Is whizz the biz?

My birthday is coming up and I'm planning to go clubbing with friends. One of my friends is bringing some speed for us and it will be my first time taking it. I'm looking forward to doing it but I'm still in two minds. What are the risks?

Firstly, it's important you know that the best way to stay safe is to avoid using drugs altogether. But, whatever you choose to do you're definitely doing the right thing by trying to find more about the risks involved.

Speed (an amphetamine) is a stimulant. Stimulants, as the name suggests, stimulate the way your body works. They speed up your heart rate and breathing and as a result can make you feel that you don't need to sleep. They can also suppress your appetite. This might sound like a good thing and it may feel like it for the first few times, but the difficulty with speed is that it can make you feel confident and trick you into thinking that it will always make you feel that way. The more you use it the worse it can make you feel and before you know it, things could have spiralled out of control. Lack of sleep will make you irritable and low in energy, resulting in feelings of panic and paranoia.

If you decide that you want to take speed, try swallowing it the first time rather than snorting or smoking. Swallowing will be a bit less of a shock to the body as it will take a bit longer to come up and the effects will be less intense. This will give you time to decide whether or not you like it and will reduce the intensity of the side effects.

If you do take it, try to be somewhere you feel comfortable and have people around you that you can trust. This is just in case you have a bad experience. If you want to get further support about this, contact the Frank helpline on 0800 77 66 00 for free and confidential advice and information. They will also be able to give you information about local drug and alcohol support services where you can get further advice and information about staying safe.

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Question answered by Addaction

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