Drugs and Alcohol

Around half of adults in the UK use alcohol at least once a week, and many of us will experiment with drugs or gamble at some point in our lives. Other behaviours, such as shopping, gaming, sex and food are mostly an enjoyable part of our everyday lives.  But any of these things can potentially become addictive and lead to problems in someone’s life.

An addiction is a substance (like alcohol) or a behaviour (like gambling) that you can’t stop doing, taking or using, even though it is causing serious problems for them, or for the people around them. Addictions can harm physical and mental health, relationships with family and friends, how much money someone has, their studies or their job.

Substances like drugs and alcohol change the way our body and mind work. Some drugs make you wake up and make you want to party (stimulants), and other relax you or make you forget things (depressants). People may use drugs for different reasons. For example, to feel relief from pain, to feel energetic, or to help them feel relaxed and calm. Some people use drugs and alcohol to block out difficult emotions or make themselves feel better. By using drugs or alcohol to deal with difficulties, it is likely to become a problem that could seriously affect someone’s life.

How do I know when it’s becoming a problem?

How can you tell when your friend/family members gaming, shopping, or alcohol drinking might be a problem?  Here are some warning signs to look out for:

• mood swings
• not being able to stop what they’re doing when they try to
• tiredness
• what they’re doing has started to get in the way of their work or studies
• finding it hard to concentrate
• hiding what they’re doing or lying about it
• not looking after how they look or keeping themselves clean as much as they used to

It can be difficult to talk to your friend or family member about their gambling, use of drugs, alcohol, or addictive behaviours.  Your first reaction may be anger or panic. Try to wait until you’re calm before talking about it with them and show them love and concern rather than anger. If you’re worried that gambling, drugs or alcohol is harming a loved one or people around them, or worried they might have an addiction, encourage them to talk to their GP, or check our Get Help Now section below.