Addiction – Lesson 2 – Different types of addiction

This lesson will cover different types of addiction. 

Teachers should choose the ones they feel are most applicable to their classes. 

Please be aware that some of the personal accounts may be triggering for students. 
Addiction - Lesson 2 – Different types of addiction
Starter
Unscramble the key words below that were introduced in the last lesson:

Extension: Write a definition for each

Addiction - Lesson 2 – Different types of addiction
Starter - Answers
Unscramble the key words below that were introduced in the last lesson:
Withdrawal 
Recovery 

Addiction 

Relapse

Extension: Write a definition for each

Gambling Section
Gambling – What is it?
Starter:
In what ways can people gamble?

Follow up questions:
Do you think many people gamble?

Is gambling always a problem?

Gambling Facts – UK
• 47% of British people have gambled in some way in the last month
• 30% of people in the UK have taken part in the National Lottery
• On average, British people spend £2.60 per week on gambling, adding up to over
£135.20 per year 
• In Great Britain, the gambling industry is worth roughly £14.5 billion 

Source: The Global Gambling Review 2021 - All You Needed To Know | Betting.co.uk
Gambling Addiction – What is it?
What is a gambling addiction?
It’s a type of impulse-control disorder, which means that a person is unable to
resist the urge to carry out an action, despite knowing that it will have negative
consequences for themselves, their life or the people around them. 

What are some of the symptoms of a gambling addiction?

• Being secretive about your gambling habits

• Being unable to control your gambling habits
• Gambling even when you don’t have the money to
• Having friends and family express concerns about your gambling
 0.5% of the UK’s adult

Numeracy follow up task population are

considered problem
gamblers
Look at the information in the speech bubbles on
the right and use your knowledge of percentages 15% of online
to answer the following questions: gamblers have been
1. If the UK adult population is approximately gambling in the
60 million, how many problem gamblers are workplace in the
there? last month
3.1% of gamblers
2. If 10 million people gamble online, how have bet more than
many have gambled in the workplace in the they can afford to
last month? lose

3. If there are approximately 25 million Gambling addiction

gamblers, how many have bet more than they is thought to cost
can afford to lose? the UK between
£260 million and
£1.2 billion per year
Source: The Global Gambling Review 2021 - All You Needed To Know | Betting.co.uk
 0.5% of the UK’s adult

Numeracy follow up task population are

considered problem
gamblers
Answers:
1. 300, 000 15% of online
gamblers have been
2. 1.5 million gambling in the
3. 775, 000 workplace in the
last month
Are these numbers higher or lower than you 3.1% of gamblers
expected? have bet more than
they can afford to
Do you consider the behaviours in questions 2
lose
and 3 to be problematic?
Gambling addiction
If someone you loved was doing either of these, is thought to cost
what would you say to them? the UK between
£260 million and
£1.2 billion per year
Source: The Global Gambling Review 2021 - All You Needed To Know | Betting.co.uk
What can you do if someone you love has a gambling
problem?
• Be honest with them and talk to them about how their behaviour is affecting you
and others around you
• Ask for support from other family members and friends 
• Make sure to protect yourself emotionally and financially
• Online resources which can provide more tips:
       - Gamcare
       - GamAnon 
How can you help yourself overcome a gambling addiction?

• Talk to your doctor, and they will be able to refer you to a specialist who can use this type of therapy to help
you think about the reasons why you have a gambling addiction, and give you the tools to cope with your
addiction
• Join a peer support group
• Strengthen your support network:
- Reach out to your family and friends to let them know you’d like help to stop gambling
• Find new ways of relieving unpleasant feelings:
- Some people gamble because they feel lonely, bored or stressed
- Try exercising, spending time with friends and family, taking up a new hobby, or practising relaxation
techniques
• Look through these online resources:
- GamCare
- Gamblers Anonymous
- The Gordon Moody Association 
Support: gambling

• https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/gambling-addiction/
• https://www.gamcare.org.uk/
• https://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/
• https://gordonmoody.org.uk/
• https://www.gmmh.nhs.uk/news/nhs-gambling-addiction-service-for-no
rth-of-england-3379/
• FilmLesson PlansTeachers Notes
Drug Section
Drugs – A Definition
By definition, a drug is something which has an effect on the body. Effects differ
from drug to drug, and person to person – drugs don’t affect everyone in the same
way - but there are two general kinds of effects:
• The intended effects (i.e., why the drug is being taken).
• The side-effects, which can be short-term or long-term. For example, you take
antibiotics to get rid of an infection in your body (the intended effects) but taking
the antibiotics doesn’t just get rid of the infection, it has an impact on the rest of
your body too. This can lead to side effects like an upset stomach, loss of appetite,
abdominal pain or diarrhoea. 
Drugs – Why do people take them?
With the person sitting next to you, spend 30 seconds listing drugs you
have heard of (remember the same one may have multiple names!)

