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Balloon Game

Aims:

To raise awareness of drug & alcohol issues

To reinforce drug prevention messages

To challenge attitudes and stereotypes

To encourage participants to explore drug-related decisions

To increase the participants understanding of outcomes of behaviour

To encourage individual and collective responsibility

To increase awareness of the potential dangers involved in certain behaviours

Read all of the following out to the group of young people.  You will need six volunteers to go into the balloon, the rest of the group need to vote on who is going to stay or go from the balloon.  A game for 10 - 30 young people.

‘You are in a hot air balloon sailing over shark infested waters.  The balloon has a slow leak and is going down.  You have 25 minutes before the balloon reaches the safety of land, but the balloon will not make it to land unless some of the passengers are sacrificed.  You must decide who are to be sacrificed.   One person every five minutes must be voted to jump out of the balloon to save the others and to keep the balloon aloft.’

There are six people in the balloon (read out), they are:

Student, smokes a bit of cannabis and gets his friends some too.

Local wide boy deals in anything you want, supplies Ecstasy, Cannabis, Heroin, Cocaine locally, also uses himself, he injects and has got a £1,000 a week habit.

Clubber has used ‘e’ regularly and doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.  It never harms her, she recommends it to her friends.

Doctor has 20 registered Methadone users on his register, but will supply you with anything at a price.

Shopkeeper who doesn’t care what he sells to anyone and regularly sells fags and solvents to the under 16s.  He never says no to any age.  Last week he was selling lighter fuel to a 10-year-old.

Dependant, uses Speed, Heroin and anything else she can get into a hypodermic and inject into her veins.  She prostitutes herself to get the money together for her fix, commits robbery and anything else. She is 17 and left home at 15 when it all got too much for her.

Each person reads out one paragraph at a time from the statements from their character below.   When each person has said his or her piece the rest of the group debate on who should go, the person who gets the most votes jumps.  Then all in the balloon say another statement, and the debate starts again.

Read only one paragraph out at a time

Hi I’m Steve, I’m in my first year of a History Degree and thinking of going into teaching.  I smoke a bit of dope to chill out on a Saturday night.

If my friends want some, I’ll let them have some, most of them smoke it occasionally anyway.

I buy in enough to cover what my friends need, they always come to me for their blow.

They pay for it of course, I’m not a charity. But my mates get it cheaper than those I don’t know.

In fact what I sell to people is paying my way through university.   I’m not from a rich family like some of these geeks, so I sell it to them.  I don’t know them, what do I care.

Read only one paragraph out at a time

I’m Ice, I’ll get you anything you want, a bit of blow, Charlie, Brown you name it and I’ll get it.

I grew up in a tough neighbourhood, I didn’t want to end up like my mum, poor all her life.  I make good money.

I use yes, but I’ve not got a problem.  I inject because it’s quicker and the fix is better.

It costs me about £1,000 per week in Cocaine and Heroin, so I’ve got to sell at least £8,000 worth to make it worth my while.

I couldn’t get through the day anymore without a fix, how could I afford my gear if I didn’t sell, what would I do, I can’t do anything else.

Read only one paragraph out at a time

Hi I’m Kate.  I go out Friday night and come back Sunday, I have a great time and party, I use ‘e’.  I don’t see the problem.  I’ve never had a bad trip, and I only use it on a Friday and Saturday, what’s the problem.

I can’t keep going right through the weekend without it.  I wouldn’t have such a good time, it would be crap.  It’s not like it’s addictive or anything.

I buy some for my mates as well.  We wouldn’t have a good time together if we didn’t all take it.  I couldn’t dance all weekend and enjoy myself as much.  I’m young, that’s what it’s all about isn’t it.

I give my mates it free for their first try, but after that I charge, it’s to show them it’s no big deal, they are dead boring if they don’t take it.

I’m off work at the moment, because I’m so knackered all the time, I can’t seem to sleep properly.  I’ve started smoking Cannabis during the week to relax me more.

Read only one paragraph out at a time

I’m Dr Smith.  I’ve been a doctor for 20 years, and I've ended up in a really scummy practice.

I have 20 registered Methadone users on my official register.  I sell it to a few more.

If these people want to shove shit in their veins who am I to stop them.  At least they are not getting it from some scumbag drug dealer.

There’s a lot of money in it, so I make up dodgy prescriptions.  They are going to take it anyway so why not, better the money in my pocket.

I sell stuff to loads of people and make about 20k a month.  At least I’m supporting these people by giving them stuff that hasn’t been cut badly.

Read only one paragraph out at a time

I’m Dave.  I’ve owned this newsagent for 15 years now, business is good, I’m making a good living.

I sell fags to anyone really, it’s not up to me to stop them smoking.  I’m not their parents.

I don’t know what they are going to do with the stuff do I, so I sell glue and lighter fuel and stuff to kids, it could be for their parents.

There are some kids that smoke, and we have some glue sniffers hanging out down the park, but they could be getting their stuff anywhere, not just from me.

If they have the money, yeah I’ll sell them fags and fluid.  One was dead young the other day about 10, but he said he was 16, so I sold it to him. What can you do? It’s not my fault if they lie.

Read only one paragraph out at a time

I’m Jane, I’m 17 and I live in a squat with some mates.

I use drugs mainly Heroin and Amphetamines (speed). I need it to get by, it makes things go away.

I always use clean needles; I go to the needle exchange to get them, I’m clean.  I always use condoms with my punters too.

I prostitute to get money, my gear don’t come cheap you know, and I’m trying to save for a better place, I’ve got a kid on the way now.

I left home at 15 and have been living on the streets since, I couldn’t stand my dad touching me anymore.  I can’t ever go back.

I wish things were different, I sometimes feel like I can’t go on, and now I’m pregnant.  I need the drugs to make the pain go away.  Who is going to help some one like me.

Gloucestershire YPSMS

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