Drugs, Alcohol and Substance Misuse
Drugs and alcohol can make managing your health difficult
Using drugs and alcohol can make looking after your health more difficult in several ways. Notably, certain alcoholic drinks, including beer, cider, sweet wines, and cocktails, tend to be high in sugar, which can contribute to weight gain.
See our section on alcohol for more information.
Different drugs can have different effects. Here are just a few of the problems you may have from common drug groups.
Cannabis and hallucinogenic drugs
Cannabis and hallucinogenic drugs, like ketamine, magic mushrooms and LSD, can make you forget to eat or take any medication you take. Cannabis can also cause food cravings, so you may end up snacking on foods that raise your blood sugar level.
‘Uppers’ or stimulants
Uppers such as cocaine and ecstasy can make you feel you have tons of energy because they increase the body’s metabolic rate. This means your body temperature goes up and you might do more, which can lead to dehydration. Coming down from ‘uppers’ can leave you feeling very low, depressed, irritable and tired.
Opiates
Heroin, fentanyl and codeine are opiates that slow down the brain, heart rate and breathing.
These drugs can be very addictive. If you inject heroin, skin infections that don’t heal can be a serious problem.
Tackling a drug or alcohol problem
Using alcohol or drugs can sometimes be used as a way of coping, but this can be harmful and more damaging in the long run. If you or someone you know is having problems with alcohol or drugs, getting help and information is the first step to making changes.
Discuss your alcohol or drug problem with a healthcare professional. They can signpost you to local services and offer advice.
Taking small steps towards cutting down may be best for you, and there’s lots of online advice that covers ways to do that. So if you feel you can manage your problem, or don’t want to tell anyone about it, you can get good online advice from:
Tackling the issues that may be making you drink or use drugs is perhaps where you want to start. The NHS also has a great series of self-help therapy guides covering managing stress and anxiety, getting better sleep or coping with a low mood or lack of confidence.