Then, think about the question in the title, why do you think people take
some of these drugs?

After a couple of minutes, we will feedback to the class. 

Drugs – Why do people take them?

• People use legal and illegal drugs because they have effects which
people like, or they remove something people don’t like from their life

• Peer pressure: people sometimes take drugs to fit in, not because they
actually want to take the drugs

• Some people take drugs to relax, or to escape

• Some people like to experiment

Cannabis - Introduction 

1. Have you heard of cannabis before?

2. Do you know of any other names for it?

3. What does it bring to mind?

Cannabis - Dean’s Video
1. What affects does Dean mention that it had on his life?

2. Why does Dean think he became dependent on cannabis?

3. What impact did it have on Dean’s mental health?

4. Why were Dean’s friends not helpful? How do you think this made
him feel?
Cannabis – Fact or Myth?
• Most people are using cannabis
• Myth – Despite cannabis being the drug that pupils are most likely to have taken in the last year, in 2018 only 8% said they
had done so – meaning that 92% of students have not taken cannabis in the last year.
(Source: Part 4: Drug use among young people - NHS Digital) 

• Cannabis is used medicinally so it must be safe

• Myth – Medicines based on cannabis are prescribed in very rare cases by a small number of specialists in the UK, who are
trained to do so. This medical cannabis has lower levels of THC, the compound that gives users the ‘high’ associated with
cannabis use, and so is very different to the cannabis that is being sold. 

• Cannabis is safer than alcohol or tobacco 

• Myth – Cannabis has different short- and long-term effects to alcohol and tobacco so it is dangerous in different ways. It is
also impossible to compare since different strains of cannabis have different strengths. It is particularly unsafe to mix
alcohol and cannabis.  

• Cannabis can cause harm to physical and mental health

• Fact – what did Dean say happened to him?
Cannabis fact file follow up task
With your partner, read through the cannabis fact file. 

Highlight the parts that you think Dean experienced. 

Then complete the following sentences:

Before today, I didn’t know …

The main thing I think I will remember from today is …
Cannabis: support
• https://www.helpforaddicts.co.uk/
• https://www.drugsand.me/en/
Heroin – Introduction 

1. Have you heard of heroin before?

2. Do you know of any other names for it?

3. What does it bring to mind?

Heroin – What is it?
• Heroin is a drug made from morphine, which is extracted from the opium poppy.
Opium has been around for hundreds of years. It was originally used to treat pain,
sleeplessness and diarrhoea. 
• It is very addictive. 
• Physical tolerance (meaning a person’s body gets used to it very quickly) is
developed even after using it regularly for just a few days.
• Pure heroin is a white powder but, because of the range of substances it's cut with,
street heroin can be anything from brownish white to brown.
• Heroin can be smoked or dissolved in water and injected – and if it’s pure, it can
also be snorted.
• Injecting heroin – and sharing the equipment used for injecting, including needles
or syringes – can be very risky. It runs the risk of catching or spreading a virus,
such as HIV or hepatitis C.
Heroin – Effects on physical and mental health
• Heroin can cause long-term brain changes, including:
• difficulty making decisions
• reduced ability to regulate behaviour
• Impaired responses to stressful situations 
• Insomnia
• Collapsed veins for people who inject heroin
• Damage to the tissue inside the nose for people who snort opioids
• Infection of the heart
• Depression
• Antisocial personality disorder 
• Anti-social behaviours which can lead to breakdown in relationships with loved ones
Heroin
Withdrawal Overdose
The symptoms of withdrawal can start 6 to 30 It can be very easy to overdose on opioids
hours after last use, and they can last for because of how strong they are. This becomes
about a week. It can be very unpleasant to go even more likely with heroin because the
through. This can make it particularly difficult strength of the drug is not regulated, unlike the
to stop using. 
drugs used by doctors to treat disease. 
Some of these include:
•
Some symptoms of overdose include:
Fast heartbeat
• Insomnia ▪ Slow, shallow breaths
• Muscle cramps or tremors ▪ Not breathing
• Diarrhoea ▪ Barely conscious or unconscious
• Fever or chills ▪ Blue lips or fingertips
• Anxiety ▪ Gurgling sounds/snoring
• Irritability ▪ Pinpoint pupils
• Decreased ability to find pleasure ▪ Very slow heart rate
in life 
▪ Very low blood pressure
Simon’s video
1. Why did Simon start taking drugs?

