In 2019, half a million people all over the world died as a result of drug abuse. This topic is a very sensitive issue in a number of countries, including the Arab Republic of Egypt, where the government informs its citizens every few months about steps to take to combat this problem. Creating a TV series to be aired during Ramaḍān, the most important part of year from the Islamic point of view and also because of the media industry, is one of the tools to create awareness of the danger of drug addiction. In the article, the results of the research conducted on a very popular Ramaḍān TV series from 2015 entitled Taḥt as-Sayṭara are presented. The research focused on the presentation of this problem, in particular whether or not the problem was presented in a realistic way, thus aiding in the fight with drug addiction. This series was special, as it was the first and the only which was devoted so directly to the problem of drug addiction; the sickness covered about 89‒90% of the plot.

The study is prepared at the Department of International Information of Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University. The paper describes the healthcare system in Ukraine. The basic legal documents that relate directly to this issue are considered. The main health threats for Ukrainian youth are defined. Some of the social programs and projects related to healthy lifestyle of Ukrainian youth are examined.

The contribution analyzes the most important risks of the present youth subcultures and the opportunities for social work and social pedagogy with regard to the problems of youth subcultures. The basic characteristics of youth subcultures is described as well as their social development, types and forms. The central meaning is inscribed to the possibilities of interdisciplinary coaction of social pedagogy and social work when solving specific problems of youth subcultures in the process of socialization during free time or at the penetration of social deviations. A specific attention is paid to the definition of the professional roles of social workers and social pedagogues in relation to the risky youth subcultures.

The contribution refers to the participation of environment for the emergence of drug addiction of children and youth. It expounds the origins of drug addiction emergence with special respect to environment’s impact. It also presents selected results of the research implemented at elementary schools of the Banska Bystrica district in the Slovak Republic. A part of the research was directed to determine personal experiences with drugs of pupils at the 2nd stage of elementary schools.

The contribution is presenting the results of research realized with a sample of 744 respondents from the Banska Bystrica region. It is possible to deduce from the obtained answers that cigarette smoking – even despite anti-smoking education – is still attractive and popular. This is proved for example by 38% of pupils aged 10–11 who have already tried smoking as well as 25% of pupils who repeatedly smoked. Out of the whole sample of respondents, up to 65% of them tried smoking and 56.5% smoked again. Concurrently with the raising age of pupils there increases also the number of those who repeated smoking, so that in the category of 17–18 years of age it reaches as many as 71.5%. The numbers of pupils smoking on a daily basis are alarming (13–14 years of age 69.8%, 17–18 years of age 63%), and they are higher than those reported by other authors. The most frequent reason for first cigarette smoking was curiosity, around 75%. Pupils in most cases judge that sports can be a proper tool against smoking. Only 15.4% of them answered negatively. A relatively low percentage of respondents think that a sportsman must not smoke (55.6%); we assumed that there would be a larger number of them.

The paper deals with the carrying out of prevention of socio-pathological phenomena in the school environment with specific focus on practising the prevention of drug addiction. Inter alia it presents the results of research done in 2004 and in 2007, which was carried out among prevention coordinators at primary and secondary schools It focuses on the current state of the individual forms of prevention It analyses cooperation of schools with experts in the area of prevention (with the police, facilities of educational prevention as well as cooperation of school with the family.