Jeremy Shadlow and Noah Taylor in Out of Control

Out of Control is a dramatised film, made in cooperation with the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit of the Prince of Wales Hospital, aiming to show young people the dangers of drug use, especially alcohol and marijuana. Its message has a preventative bias by positively reinforcing young people’s rejection of offers of drugs.

The research carried out for the film identified that a major cause of drug addiction among children was the breakdown of communication within the family. Other causes are those relating to peer group pressure, resistance to instruction, opposition to adult behaviour and adult messages, anxiety caused by unrealistic parental expectations and misguided searches for one’s own identity.

In this film, Tony (Jeremy Shadlow) is shown his short life in flashback as his survival hangs in the balance following a fatal accident after a joyride. His experiences are perhaps those of a typical adolescent experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

This program was made specifically for 10 to 14 year olds. It presents a complex problem in a simple way. Key concepts include: no drug is safe; drugs can get you into dangerous situations; drugs can destroy relationships; decisions have consequences; and you are responsible for your own behaviour, no one else.