Managing drug and alcohol use

Drug and alcohol use can affect mental health

The relationship between drugs and alcohol and mental health is complex. People who experience mental ill-health are more likely to use alcohol and other drugs. Research shows that roughly 30–50% of people with an alcohol or other drug concern also experience mental ill-health.

The linkage between drugs and alcohol and mental health can vary across people. Sometimes mental illness can lead people to misuse drugs or alcohol in an effort to cope with their symptoms. In other cases, drug or alcohol use can lead to mental illness. 

Drugs and alcohol can affect your mood. Some people use drugs or alcohol as a way of trying to feel better. However, any positive effects are often short-lived, and people may experience longer-term effects of drug and alcohol use such as feeling anxious, agitated, unmotivated or moody. Drugs and alcohol can also reduce the effectiveness of prescription medications for anxiety and depression or increase the chance of side effects from medication. 

Drugs and alcohol can also affect the way you think, make decisions and behave. You might act in ways that are out of character, such as behave aggressively, take unnecessary risks or attempt to hurt yourself. Regular drug and alcohol use can cause health problems and affect your relationships with your friends and family. And because alcohol and other drugs can impair your judgement, reaction times, concentration and decision making, they can create significant work health and safety risks in the workplace.

Sometimes, people use drugs or alcohol to help them feel better. But this approach doesn’t work in the long run. It can cause other problems, such as feeling moody or anxious.

Effects of alcohol and other drugs

Drugs and alcohol work by affecting the chemical messaging processes in your brain. It is hard to know how each person will react. Effects of alcohol and drugs depend on personal characteristics, the amount and type of drugs and alcohol taken, and how often they are used. 

There are 3 main types of drug effects:

Depressants slow your body down. Examples include alcohol, heroin, cannabis, sedatives and inhalants. They can affect your ability to think and react. They can make you act impulsively or take risks (by reducing inhibitions). They can make you feel good for a short time, but many people experience feelings of depression after using them. Using depressants regularly can affect your mood in the longer term, making it harder to cope. 

Stimulants speed your body up. Examples include methamphetamines (e.g. speed and ice), cocaine and ecstasy. They can increase your confidence, motivation and energy. However, they can also make people agitated, anxious, paranoid, aggressive and violent. 

Hallucinogens can cause you to experience auditory or visual hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that are not there). These experiences can be unpleasant and can be relived through flashbacks. Examples include LSD, ketamine, magic mushrooms and cannabis. 

Signs of alcohol and drug misuse

Drug and alcohol misuse can affect relationships, safety and productivity in workplaces:

• Drugs and alcohol are estimated to cost workplaces $6 billion every year in lost productivity. 
• Drugs and alcohol also result in 2.5 million lost days of work, costing more than $680 million per year. 
• 1 in 10 workers report being affected by a colleague’s use of alcohol, e.g. reduced ability to do their own job, involvement in an accident or close call and extra hours to cover for a colleague.

Some common signs of drug and alcohol misuse to look out for include:

• finding it hard to meet responsibilities (e.g. completing tasks and meeting deadlines)
• withdrawing from or not enjoying activities that used to be satisfying (e.g. work lunch breaks)
• taking part in more dangerous or risky behaviours (e.g. operating equipment while affected by drugs or alcohol)
• exhibiting behaviour changes (e.g. stealing, being aggressive or violent with colleagues, customers or clients)
• clashing with family, friends and colleagues
• experiencing signs of depression, anxiety, paranoia or psychosis
• needing more drugs or alcohol to experience the same effects
• experiencing withdrawal when not using drugs or alcohol
• having difficulty reducing or stopping use.  

Supports for alcohol and drug disorders

If people have used drugs or alcohol over a period of time, stopping or reducing use can be difficult if they experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal effects may include irritability, fatigue, mood changes, aches and pains, cravings and insomnia. Stopping a drug ‘cold turkey’ can involve some risks.

It is important to for anyone wanting to change their drug and alcohol habits to get advice from a GP or health professional. Friends and family are also an essential support—they provide encouragement and reassurance when it is needed most. 

A range of professional supports and treatments are also available:

• Your GP can provide information and refer you to other services for treatments, such as counselling or drug rehabilitation. 
• Helplines such as Beyond Blue Support Service or DrugInfo can provide information and direct you to services.
• Drug and alcohol services are available online, over the phone or in person. 
• Support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous can be helpful for sharing experiences and gaining support from others going through the same thing. 

Each person’s experience will be different, depending on their personal characteristics, the substance and how long it has been used. It’s important to speak to a health professional if you want to change your drug and alcohol habits.