Drugs
There are four main categories of drugs:-
- Stimulants (e.g. cocaine)
- Depressants (e.g. alcohol)
- Opium-related painkillers (e.g
heroin) - Hallucinogens (e.g. LSD)
Stimulants
These make you feel energetic, alert, talkative, active, and very excited. These can be very dangerous causing death at high doses. Repeated usage of these can cause psychosis and paranoia.
Depressants
These make you feel relaxed, chilled out and mellow. HOWEVER, they also can have the opposite effect such as anxiety, nightmares, and aggression. They are, like most drugs, highly addictive.
Opium-related painkillers
These make you feel a rush of pleasure, put you in a dreamy state and drowsy. These can be very dangerous causing death at high dose as well as being highly addictive.
Hallucinogens
These vary a lot as the same drug can have different effects every time that it is taken, even if you have taken it before. These may make you feel detached from your surroundings, alter your sense of space and time. Give you a feeling of insight, make you hallucinate or experience distortions of reality. It can also provide people with a mystical or religious style experience. The experience may be powerful and not much fun. Trips as well as being exciting and fun can also be traumatic and nightmarish.
Self-medicating
Self-medicating is when someone uses drink or drugs to relieve symptoms and feelings that they are not able to cope with day-to-day situations.
They believe that this is the only way to ease the pain, even though subsequently it will make it worse in the long term.
Signs of substance misuse
There are a few signs that someone is struggling with substance misuse.
- Unexplained or frequent absences.
- Change in behaviour or productivity.
- More accidents or mistakes.
- Change in physical appearance.
- Change in their language and outlook.
Where can you get help for substance misuse?
There are several places that you can get help here are just a few.
Your local GP and NHS trust will be able to provide you with immediate help and support.
Weekly Wellbeing Tip
Why not substitute a cocktail with a mocktail this week?
