I selected the topic "Experience of secondary school students and vocational school students in the territory of the town Pilsen with narcotics and psychotropic drugs" for my diploma thesis. Substances that change consciousness have been known throughout the history of mankind. Newer substances, helping individuals to improve their physical and psychical abilities, keep appearing. This reason resulted in an increased demand for such "miraculous" substances in the past years. Life conditions have significantly changed lately, life has become hurried and confusing; striving for money, power, success or admiration prevails. That is why people are forced to pretend that they can cope with stressful situations, when they have to mask any failure or insecurities by never ending search for new resources and possibilities that could help them to stand such situations. The Diploma thesis gives an overview of the well-known substances that are being abused nowadays and the classification of these addictive substances, the work also deals with health and social consequences of drug abuse and, finally yet importantly, provides information about the danger of drug abuse, causes of its development and possibilities of prevention of this problem not only at schools, but also in private lives of adolescents, who are the most susceptible group in today's world. This work also includes statistic surveys that were conducted by distinguished organisations within the territory of the Czech Republic and that were subsequently compared with my own questionnaire survey. In order to find out what experience do students have with narcotics and psychotropic substances, a questionnaire was compiled and distributed for completion among students of selected secondary schools and vocational schools in the territory of the town Pilsen. Although the results of the empiric part of the Diploma thesis proved that the students had experience with narcotics and psychotropic substances, most of the cases related just to experimenting with these addictive substances and only a small percentage of students abused drugs from a long-term perspective.

The diploma thesis on the theme ?The problems of testing for HIV from the point of view of intravenous users of addictive substances? is divided into two main parts. The theoretical part outlines the whole extent of the problem of AIDS including testing for HIV antibodies generálky and testing for HIV in intravenous users of addictive drugs, the probléme of drug dependence and social work with drug users and the care system for the drug addicted. The practical part of the thesis was carried out through qualitative research. 32 intravenous drug users were questioned, the method used being a semistructured interview. During the second part of the research representatives of seven non-governmental non-profit making organizations, with a target group made up of drug users, were questioned. Two aims of the thesis were defined. The main aim was mapping the awareness of users of addictive substance of the possibilities of testing their HIV status. The second aim was monitoring the posibility of testing HIV positivity in the South Bohemian Region. Both aims were fulfilled. Three research questions were chosen: Do drug users know their HIV status? Is the reason of drug users´ ignorance of their HIV status their lack of interest in this problem? Is testing of drug users in the field adequate? After processing and analysing the results of the research three hypothese were defined. They are as follows: intravenous drug users in the South Bohemian Region are interested in their HIV status. Clients of contact centres underplay the risk of infection by the HIV virus. Testing drug users in the field in the South Bohemian Region is not sufficient. The conclusion of the thesis is first and foremost the discovery that testing in the field of people using addictive substances is necessary and the method of testing fir HIV in intravenous drug users needs to be adapted to the possibility of these people (free testing, the possibility of being tested in the afternoon, accompanying the klient to the health facility). The most advantageous possibility for ensuring a high protestation with intravenous drug users is the link of the contact centre directly with the health centre. An advantage would be especially a local link, so there should be a contact centre near the health facility, which there hardly ever is. Of course the crux is mainly good cooperation between the workers of individual organisations. The results of the research should allow the heads of low-threshold facilities to improve their work in the area of consultancy and widening of services for the testing of clients for the HIV and hepatitis viruses including improving their cooperation with health facilities. The thesis should serve as a basis for processing the regional anti-drug strategy.