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Information provided from Pinewood Centre, Dawn Program
- Experimentation motivated by curiosity
- Uses only when offered - can easily refuse
- Recreational use - mainly weekends
- Buying drugs
- Increased cravings
- Onset of using a coping mechanism
- Increased quantity & frequency
- Change in leisure activities
- Experimenting with other drugs
- Short of money
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- Attempts to stop or reduce
- Mood swings
- Intense cravings
- Tolerance develops - use increase
- Using in the morning
- Relationship difficulties
- Disturbed sleep
- Poor nutrition health problems
- Withdrawal symstoms
- Loss of employment
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- Financial problems
- Experiences Paranoia
- Impaired thinking/ memory
- Begins to sell drugs
- Legal involvement
- Loss of family & friends
- Hospitalization
- Increased health problems
- Suicidal ideation
- Loss of home
- Life continues in a state of crisis...
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| Go to column 2 |
Go to column 3 |
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| Non user |
- Never used a particular drug
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| Experimental |
- Has tried a substance once or a few times. Use is motivated by curiosity about the drug effect.
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| Irregular use |
- Use is infrequent and irregular, usually confirmed to special occasions (holidays, birthdays, etc) or when opportunities present themselves. Usually with friends, thoughts are not pre-occupied with use.
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| Regular use |
- Use has a predictable pattern which may entail frequent or infrequent use (not just a recreational activity or weekends) Thoughts become pre-occupied. Negative consequences in one or more life areas.
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| Depedent use |
- Use is regular and predictable and usually frequent. Physical addiction is possible. Psychological dependence may be present (feels a need to have the substance). Knows there s a problem but continues to use.
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| Stage #1 |
- Experimenting with drug use.
- Have little knowledge and usually a lot of mis-information.
- Opinions are not well formed.
- Unaware of the possible consequences.
- Many youth experiment with drugs.
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| Stage #2 |
- Seeking the mood swing.
- Some youth decide to quit (don’t like the experience) liked the temporary relief from worry and anxiety were able to be more talkative become more popular.
- To make real friends they had to be themselves, to make drug friends, they just needed money.
- Money – at first easy to get, kids share their money, some steal, some sell or trade belongings and will even trade sex.
- Fronting drugs: taking various quantities of drugs away on the promise to bring money at a pre-arranged time/date.
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| Stage #3 |
- Harmful involvement.
- Preoccupation with drugs
- May be attending school but not for the right reason (dealing), socialization only,
- Absences are mounting, grades are dropping.
- Blaming others for their actions and want others to make excuses for them.
- Psychological dependence forming.
- Binge use patterns.
- Using pattern saturated with planning to use and using.
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| Stage #4 |
- Chemical Dependency
- Totally preoccupied with drugs and their lives have become unmanageable
- May be hitting bottom and depression has become their way of life
- Health may be suffering
- May despair that they can’t get off drugs
- May have thought of suicide
- All family members are affected by the addiction in some way
- May decide to leave home
- Parents may become authoritarian and punitive but do not know how to reach the youth
- Requires professional help to make changes to using pattern.
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Download our Document here - 73 KB PDF file 
Download our Document here - 77 KB PDF file
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