Recreational Drugs
Recreational drugs, such as speed, ecstasy, marijuana and cocaine, are not new. The usage and harmful side effects are evident throughout history:
"What hashish gives with one hand it takes away with the other: that is to say, it gives the power of imagination and takes away the ability to profit by it."
Baudelaire 1860
Recreational drugs are those taken for their physical, mood or mind altering properties, rather than for medicinal purposes. Although there is some medicinal, for example marijuana has been used to reduce suffering of cancer patients, the majority of use is recreational.
Recreational drugs, like alcohol, can be seen as a way of having fun or experiencing a sense of euphoria. Generally, though, the good side effects are short term. After the drug has worn off you can be left feeling down, moody, and even angry. Further, drugs taken on Friday or Saturday can leave you unable to attend work on uni or Monday or Tuesday as you come down.
If you have a drug dependency, these ups and downs over a long period of time can damage your ability to be resilient or cope with even minor challenges. Your physical and mental or emotional capabilities are diminished, which makes it even harder to stop.
Moreover, if you take drugs (long or short term) because you feel depressed or lonely, to help you cope with stress or to fit in, you risk falling into a cycle where drugs only exacerbate these problems.
Studies into recreational drugs are ongoing and the long term side effects of many drugs are still not known. However, some of the psychological side effects include: anxiety, panic, depression and psychotic symptoms.
If drugs are impacting negatively on your life there is help available to you. Ask yourself if you:
- Feel agitated or anxious when you don’t have the drug
- Feel that you need to drug to function
- Have difficulty communicating with people or dealing with your emotions when you are straight
- Use drugs as a way of escaping unhappy or unpleasant aspects of your life
- Have tried to give up but can't
Please contact us (LINK) for more information about how we can help you. Other sources of information include: