health

GYS is hosting an event for young women during half term (26/10/06).

FIND YOUR 'REAL' SELF is a day for young women to come together and get involved in workshops, activities, arts and fun all designed to provide opportunities to do stuff young women may not usually get. There will be also be lots of information and ideas about being healthy and keeping safe.

The event is open to young women aged 13-21 from in and around Gloucestershire.

For more information contact Leisa at Grapevine on 01242 255888 or speak to your youth worker.

Grapevine is launching it's new texting service , U2Us this week. The service will use latest technology to provide, quality, up to date information, advice and support to young people direct to their mobile phones.

Young people can text on 0780 007 4927 and ask our trained volunteers (other young people) for information and support on a wide range of issues.

U2Us can also be used by a range of professionals working with young people either to receive information, send information to and consult with young people.

For more info text to 0780 007 4927, call Grapevine on 01242 255888 or leave a message on this site.

There are only two ways of reliably avoiding unplanned pregnancy, either celibacy (i.e. no sex) or reliable contraception. However if you want to have or are already having a sexual relationship, there are now a number of ways to protect yourself and your partner through reliable contraception. It is up to both of you to take responsibility for contraception, and even if you are in a same sex relationship, you will need to consider protection from STIs There are fourteen forms of contraception, some more re liable than others. The type of contraception you use needs to suit you and the sort of relationships that you decide to have. Pick the kind that's best for you and you won't have sleepless nights worrying about what if... Help is available in making this decision and you can try different forms of contraception if needed. (It is important to realise that no method of contraception is 100% reliable - but some are very close).

If you or your partner have had sex with anyone else in the past, there may be a chance that one of you has caught an STI without even knowing it. It is a good idea for both of you to get checked out at a clinic before you start having sex, but if that is not possible, you should follow these safer sex guidelines:

• Using condoms (rubbers', sheaths', jonnies') correctly is the best way to avoid infection. They offer protection against STIs and can help to provide protection against cancer of the cervix in women. They are available free from clinics and youth centres.
• Masturbation together is ok so long as neither you nor your partner have cuts, scratches or open wounds on your hands, penis or vagina.
• Anal sex is particularly risky if there is a possibility that your partner is carrying HIV, Hepatitis B, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis or any other STI. There is a higher risk of infection with anal sex as condoms are more likely to break, stronger condoms are available.
• Oral sex can also be risky, Dams (a thin, silky, latex protective barrier) are available for protection when giving oral sex to a woman, and condoms can be used for oral sex given to a man. Both dams and condoms come in flavoured varieties.
• A man can ejaculate on his partner's body provided his semen does not come into contact with a body opening or an open cut, sore or rash.
• If you suspect that either you or your partner has developed an STI of any type, you should not have sex until you have seen a doctor for treatment. If you do, you should use a condom.

Basically, don't take any risks. Always use a condom and think about your and your partner's sexual health.

If you're concerned about any aspect of your health, contact your nearest young person's advice and information centre. A full list of their details are in the contacts section at the end of the book. Alternatively, you may wish to contact one of the following organisations;

ALCOHOL & DRUGS

Life in Drug

Helpline providing advice, information and support for drug users, their partners, families and friends. Helplines - Young People: 0161 2736686 Adults: 0161 8392054

Narcotics Anonymous

Registering

Before sixteen, you can only decide about your own health care if doctors think you are capable of understanding what's involved. When you are sixteen, however, you may decide about your own health care. Anything you say to your doctor is private.

To register with a doctor, simply go along to a surgery (you could check out with your friends and family which doctors they use) and ask to be put on the list. If the practice is full, or you can't find a GP, contact your local health authority, who will allocate you to one.

Dentists are listed in the telephone directory. To register, simply go along to your chosen practice. But beware, many dentists nowadays accept only private patients - you may have to search quite hard.

If you're below 16, it is illegal for you to buy tobacco. But the fact of the matter is that many young people, regardless of their age, do smoke. Why? Look at these smoking myths:

• Smoking calms you down - Well, the act of smoking might distract you from a problem, but the nicotine in the cigarette will stimulate your body. In the end, having a fag will not calm you down.
• Smoking keeps your weight down - Nicotine can take the edge off your appetite, it's true. But stopping smoking doesn't mean you'll put weight on. If you do eat more when you stop, it's because you're looking for substitutes for smoking. So, once you've stopped if you eat healthily, and don't just camp outside your fridge, you'll be fine!
• Smoking is cool - How cool is having hair and clothes that smell, teeth and fingers that are yellow and no breath for running for a bus?

Kicking the habit

We all like to have a laugh and a good night out. Although you don't need alcohol to have a great time many young people choose to drink, most drink alcohol without experiencing serious harm or injury. But there can be risks for you if you are under the influence of alcohol.

• If you are in your early teens or younger, alcohol will affect you more because your body isn't fully-grown.
• The immediate effects of drinking can be: Nausea, vomiting, headaches and hangovers.
• It can also affect your mental health through: anxiety, insomnia, depression, attempted suicide, suicide.
• On a social level it can lead to: Criminal damage, unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, arguments with your partners or family and domestic violence.
• Female drinkers are affected even more due to biological differences between the sexes. Binge drinking is on the increase and is very bad for you.

Binge drinking is -?Any drinking session which involves the consumption of at least eight units of alcohol, if you are a man, or six, if you are a woman.' Binge drinking increases your risks of accident, getting injured as a result of a fight, damage your health and it has been linked to strokes, kidney damage, memory loss and an increased breast cancer risk in women.

Drug laws are very complicated indeed. But if you get caught, not knowing the law won't make any difference.

• It is illegal to possess, produce or supply the following drugs (called controlled drugs): LSD; Cocaine and crack; Ecstasy; Amphetamines; Heroin; Cannabis; GHB; Magic Mushrooms; Anabolic Steroids.
• It is illegal to possess tranquillisers (also a controlled drug) without a personal prescription, and it's illegal to supply them to others.
• It is illegal to possess GHB, it is not illegal to posses poppers - but you could be arrested if you share poppers with others.
• It is not illegal to possess gases or solvents, but shopkeepers cannot supply gases or solvents to under 18's if they suspect or know they will be used for abuse purposes.

Cannabis and the law