2. What were some of the social effects of his drug taking? How did it
affect his loved ones?

3. What was Simon’s ‘rock bottom’? Have you heard this phrase
before?

4. What is Simon doing now?

Literacy follow
up task
• Imagine one of your friends
had been unwell and missed
this class. 
• You have been asked to write
a paragraph to explain to
them what they have missed
in today’s lesson. 
• Try to include some facts you
have learnt about heroin and
some specifics about what
Simon said in the video about
his experience and about what
he is doing now. 
Debate follow up task
Read this article:
Heroin abuser free to teach | Tes News
(https://www.tes.com/news/heroin-abuser-free-teach)

Produce three reasons why Ms Jones should be allowed to continue teaching and three
reasons why she should not be allowed. 

In pairs, take opposing views and try to convince your partner of your choice. 

If you are happy to, we would love to have some pairs demonstrate their debate for the
rest for the class!
Heroin: support
• https://www.helpforaddicts.co.uk/
• https://www.stgeorgescrypt.org.uk/
• https://www.drugsand.me/en/
Prescription Drugs – What are they?
What is a prescription drug? Can you think of any examples?

Prescription drugs are those which can be legally given (prescribed) by

a medical professional. They are only legal to take in such cases.
(Remember that in rare cases Cannabis can be prescribed, but in all
other cases it is illegal to sell and possess it.)
Prescription Drugs - Statement
“If something is prescribed by a medical professional, it must be safe.”

What do you think about the above statement? Do you agree or

disagree?

Can you think of any examples when that might not be true? 
Paul’s video
1. Why did Paul start taking drugs?

2. Why did Paul not think he had a problem?

3. What symptoms did Paul experience when the drugs would wear off?

4. What does Paul feel saved his life?

5. What does Paul use to express himself?

Prescription Drugs – Statement revisited
“If something is prescribed by a medical professional, it must be safe.”

Let’s revisit this statement. Has anyone adjusted their answer or their
thinking?
Support: prescription drugs
• https://www.helpforaddicts.co.uk/
• https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/
• https://www.drugsand.me/en/
Anabolic Steroids – What are they?
• Anabolic steroids are prescription-only medicines. Sometimes people take
them without being prescribed them and without medical advice to improve
athletic performance and increase muscle mass. 

• If used in this way, they can cause serious side effects and dependency issues. 

• Anabolic steroids are manufactured drugs that mimic the effects of

testosterone, the male hormone. 

Source: Anabolic steroid misuse - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Anabolic Steroids – Are they legal?
• Anabolic steroids can only legally be sold by pharmacists with a prescription.

• It is legal to have anabolic steroids for personal use. 

• However, it is illegal to import, export or possess anabolic steroids with intention of

supplying them to others. If it's believed you're supplying or selling them, including giving
them to friends, the penalty could be a prison sentence of up to 14 years, or an unlimited fine.

• Most professional sporting organisations have banned the use of anabolic steroids and test
athletes for banned substances.

Source: Anabolic steroid misuse - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Jack’s video
Throughout the video students should be filling in the worksheet.
Afterwards you can ask students to present their answers back. 
Is it worth it??
Further side effects
• Altered appearance or function of genitals: Men who use anabolic steroids might experience erectile dysfunction (they can’t
get an erection), shrunken testicles and the development of breasts. Women who use anabolic steroids might experience a
loss of breasts, swelling of the clitoris, and changes with periods. 
• Heart attack or stroke
• Aggressive behaviour
• Mood swings
• Hallucinations and delusions 
• Paranoia 
• Infertility 
• Severe acne
• Hair loss
• Liver or kidney problems, including failure
• Blood clots

• Stunted growth in adolescents: If anabolic steroids are used by children who haven’t started the growth spurt you get with
puberty, they can experience premature aging of their bones and restricted growth. 
Support: anabolic steroids
• https://www.helpforaddicts.co.uk/
• https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/
• https://www.drugsand.me/en/
Alcohol Section
Alcohol
Starter:

Why do you think there is a legal drinking age in the UK?

Do you agree with it being 18 in this country?

Alcohol
Why do you think there is a legal drinking age in the UK?

