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Substance use

Substance use (or “drug use”) includes using anything that you put into your body that alters your state of consciousness. Drugs can have a stimulant effect, a depressive effect and/or a hallucinogenic effect. Drugs can be legal or illegal to buy and use, and some are accessible only with a prescription.


Stimulants

Stimulants are a class of drugs that speed up messages travelling between the brain and the body. They can make a person feel more awake, alert, confident or energetic. Stimulants include caffeine, nicotine, cognitive enhancers (like Adderall or Vyvanse), amphetamines (like MDMA or ecstasy) and cocaine.

Depressants

Depressant substances reduce arousal and stimulation. They do not necessarily make a person feel depressed, rather they inhibit the central nervous system and slow down the messages between the brain and the body. They can affect concentration and coordination, slowing down a person’s ability to respond to unexpected situations, and often are described as giving a feeling of relaxation. Depressants include alcohol, benzodiazepines, GHB and Kava.

Hallucinogenic (psychedelic) drugs

Hallucinogens alter the perception of reality and can make someone see, feel and hear things that aren’t real, or distort their understanding of things happening around them. These effects change the way that someone behaves, and they may act in unexpected ways. Each time the drug is taken, it’s commonly called a “trip” – and these trips can be enjoyable, or they can be very scary (and anything in between). Some examples of hallucinogenic or psychedelic drugs are LSD, psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) and ecstasy.

How do drugs and alcohol affect your mental health?

People with mental health presentations experience painful emotions more frequently or will have external situations that make their lives more difficult. Some of these individuals may use drugs and alcohol to cope with feelings of sadness, numb feelings of anxiety/shame/guilt or to stop thinking about certain situations. These people will tell you this ‘works’ for a little while, however, substance use often increases over time and can contribute to other issues in areas. Some people may also develop a dependency on that drug (sometimes called addiction) and will find that they are unable to cope without using the drug, which can impact lots of different areas of their life, from their mental and physical health to their social and financial wellbeing.

People may use drugs and alcohol to have a good time or to fit in. However, frequent use can contribute to low mood, low motivation, poor concentration, aggression and other potential experiences of physical and mental ill health. Prolonged use of drugs and alcohol has been linked to depression, anxiety, and suicide in young people.

Substance use and sexual assault

Intoxicated individuals can’t provide consent to sexual contact. Sexual contact or intercourse with an intoxicated person who is unable to provide consent is sexual assault. Over 50% of student sexual assaults involve alcohol. Read more here - Sexual harm, Safer Community

Drinking to get drunk?

Binge drinking is the consumption of large amounts of alcohol in a short time (like a few hours), resulting in a Blood Alcohol Level (BAC) of 0.08 or higher. This typically occurs after the consumption of 4-5 alcoholic drinks over less than 2 hours, but it varies for different people depending on a range of factors. Roughly 40% of university students report binge drinking. Binge drinking puts people at higher risk of many health and social concerns, including injuries and violence, alcohol poisoning and long-term health issues like cancers and cognitive issues.

Watch what happens to the chemicals in our body when we drink

How do I know if I have a problem with alcohol?

  1. Do you often tell yourself you’re ‘just going to have one or two’ but don’t stick to it?
  2. Do you consume alcohol daily or almost daily?
  3. Do you not consume alcohol during the week, but will every Friday and/or Saturday?
  4. Do you often ‘forget’ parts of a night out drinking?
  5. Have you often neglected things that are important to you (such as attending classes, gym sessions, seeing friends) because you were too hungover or you decided to drink instead?
  6. Are you afraid to ask people if you drink too much?

If you have answered ‘Yes’ to any of these questions, it may be worth having a chat to our Wellbeing Services about your alcohol use to see how you can learn to reduce your alcohol intake.

Harm minimisation strategies

  • Drink a full glass of water between each alcoholic beverage
  • Eat a full meal before drinking
  • Sip drinks slowly, avoid taking shots or chugging, and don’t enter into buying rounds with others
  • Keep track of how many drinks you are having – one pot of beer is usually about one standard drink, cocktails are usually 2-3 standard drinks, and pre-mixed drinks have standard drinks marked on the container.
  • Don’t mix alcohol with other drugs, since this increases toxicity and harm
  • Never take your eyes off your drink
  • Consider exploring other coping strategies if you find yourself drinking alcohol to manage difficult emotions or situations

Other drug (and general) harm minimisation strategies:

  • Intentionally organise alcohol and drug-free activities with your friends regularly to reduce the reliance on alcohol to have fun and socialise
  • Have a plan – know what drugs you are ok with taking, what effects to expect from them, and what you might do if things feel overwhelming or not as you expected
  • Stick with your friends or someone you know, and have a conversation about your plans if you lose each other (will you have a meeting place, or a certain message you will send if you need support?)
  • If you are attending a festival, make use of the pill testing sites – these will allow you to have control over what you are consuming, and when you use them, you are protected from criminalisation from drug use
  • Don’t mix drugs (including alcohol) – they can interact in unexpected and dangerous ways, and you are more likely to overdose
  • Consider your and others’ health and safety – if you know you have behaved badly while using alcohol or other drugs before, avoid using that substance
  • Keep an eye on others, and seek urgent support if they are in trouble
  • Have a safe ride home by a designated driver, or use public transport, taxi or Uber (and decide what your plan is before you drink or use drugs)

Get Support

Internal resources

  • Wellbeing Services provides free and confidential, personal and emotional support for students, including counselling.
  • Emergency: In an emergency ring 000 and then security 9479 2222
  • Use our La Trobe University Crisis Line for Out-of-Hours Mental Health and Wellbeing Support. Phone 1300 146 307 or text 0488 884 100. This service operates 5pm-9am on weekdays and 24 hours during weekends and public holidays.

External resources

Support

Websites

Videos

Self-help worksheets