Awareness on recreational drugs and mental health effect

The National Health Watch

We are a society that cares for one and another as individuals and as a family living in Papua New Guinea.
Providing care for a family member is an old unwritten law of kindness, love and loyalty.
Caregiving has its fair share of stresses.
These are: changes in the family dynamics, household disruption, financial pressure and the sheer amount of work involved.
Today, our awareness is towards recreational drugs and alcohol and the mental health effects of recreational drugs, what might happen if you use recreational drugs and also have a mental health problem.
What are recreational drugs and alcohol?
Recreational drugs are substances people may take:

  • TO give themselves a satisfying experience;
  • TO help them feel better if they are having a bad time;
  • BECAUSE their friends are using them; and,
  • TO see what it feels like.

These drugs include alcohol, tobacco (nicotine), substances such as cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy, and some prescribed medicines.
More often than not most, experiences with recreational drug use started due to social influences, of wanting to “fit in”.
Recreational drugs may be:

  • LEGAL – such as nicotine and alcohol;
  • ILLEGAL – this means it is against the law to have them or supply them to other people (most recreational drugs are illegal); and,
  • CONTROLLED – these are drugs used in medicine, such as benzodiazepines. It is legal to take controlled drugs if a doctor has given you a prescription for them, but it is illegal to have them if not. It is also illegal to give or sell controlled drugs to anyone else.

Next week’s edition: Drugs and the law.