RISUP – Reducing Illicit Substance Use Project – is one of four projects to be allocated part of a £1.8million fund by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). 

Led by Dr Chris Retzler and Professor Michael Doyle, and collaborating with a number of partners including the University of Leeds, the University of Manchester and Kirklees Council. Nearly a quarter of 15-year-old pupils in England report having tried illegal drugs such as cannabis, ketamine, cocaine, ecstasy and nitrous oxide but we don’t yet know how to reduce this. This project aims to help prevent drug use by working with young people during the important move to high school and throughout their teenage years.

In the first phase of the project, we looked at what works and talked to experts in the field. Based on that, we developed three ways to help young people make better choices about drugs:

1. Educational materials for 11-to-12-year-olds to learn skills for dealing with growing up and avoiding drugs
2. A one-on-one course for 11-to-18-year-olds already using drugs
3. A public health campaign which encourages 11-to-14-year-olds to talk about how they are feeling and to make healthy choices

In the second phase of the project, we worked with young people and partners to test the interventions in real world settings. The educational materials have been used in schools in Kirklees, West Yorkshire. The one-on-one course has been used by a local drug and alcohol service that works with young people who are already using drugs. We worked with young people, parents and those who have experience of drug use to improve and assess our campaign. We now have some early evidence that these approaches can be put in place and are beneficial.