Substance Use and You

It’s common for people to experiment with substances. Many people try them once or only use them rarely. Others may use regularly. You may have first tried alcohol or another drug because you found it lifted your mood, made you feel more relaxed or energized. Maybe you drink coffee every morning to feel energetic and get things done. Some folks are prescribed drugs to help them maintain their health in their daily life. Maybe your friends were using drugs and you felt pressure to try so you’d fit in, or so you wouldn’t be judged if you didn’t join them.

Using substances regularly can impact how we feel, think and act. There are many reasons why people use substances and usually, they relate to how the person is feeling or wants to feel. Using substances can be influenced by how connected the person feels to family members, friends, people at school or work, and others in their community. For example, people may use substances to feel better, more in control or less sad. Some people choose to use substances to self-medicate their feelings or thoughts like anxiety or feeling down. Folks struggling with mental health symptoms may turn to substances to help them try and manage their mood, or control racing thoughts or recurring scary incidents.

Some people use substances as a way to numb themselves from discrimination or from other challenges in their lives. We are all affected by social determinants of health, or what the World Health Organization describes as non-medical things that affect our health like the conditions in which we are born, grow, work, live, and age. They include the forces and systems that shape the conditions of our daily lives.

The chart below shows how many life situations can cause us stress, create mental health challenges and influence our decision to use substances. These social factors can include things like a demanding work schedule, financial problems, intergenerational trauma, racism, a friend group that uses substances, or identifying as gender or sexually diverse in an environment that doesn’t support or validate a range of experiences.

Consider the various parts of your life and how they could be affecting your substance use.

For thousands of years, natural tobacco has been an important part of Indigenous culture in many parts of British Columbia and Canada. Tobacco, peyote, or ayahuasca have been used in ceremonies by Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial in culturally significant settings. Non-traditional uses of substances can be a part of the continuum of substance use, and regular substance use may require treatment or support options. There are programs that provide support and effective options for healing, care and medicine that honour the rich history of the wisdom and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, including:

• Indigenous knowledge of well-being as a balance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health
• an understanding that holistic wellness must also include the broader social, economic, cultural and environmental determinants of health

Healing from substance use is an individual journey for each person. Processing trauma, grief and loss can be a long and difficult task with no easy answers. For more information on culturally safe support options, explore the First Nations Health Authority mental health and wellness supports.

Substance use affects all parts of our health – our mental health, how we feel spiritually, and how we feel physically. The effect it has on our bodies depends on what drug we are using and how much we are taking. It is also impacted by our body shape and size like our muscle-to-fat ratio, and what our health is like in general.

Substance use can affect every organ in your body in different ways, such as:

• lower your immune system, making you more likely to have colds, flu and other illnesses
• delay or slow healing
• cause problems sleeping
• result in dental problems
• create memory problems
• affect appetite and cause poor eating
• result in kidney, liver and heart damage, or even cancer over a period of time

These are only a few things that may happen if you use substances. They may not happen at all if you take steps to reduce harm for yourself while using. You may be able to still use substances safely depending on the type of substance use and many other factors.

Sometimes people use substances to help them cope with pain, stress or challenges in life. If you are depressed or anxious or have difficulties with anger, you may be more likely to use substances to cope with or escape your feelings. Using substances to feel better in the short term can turn into higher-risk substance use over time. You may experience other negative effects, or have to use more and more. You may find that the benefits that you once experienced are now gone. Substance use can stop you from feeling your feelings and finding healthier ways to deal with what is troubling. It prevents you from talking about how you are doing and what’s really going on.

Substance use can become a problem over time if you:

• have tried to stop or cut back but can’t
• feel like you have to use
• are using more and more
• are always thinking about getting high
• can’t seem to control how much you use
• feel like your substance use is the only thing in your life that makes you happy
• are hiding your substance use
• find that your substance use is having negative effects on other parts of your life (school, relationships, health)
• have used substances from a young age and continue to use frequently, without the supervision of a doctor
• struggle with mental health challenges and use substances as a way to cope

If you think you have a substance use problem, you may feel shame, fear, guilt or many other feelings. You may find it difficult to acknowledge there is a problem, or may not want to seek help. But if your substance use is taking over your life, and you feel like you can’t live without it, you may need to ask for and get help. Help can mean a lot of different things and it’s your journey to find what works for you.

Sometimes drug use produces what we call “feel-good effects.”  Substance use can take away your anxiety and help you to forget your worries. Sometimes it makes you feel more comfortable and relaxed — like at a party or in other social situations. But the more you use, the worse your overall health can get. Drugs like alcohol can actually rewire your brain over time. So what used to make you happy when you were sober stops having that effect.

If you find that substance use is the only thing that makes you happy, you might want to explore your negative feelings (such as depression or anxiety). You might consider looking for support to explore the causes underlying your unhappiness and find healthy ways to cope with those feelings.