drugs and alcohol

Alcohol is seen by many as a more socially acceptable drug, but that's not to say it's any less powerful than other drugs.

'Speed' is the street name for a range of amphetamines. Like cocaine, amphetamines are stimulants that people take to keep them awake and alert.

Poppers are small bottles filled with liquid chemicals called alkyl nitrites. Nitrites like amyl nitrite (and butyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite) dilate the blood vessels and allow more blood to get to the heart.

Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in Britain. Made from parts of the cannabis plant, it's a naturally occurring drug.

Cocaine powder, freebase and crack are all forms of cocaine. They are stimulants with powerful, but short-lived, effects.

Same as cocaine but a LOT stronger. The effects are immediate, peak for about 2 minutes and last for about 10 minutes.

This is often called the original designer drug because of its synonymous relationship with rave culture in the early 90s.

Heroin is a natural opiate made from morphine (opiates dull pain). Morphine is extracted from the opium poppy.

LSD or Lysergic Acid Diethylamide is a hallucinogenic drug (which means you're likely to experience a distorted view of objects and reality, including in the form of hallucinations).

Magic mushrooms are mushrooms that grow in the wild. They produce similar hallucinogenic-type effects to LSD when you eat them.

When inhaled, solvents have a similar effect to alcohol. They make people feel uninhibited, euphoric and dizzy.

The male hormone, testosterone, is an anabolic steroid. The effects of the other anabolic steroids are often very similar to the effects of testosterone.

Tobacco comes from the leaves of the tobacco plant. It contains a drug called nicotine which is highly addictive.

Tranquillisers are manufactured drugs produced to treat anxiety, depression and insomnia.