Substance Abuse and You - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Substance Abuse and You

Essential Skills to Success

Authors

: Jonathan

Mong

& Marianne

Schwarz

;

VFMP UBC Medicine

2015

Presenters

: Slide2

Outline

Who we areTopics:

1. Commonly used drugs + what they do to the body

2. Reasons for use and risk factors for abuse

3. Consequences of abuse

4. Recovery: mental tapes, coping strategies, stages of recovery, etc.Slide3

Addiction – physiological and mental

Different from “dependence”

Physical and psychological need for something

Accompanied by self-destructive behavioursSlide4

Withdrawal

Physical and psychological symptoms that appear when off of a substance

Can have common symptoms for many substancesSlide5

Sleeping pills

Some people use these to stay or fall asleep

Common drug:

Ativan

,

Imovane

Work by blocking electrical signals from going to your brainSlide6

Sleeping Pills

The Good

Helps to sleep

Relaxant

The Bad

Addiction

Nausea, headaches

Memory impairment

The Ugly

Comatose

DeathSlide7

Acetaminophen

The Good

Reduce pain (e.g. headache, muscle aches

)

The Bad

Overdose causing vomiting, which can lead to…

The ugly

Overdose (causing liver failure, kidney failure, death)Slide8

Anabolic Steroids

Similar actions to testosterone

Often taken to try to build muscle mass

Can affect cells everywhere and not just in your musclesSlide9

Anabolic Steroids

The Good

Bulk up

Appear “manly”

The Bad

Acne

Bruising

Cancer

Depression

Aggression

Testicular shrinking

Stunted growth

The Ugly

...Slide10

…Slide11

Marijuana

Taken for a variety of reasons: to relax, reduce pain, etc.

Increases amount of substance in your brain that makes you feel good

“Opening a door”Slide12

Marijuana

The ‘Good’

Pain control

Relaxant

The Bad

Loss of motivation

Decreased awareness

The Ugly

Increased risk of schizophrenia

Legal complicationsSlide13
Slide14

Cocaine

Prevents substance in brain from being broken down normally

“Can’t clean up

the mess”Slide15

Cocaine

The Good

Gives you energy

Gives you a “high”

The Bad

Heart troubles

Infections, enlarged heart, irregular rhythm

Seizures

The Ugly

Sudden heart attack

StrokeSlide16

Case

Jack is 28 year-old

Confused wandering Downtown Eastside

“Jerky” movements

Fever and chills

“Muscles hurt all over.”

Feels ants crawling under his skin

Agitated Slide17

Questions/Ideas

What did you notice is happening to Jack?Any ideas to explain this?Slide18

Patterns of Use

Non User

People who do not use the substance

Initial User

People who try the substance for the first few times

Irregular User

People who use the substance in social settings

Regular User

People who use the substance in many settings

This is non-harmful regular or planned use

Problem User

People who show addictive behaviour towards the substance

Dependent User

People who are fully addicted to the substance

Physical and mental withdrawal symptoms can present

People driven to acquire and use substanceSlide19

Motivations

Mental or physical pain

To fit in socially

To treat the symptoms of an illness

To prevent withdrawal

Escape from realitySlide20

Risk Factors

Genetics

Personal characteristics

Health or mental illness

Gender

Early drug use

Lack of healthy relationshipsSlide21

Risk Factors

Family

Physical abuse

Culture

Stress

Trauma

Availability of substances

Peer groupSlide22

Case, part 2

C

alms down

Car accident 1 year ago

No major trauma, but had trouble sleeping after

Prescribed a sleeping pill by his doctor

Jack says he became “dependent on it”

After prescription, he ran out and he started drinking heavilySlide23

Ideas/Questions

Any new ideas about what is happening with Jack?

What substances could he potentially be abusing?Slide24
Slide25

Social Consequences

Can have minimal impact or affect:

Family

Relationships

Job and finances

Housing

Physical health

Mental healthSlide26

Case

Jack remembers his father using alcohol extensively when work was hard

Father was abusive towards Jack and his mother

Left the house, has not seen his father since

Felt more popular when drinkingSlide27

Ideas/questions

What do you think are Jack’s motivations for using alcohol and sleeping pills?

What are his risk factors for substance abuse?Slide28

Recovery – Stages of Change

Precontemplation

Contemplation

Preparation

Action

Maintenance

RelapseSlide29

Recovery – Assessing your thoughts

Mental tapes

are old recordings of voices that play in our head from time to time

These tapes can be distracting to the process of recovery, e.g.

“I’m worthless because I’m not able to kick my drug habit.”

“I’ll never be able to live a real life because I drink too much alcohol and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“If I don’t use alcohol then nobody will like me.”

“When I got high last time I had the best time of my life. The same thing will happen when I get high again tonight.”Slide30

Recovery – HALT Principles

Relapse is more likely to happen if you are:

Hungry

Angry

Lonely

Tired

If you feel like you’re being overwhelmed by any of these, it’s important to “check in with yourself.”Slide31

Case

1 year laterSees same doctor

Has tried to stop drinking several times but has always started up again

Wants to “kick the habit”

Staying in a friend’s basement

Currently unemployed

but optimisticSlide32

Back to Jack…

Jack sounds like he wants to stop his substance abuse. Do you think he is prepared to start the process of recovery?Slide33

Resources

Your doctor

Community clinics

Needle exchange programs

Dial 211

- Alcohol

and Drug Line - Refers to a full range of counselling and treatment services across BC. BC

Dial 811

-

HealthLink

BC

Online resources

Mood gymSlide34

Thank you!

Questions?