breathing is slowed and eventually stops.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
Addiction to barbiturates was a major reason against their continued use as sleeping pills.
 
Regular use leads to tolerance and more barbiturate needs to be taken to have the same effect. Changes in the nerve cells cause users to become physically addicted to the drug and stopping causes withdrawal symptoms including anxiety, hallucinations, inability to sleep, vomiting and sometimes seizures.
 
Overdose is common and can be fatal with even a small number of tablets, especially if taken with other sedatives such as alcohol or tranquillisers. Users who inject barbiturates run an much higher risk of overdose.
 

Alternative names: Benzos, tranx, jellies, tems.
 

How is it taken: 
Used under medical supervisions, the family of benzodiazepine tranquillisers are usually taken by mouth in the form of a capsule. Illegal drug users will take them in this form and also prepare a solution for injection.
 

Effects on the body:
Benzodiazepines are sedatives that act on the brain to make the user feel more relaxed, drowsy and less worried about any stressful situations. Effects can last for several hours after taking a capsule.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
Benzodiazepine drugs can be addictive as the user becomes physically dependent and has to take the drug to just feel normal. They need to take higher doses of the drugs to have the same effect and coming off them is difficult as withdrawal symptoms of anxiety, headaches and an inability to sleep often happen.
 
Overdoses of benzodiazepines can cause death. This is especially the case if they are injected or taken with other depressants like alcohol.
 

Alternative names: 
Blow, dope, grass, hash, marijuana, pot, puff, weed.

How is it taken: 
Smoked when it is rolled into a joint, or cigarette, with tobacco. Also inhaled using a pipe or sometimes brewed into a tea or cooked into a cake.
 

Effects on the body:
Cannabis is a mild sedative and makes people feel relaxed and mellow. Some users say it makes them more aware of music and helps them to lose their inhibitions. Many people find that the when they first use cannabis nothing much happens.
 
Co-ordination is affected and driving under the influence of cannabis is dangerous.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
Using cannabis does not appear to cause addiction and users do not suffer from physical withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking the drug. Psychological dependence is possible were regular users need the drug to feel good about themselves and cope with day-to-day life. Some users report feelings of anxiety and panic.
 
There are some claims that cannabis use can lead to psychological problems like schizophrenia. Its use may contribute to the worsening of such mental conditions but there is little evidence to suggest that cannabis is their cause.
 
Long-term smoking of cannabis is linked with the lung disorders that are associated with smoking cigarettes (bronchitis, emphysema, cancer).
 

Alternative names: C, charlie, coke, snow, crack, rock.

How is it taken: Cocaine is a white powder that is sniffed up the nose or made into a solution and injected. Crack cocaine is made into small lumps and smoked or made into a solution for injection.
 

Effects on the body:
Cocaine acts as a stimulant on the brain. Users feel more alert, stronger and energetic. Other physical effects include raised heart rate and blood pressure. The effects of cocaine are felt quickly after smoking or sniffing the drug. They are short-lasting (30 minutes) and with increased doses, users can feel anxious.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
The effects of cocaine wear off very quickly and so users often take many doses over a period of time. This can result in panic, anxiety, feeling that everyone is out to get them and hallucinations.
 
Users can become psychologically dependent on cocaine. They become tolerant and need more of the drug to get the same experience. Users have an uncontrollable desire to feel the 'high' that is brought on by the drug. This can severely affect their daily life. The drug is expensive and many long-term users are involved in crime to pay for their addiction.
 
If a long-term user stops taking the drug, they get withdrawal symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting, the shakes, insomnia, and sweating.

Alternative names: MDMA, E, pills, brownies, XTC.
 

How is it taken: Small tablet or sometimes a powder taken by mouth.
 

Effects on the body:
The effects of an ecstasy tablet can be felt about half an hour after it has taken and last for 3 to 6 hours.
 
Ecstasy is a stimulant that acts on the brain and central nervous system. It gives the feeling of extra energy so that the user can maintain physical activity, such as dancing, and not feel the need to sleep. User's often also feel emotionally more alert.
 
Ecstasy acts to reduce appetite and disrupts the user's ability to regulate body temperature. This can lead to heat stroke and dehydration which can prove fatal.
 
Users are advised to take a break from dancing and drink no more than a pint of water an hour to help prevent heat-stroke and dehydration. Drinking too much liquid can also cause problems as ecstasy interferes with the way the kidneys get rid of excess water. Body fluids build up which can lead to brain damage and death.

Is it harmful/addictive?
If a user overdoses on ecstasy, they may experience rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, faintness, panic attacks, loss of consciousness and seizures.
 
It is thought that ecstasy is not addictive but some tolerance can build up, meaning that more of the drug must be taken to reach the same high feeling. It may also contribute to feelings of depression, personality changes and memory loss.
 
Some recent reports have linked the use of ecstasy with the increased chance of developing clinical depression.

Alternative names: Diamorphine, gear, H, horse, opium, skag, smack.
 

How is it taken: 
Heroin is a powder that can be smoked or made into a solution for injection.
 
Opiates are also used under medical supervision as painkilling tablets or injections. These drugs are sometimes stolen and used illegally.
 

Effects on the body:
Heroin is one of a family of compounds called opiates that are similar to endorphins which are natural painkilling molecules found in the nervous system. They act as sedatives by slowing nerve signals.
 
The illegal use of heroin effects the brain to bring about a sense of happiness and take away emotional pain in the user who can "escape" from reality. These effects can last for several hours.
 
