Emma thinks that younger students drink alcohol because they are living away from home for the first time, and it's easily available. They are young and immature and can often lose control, which can put them in a vulnerable situation.

They have all found that drinking at university is very different from drinking at school. They drank a lot more but think that now they are a bit older, and after the first year at university, they will be more responsible with drinking.

In her teens, Stephanie would drink a lot and smoke cannabis with friends. She had concerns about short-term memory loss and cannabis smoking so asked her GP for medical advice. She stopped smoking cannabis four years ago and feels that her memory, energy levels and motivation have all improved.

Jen used to drink as a teenager but has always been cautious about drugs. She grew up in a small village where there was a drug problem. A few of Jen's friends would take pills at raves. After seeing videos at school about the effects of pills, she has always been terrified of them. Jen drank a lot at University but doesn't drink so much now that she has a full-time job.

Kim used to drink in the park during her early teens and started going clubbing around the age of 15. She would smoke a small amount of cannabis if offered when she was at school, but she wouldn't have bought it. She didn't like the effects of it. She doesn't do drugs because she is concerned about being addicted, and it doesn't interest her at all. She doesn't going out drinking with friends as much as she used to because she is trying to save money.

When Raphael was younger he and his friends would go out to get drunk three or four times a week. Now he spends more time with his fiancée than in the pub. Raphael smokes cannabis but says that he will stop using it when he and his fiancée decide to start a family.

Joe used to drink a lot at parties when he was a teenager. When he moved out of home he started to smoke cannabis regularly. For a time, Joe was going to drum & bass nights regularly where he would often use ecstasy. He has stopped using drugs and drinks alcohol less often because he has become more interested in health and fitness. He goes out to pubs and clubs far less often now.

Sam first experienced drugs at fifteen, when he smoked a cannabis resin with friends. Sam has experimented with many illegal substances including skunk, ecstasy and crack cocaine. In his early twenties, Sam decided to give up drugs completely, though it took around three years to do so. He started by giving up smoking weed.

As a teenager, Stefanie worked in a pub where she drank a lot. In her teens, Stefanie tried cannabis once and it doesn't seem to have had any effect on her. She has never been interested in experimenting with illegal drugs. Stefanie doesn't smoke cigarettes either but alcohol is an important part of her life.

When Kasim was in school there was a lot of pressure to be 'cool' and smoking cigarettes was part of this. He thinks that if he hadn't hung around with the wrong crowd, he probably would have gone to university, but he doesn't blame his friends for his actions. Karis has been smoking weed since she was fourteen, and thinks that it affected her education and future. For her, the lack of motivation is probably one of the biggest symptoms of smoking weed. Karis wants to stop smoking weed, and has cut down.