• Alcohol is a highly addictive, mind-impairing substance, especially when drunk in large

amounts.
• Unlike most other drugs, alcohol is socially acceptable, which means that more people are
likely to try it.
• Drinking alcohol at a young age can have a lasting impact on your health; it can affect the
development of your brain, liver, bones, and hormones.
• Drinking alcohol at a young age is also associated with employment problems and risky
behaviours like violence, unsafe sex, drug use, and drink driving.
Video follow up discussion
1. How old was Sarah when she started drinking? 

2. What impact did this have on her? 

3. How is Sarah now?

4. What is her motivation for staying in recovery?

Alcohol – What is a safe amount for an adult to drink?
• Once you’re over the age of 18, it’s fully legal for you to drink alcohol in the UK.
• This doesn’t mean you can drink as much as you want whenever you want;
alcohol can still have a negative impact on your health. 
• All adults are advised to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, ideally
over three or more days. 

You can work out units using this equation:

strength (ABV) x volume (ml) ÷ 1000

e.g. a 750ml bottle of red wine with an ABV of 13.5% (which will be on the label)
13.5 x 750 = 10125
10125 ÷ 1000 =  about 10 units in the bottle 
Alcohol consumption task
Use the facts below to work out whether each character on your worksheet is
drinking in a way that is in line with advice. 
Type of drink Number of units
25ml shot of a spirit 1
Small glass of wine (125ml) 1.5
Large glass of wine (250ml) 3
Pint of lower-strength beer/lager/cider  2
Pint of higher-strength beer/lager/cider 3
Alcopop (275ml, ABV 5.5%) 1.5

Source: Alcohol units - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Alcohol consumption task
Bobbi is a doctor. They are feeling stressed at work. To relax when they get home, they have a gin and tonic every
evening. They just put in one shot (25ml) on Mondays to Thursdays, but on Fridays they have a double (50ml)
before having a large glass of red wine with dinner. 

Jeremiah is really health conscious. He goes to the gym six days a week, allowing himself a rest day on a Saturday.
Because of this, Jeremiah usually goes out with his friends on a Friday night. Jeremiah doesn’t drink on any other
evening but on a Friday - he will usually go to the pub, before going to a bar, and then out clubbing with his friends.
A typical Friday night would start off with four or five lagers at the pub, followed by three or four vodka mixers in a
bar, usually doubles, and often two or three shots in the club later. 

Cecilia works at a bank in central London. As part of her job, she usually goes to networking events on Thursday
evenings. During these she tends to share a bottle of white wine (750ml) with her colleague, Alex. On Friday nights,
Cecilia and her wife always have dinner together, and either split a bottle of red wine or have a few gins. Cecilia
plays hockey on a Saturday morning and usually goes to the pub afterwards to have a couple of pints with her
teammates. On Sundays, Cecilia has her final drink of the week – a large glass of white wine with her roast dinner. 
Alcohol – Addiction severity
• 4th leading cause of preventable death worldwide.
• About 600,000 dependent drinkers in the UK.

Health impacts of alcohol addiction can include:

• Increased risk of throat, mouth, stomach, liver, and breast cancer
• Liver disease: cirrhosis, fatty liver disease
• Heart disease
• Brain and nervous system problems, including mental health issues such as depression
and dementia
• Seizures
• Digestive problems
Alcohol – Addiction severity
Overdose symptoms Withdrawal symptoms
• Vomiting • Hand tremors (known as “the shakes”)
• Cold, clammy skin • Sweating
• Loss of gag reflex • Headaches
• Seizures • Vomiting
• Slow heart rate • Hallucinations (seeing things that aren’t there)
• Slow breathing • Racing heart
• Loss of coordination • Restlessness
• Loss of (or impaired) consciousness • Insomnia
• Depression, anxiety and irritability
• Seizures (in the most serious cases)
• Withdrawal can be dangerous for people who regularly consume
alcohol, or are heavy drinkers, and it can even cause death
• Problem drinkers should always seek professional help before
attempting to stop drinking alcohol
Jo’s Video
1. What does Jo say is typical of alcoholics? What behaviour did her dad have?

2. What were Jo and her sister most scared of?

3. What withdrawal symptom did Jo’s dad get that was really confusing for her as a child?

4. How did Jo feel about her dad passing away?

5. What has helped Jo process her experiences?

Alcohol
Starter – Revisited

Why do you think there is a legal drinking age in the UK?

Do you agree with it being 18 in this country?

Exit Ticket
Before leaving, please complete the exit ticket! You can write this
anonymously if you would like to  

One thing I learnt today was

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

One thing I am still wondering is

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Support: alcohol
• https://www.helpforaddicts.co.uk/
• https://adfam.org.uk/
• https://www.johuey.co.uk
• https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/