High doses can prove fatal as the drug interferes with the control of breathing which can stop.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
Regular users can become tolerant to the drug and need to take greater amounts to have the same feeling. Physical addiction can follow as the user's nerve cells change due to the heroin and the user is unable to function properly without it. This makes stopping heroin use and staying off it very difficult once addicted.
 
Overdosing on heroin is a serious problem, especially if the drug is combined with another sedative like alcohol or tranquilliser. Injecting the drug using shared needles can be a route for infection with HIV/AIDS.
 

Alternative names: Chat, qat, qaadka.
 

How is it taken: Leaves are chewed or made into a tea.
 

Effects on the body:
Khat is a stimulant that has an effect on the brain. It makes the user feel more alert and energetic. Regular use can lead to an inability to sleep and anxiety.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
Physical addiction does not appear to happen but psychological dependence can occur. The user is tired and lethargic without the drug. They feel like they need Khat to stop them feeling down and to give them some energy.
 

Alternative names: Acid, dots, L, Lucy, smilies, trips.
 

How is it taken: LSD can be a tablet or pellet which is taken by mouth. It is also sold as a small square of paper which has been impregnated with the drug.
 

Effects on the body:
It is a drug that affects the brain and causes weird hallucinations. The user imagines they see, hear and feel all kinds of odd things. LSD releases a person's imagination and emotions so that an LSD trip can be pleasurable or terrifying. There is no way to tell before taking the drug and trips lasting up to 12 hours cannot be stopped if they are bad.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
When users take the drug, they do not know if they will have a bad trip. These can cause anxiety and a feelings that everyone is out to get you or that everyday objects will do you harm.
 
LSD does not appear to lead to physical addiction but flashbacks can be experienced when part of a trip is re-lived a long time after the original trip has finished. Users cannot control flashbacks and they can be very frightening, especially as they happen unexpectedly. LSD may increase the chance of psychological problems in users who are susceptible to mental illness.
 
The effects of LSD are to remove the user from reality and this can lead to accidents or self-harm while the user is unaware of what they are doing.
 

Alternative names: Magics, mushies.
 

How is it taken: Eaten raw, cooked, dried or used to make a drink.
 

Effects on the body:
Magic mushrooms contain chemicals that affect the brain and cause hallucinations or a 'trip'. Users do not have any control over whether the trip is good or bad and some may have frightening effects.
 
The effects of magic mushrooms can usually be felt about 30 minutes after eating them and a trip can last up to 10 hours.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
The biggest problem with hallucinogenic drugs like magic mushrooms is that the user cannot predict what type of trip they will be have. They do not necessarily depend on the person's mood and a bad trip can lead to psychological harm. Users can experience disturbing flashbacks when they return to a trip a long time after the magic mushrooms were taken.
 
Tolerance to magic mushrooms can develop so that users need to eat more to have an effect. Psychological dependence can happen when users need to regularly use the mushrooms otherwise they will feel down or depressed without them.
 
Eating the wrong type of mushroom can be fatal as many contain harmful toxins.
 

Alternative names: Roids.
 

How is it taken: Tablets or injections.
 

Effects on the body:
Anabolic steroids are often used by athletes and body builders. They help to increase the build up of muscles when the athlete is training for an event. Users claim that steroids can make them train harder, compete more aggressively and recover more quickly.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
Steroids are not linked with physical addiction but users can become psychologically dependent where they need to take the drug to feel energetic and well.
 
Steroids are powerful and have many harmful effects on the body. They can cause women to develop male characteristics, facial hair and a deep voice. Male users can grow breasts, develop acne, become sterile and even see the size of their testes shrink.
 
Users may undergo mood swings and become violent or depressed while taking steroids. Long-term problems include liver failure and dangerous blood clots that are able to cause fatal heart attacks, lung problems or strokes.
 

Alternative names: Aerosol, gas, glue.  

How is it taken: Inhaled from products such as nail varnish removers, aerosol cans and lighter fuel.
 

Effects on the body:
Solvent vapours are quickly absorbed through the lungs and into the blood. They affect the brain to slow down heart rate, decrease breathing and give a feeling of disorientation. Sometimes users lose consciousness for a short period of time. The effects usually wear off after about 45 minutes.
 
Some solvents can lead to heart failure during exertion.

Is it harmful/addictive?
As users become disorientated and lose co-ordination, serious accidents can happen after sniffing solvents. If the user becomes unconscious, it is possible to choke on their own vomit and die of suffocation.
 
With prolonged use of solvents, the body becomes tolerant and this means the user needs to inhale more solvent to get the desired effect. Some users become psychologically dependent on solvents and need them to help with their everyday life.
 

Alternative names: Fags, smokes, ciggies.
 

How is it taken: Smoked in a cigarette or pipe.
 

Effects on the body:
Tobacco contains nicotine which acts as a stimulant on the body. It increases heart rate and blood pressure. Nicotine also affects the brain and users say it makes them feel more relaxed.
 

Is it harmful/addictive?
Smokers can become addicted to the effects of nicotine and suffer withdrawal symptoms, becoming irritated and anxious if they are unable to smoke to their regular level. Many users want to give up smoking but the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms make this difficult.
 
Tobacco also contains tars which are responsible for many disorders including serious chest infections, emphysema, heart disease as well as cancers of the lungs, stomach and throat.
 
Carbon monoxide is also in cigarette smoke and this reduces the amount of oxygen carried in the blood. This is especially a problem if a woman smokes when she is pregnant as the developing foetus does not get all the oxygen it requires and grows less than normal.