What are the different ways you might experience substance misuse?
Substance misuse can look completely different for everyone. It might involve different substances but also misusing them in different ways.
For example, in the case of alcohol, misuse could look like any of the following:
- Drinking before you go to work or to get through the day
- Binge drinking
- Excessive drinking on the weekend
- Drinking after a hard day
- Drinking before or after a particular event.
What are the most common substances people misuse?
The substances we choose can be influenced by what we enjoy, past experiences, culture, what’s available, and what’s socially accepted.
Any substance can be misused but the most common include:
- Alcohol
- Nicotine (cigarettes or vapes)
- Illicit drugs (such as ice, cocaine, heroin, weed, ecstasy, and others)
- Prescription medication (such as painkillers, sleeping tablets, antidepressants and others)
- Petrol, glue, and synthetic drugs.
“My first drink is always nine o’clock on a dot and I continuously drink all day until bedtime.”
