Drink, drugs & smoking

The facts, not a scare campaign

Nobody has ever been talked out of anything by exaggeration. So this is what these substances genuinely do, where the real risks are, and what to do if a night goes wrong — including the bits that could keep someone alive.

If someone's in trouble right now

Call emergency services if someone can't be woken, is breathing slowly or irregularly, has blue or grey lips, is having a seizure, or is vomiting while barely conscious. Put them on their side, never on their back, and stay with them.

You will not get in trouble for calling. Responders are there to treat, not prosecute.

999 (UK) · 911 (US) · 112 (EU)

6 min

Alcohol

Why it hits teenagers harder, what a blackout actually is, and how to tell drunk from dangerous.

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5 min

Vaping & smoking

What nicotine does to a developing brain, why vapes are so hard to put down, and what quitting actually takes.

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5 min

Cannabis

What the evidence actually says about weed and the teenage brain, without the exaggeration.

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6 min

Other drugs & staying alive

Stimulants, pills, nitrous oxide, and the harm-reduction facts that matter most in an emergency.

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Test yourself

Eleven questions on alcohol, nicotine, cannabis and overdose response. The kind of thing that's genuinely useful to know before you need it.

If it's become a coping tool

Using something to handle anxiety, sleep, boredom or feeling numb isn't a moral failing — it usually means you're carrying a lot without enough support. Stopping tends to stick once something else does that job.