D. Healthy Living · Healthy Living

Ripple Effects: Substance Use, Addictions and Related Behaviours

D3.2 A1.2 A1.6About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can analyse personal and societal implications of using tobacco, vaping products, alcohol, cannabis and performance-enhancing drugs.
I can explain how behaviours such as excessive gaming, screen use, gambling and viewing pornography can affect school, relationships and health.
I can use the ripple model to think through consequences before I make a choice.

Words to know

implication
A result or effect that follows from a choice, sometimes one that isn't obvious at first.

personal implication
An effect on the individual: health, school, money, relationships, safety, legal trouble.

societal implication
An effect on families, communities and society: health care costs, crashes, crime, lost work, effects on others.

nicotine
A highly addictive drug found in tobacco and in many vaping products.

behavioural addiction
When a behaviour, such as gaming or gambling, becomes very hard to control and keeps going even though it causes harm.

impaired driving
Driving while the ability to drive is affected by alcohol, cannabis or other drugs. It is a crime in Canada.

withdrawal
Unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms when a person stops using something their body or brain has become dependent on.

Drop a stone in a pond

When you drop a stone in a calm pond, ripples spread out in rings. A choice about substances or habits works the same way. The first ring is you: your health, your schoolwork. The next ring is your family and friends. The outer rings reach your community and society.

The Grade 7 curriculum asks you to analyse personal and societal implications of substance use, addictions and related behaviours. That's the ripple model.

The ripple model: one choice spreads from you to family and friends, then the community and society. Examples here are from impaired driving.

Remember from Grade 6

You learned the effects of cannabis, the influences on decisions about alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and vaping, and that abstaining (not using) is always an option. This year you'll trace the effects outward, and include behaviours (like gaming and gambling) that can become addictions too.

Substance	Personal implications	Societal implications
Tobacco and vaping (nicotine)	Nicotine is highly addictive; smoking harms the heart and lungs and causes cancer; vaping can harm the lungs, and many vapes contain nicotine; costs a lot of money	Health Canada calls tobacco use the leading preventable cause of disease and early death in Canada; health care costs; second-hand smoke harms others
Alcohol	Poor judgement and coordination, injuries, alcohol poisoning, risky situations, harm to the developing brain, school problems	Impaired driving crashes, violence, harm to families, health care and policing costs
Cannabis	Memory, attention and learning problems; anxiety; risk of psychosis; addiction; legal problems for under-19s	Impaired driving; lost school and work time; effects on families
Performance-enhancing drugs (such as anabolic steroids)	Stopped growth in teens, acne, mood changes, liver damage; banned in sport, can end an athletic career	Unfair competition; damages trust in sport; pressures others to use

Ripple effects of substance use.

Addictions aren't only about substances

Some behaviours affect the brain's reward system in ways that can make them hard to control. The World Health Organization recognizes gaming disorder as a health condition, and problem gambling is a well-known addiction.

Technology dependence (gaming, scrolling, streaming) can lead to:

School: late or missing homework, falling asleep in class, lower marks.
Relationships: less time with family and friends in person, arguments about screen time.
Physical health: less sleep, less physical activity, eye strain, headaches, sore neck and back.

Gambling (including online betting and gambling-like features in games, like loot boxes) can lead to money loss, secrecy, stress and conflict. Online gambling sites in Ontario are for adults only.

Viewing pornography can also become a habit that's hard to control. Pornography usually shows unrealistic bodies and sex, often without showing respect, communication or consent. Regular viewing can shape harmful ideas about relationships, bodies and what partners expect, and can take time away from school, sleep and real friendships. If you come across it, close it, don't share it (sharing it with other young people can be harmful and can be against the law), and talk to a trusted adult if it's bothering you or becoming a habit.

Signs a habit may be becoming a problem

Needing more of it to get the same feeling.
Feeling irritable, anxious or low when you can't do or have it.
Hiding it or lying about how much.
Giving up activities, friends or sleep for it.
Trying to cut back and not being able to.

If you notice these signs in yourself or a friend, talk to a trusted adult. ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) and Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) can help.

Worked example

Let's map the ripples of impaired driving

Jess, 19, drives home from a party after drinking. She thinks, "It's only five minutes, I'll be fine."

