Short messages on Alcohol/Drugs/substance use from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
Just one alcoholic drink affects your ability to drive safely. Do not be misled by talk of the LEGAL limit – there is no SAFE limit.
Stoptober is an NHS campaign to give free support to people quitting smoking. Stop smoking for 28 days and you’re five times more likely to stay smokefree for good.
Joseph Salah-Eldin, a 19-year-old was drunk and driving his 3 friends at 101mph in a 40mph zone whilst fiddling with the stereo when he lost control of the car. The resulting crash killed his best friend.
Solvents, like aerosols, can make your throat swell and close up when breathed in high volumes through cloth or directly into the nose or mouth. This can happen any time someone misuses solvents.
Al-Anon is an international fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems.
If your friend falls unconscious after using alcohol or drugs, call 999 and check their airway and breathing. If they have a clear airway and are breathing, put them in the recovery position to prevent them choking on their own vomit.
If you have a problem, drinking won’t solve it; it will still be there when you wake up. Dealing wth the problem, or getting help for it, is the only thing that will solve it.
When pregnant, what goes into your mouth goes into your bloodstream, and what goes into your bloodstream goes into your baby. Think of the effect smoking and drinking alcohol would have.
Drinking alcohol when pregnant can harm your pregnancy and your baby. During the first twelve weeks, drinking alcohol can cause miscarriage or abnormalities in your baby.
Frequent use of cannabis may affect fertility. It can cut a man’s sperm count and can suppress ovulation in women. If you’re pregnant, smoking cannabis may increase the risk of your baby being born smaller than expected.