Ring 1, Jess: slower reactions and poor judgement; risk of a crash, injury or death; criminal charges; losing her licence; insurance costs.
Ring 2, family and friends: passengers could be hurt; family worry, grief or financial stress.
Ring 3, community: other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians at risk; police, paramedics and hospital resources.
Ring 4, society: health care and legal costs; lost lives and loved ones.
Better choices: plan ahead with a designated driver who hasn't used any alcohol or cannabis, a taxi, transit, staying over, or calling family. In Ontario, drivers aged 21 and under and new drivers must have zero alcohol and zero cannabis in their system.

One "five-minute" choice can ripple across many lives. Planning ahead stops the ripples before they start.

Worked example

Let's analyse gaming

Omar, 12, games until 1 a.m. most nights. His marks are dropping, he's skipped hockey twice, and he gets angry when his mom asks him to stop.

Personal: less sleep → tired in class → lower marks; less exercise; anger and irritability.
Relationships: conflict with his mom; missing his team.
Warning signs: giving up activities he used to enjoy; irritability when he stops; losing track of time.
Plan: devices out of the bedroom at night; a schedule (homework and hockey first, then a set game time); a timer; other relaxing activities; talk with his doctor if he can't cut back.

Gaming isn't bad in itself. The problem is when it takes over sleep, school and relationships. Noticing the signs early makes change easier.

Gaming until 1 a.m. leaves Omar about 6 hours of sleep. With a schedule and devices out of the bedroom, he gets 9.5 hours, inside the 9 to 11 hours his age needs.

Hands-on activity

Ripple map

You need: a large sheet of paper and a pencil.

Draw four rings like ripples in a pond. Label them Me, Family and friends, Community, Society.
Choose one issue: vaping, impaired driving, energy drinks, a gaming habit, or online gambling ads.
Write at least two implications in each ring.
On the back, write two ways to stop the ripples (choices, supports, rules or programs).
Share your map with your grown-up and ask which ring surprised them most.

What to look for: at least eight realistic implications across all four rings and two prevention ideas.

Your turn

What's the difference between a personal and a societal implication?

What addictive drug is found in tobacco and many vapes?

Name one personal and one societal implication of alcohol use.

Name one risk of anabolic steroids for teens.

Give two ways too much gaming can affect school.

Name two signs a habit may be becoming a problem.

What is the rule for drivers aged 21 and under in Ontario?

More practice: warm-up

True or false: only substances can be addictive.

True or false: vapes never contain nicotine.

What is withdrawal?

Is impaired driving a crime in Canada?

Name one way pornography is unrealistic.

More practice: on your own

Explain how second-hand smoke is a societal implication of smoking.

How can performance-enhancing drugs harm a sport, not just the athlete?

Give two ways technology dependence can affect relationships.

Why might regular viewing of pornography affect how a young person thinks about relationships?

Name two ways a community can reduce the ripples of impaired driving.

Challenge

Choose vaping. Analyse at least two implications at each level: personal, family/friends, community, society.

Explain why behavioural addictions like gaming disorder can be harder to notice than substance addictions.

Write a short persuasive message to a younger student about choosing not to vape, using one personal and one societal reason.

Check your understanding

Quiz

A societal implication of alcohol use is...

Which is true about vaping?

Which is a sign a gaming habit may be a problem?

Anabolic steroids can cause teens to...

Ontario drivers aged 21 and under must have...

Why can pornography give harmful ideas about relationships?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson covers the Grade 7 expectation to analyse the personal and societal implications of issues related to substance use, addictions, and related behaviours, such as tobacco, vaping, alcohol, cannabis and performance-enhancing drugs, and behaviours such as technology dependence, gambling and viewing pornography, including effects on school, relationships and health (D3.2). It builds coping (A1.2) and critical thinking (A1.6).

How to help at home:

Make a family media plan: devices out of bedrooms overnight, screen-free meals, time limits that leave room for sleep and activity.
Talk about impaired driving and make a "call me anytime, no questions asked tonight" agreement.
Use parental controls and in-app purchase limits as a support, alongside conversation.

About the pornography content: In this lesson, it is discussed briefly as a behaviour that can become hard to control and that gives unrealistic ideas about relationships, in line with the Grade 7 curriculum; nothing explicit is described. Reassure your child that coming across it accidentally is not their fault and that they can always talk to you.

Common difficulties: Children often see only the personal ring. Ask, "Who else could this affect?" to push their thinking outward.