Alcohol
Alcohol can impair someone's judgment and coordination even before they realize how impaired they are.
TRUE
Name two areas of functioning that cannabis can potentially affect.
Examples include attention, memory, coordination, judgment, learning, and reaction time.
Name two things that can make a substance-related situation more unpredictable or dangerous.
Unknown contents, mixing substances, significant overheating, severe impairment, being alone, or other health vulnerabilities.
TRUE OR FALSE
If someone only uses a substance socially, they can't develop a problem with it.
FALSE
Question: Which is the bigger warning sign?
A: "My friends are using, so sometimes I use too."
B: "I've had a terrible day, so I need to use something to feel better."
B
Which is a potential sign that someone has consumed too much alcohol?
A. Confusion
B. Difficulty staying awake
C. Repeated vomiting
D. All of the above
True or False: Some people experience anxiety, paranoia, or temporary psychotic symptoms after using cannabis.
True
True or False: You can get hyperthermia from taking MDMA and therefore where you take it is important to think about?
True!
One of the serious acute risks is hyperthermia (dangerously high body temperature), which can lead to severe complications including organ damage. The environment matters. MDMA is often associated with hot, crowded, physically active environments, which can increase concerns around overheating.
Which is the biggest clue that substance use may be becoming a coping strategy?
A. Using because friends are using
B. Using because you're bored
C. Using specifically when you're stressed, anxious, sad, or overwhelmed
D. Using at a party
C
But could b ever turn into c?
True or False: You have to be addicted to a substance before you should be concerned about your relationship with it.
False
True or False
Alcohol can affect memory formation
True! A person can be awake and interacting with people but later have gaps in their memory.
True or False: Cannabis can make time feel different.
True: Some people experience time as moving much more slowly, which can be a useful example of how altered perception doesn't necessarily feel like "being out of control."
True or False: When someone has taken MDMA, drinking as much water as possible is always the safest thing to do.
False: MDMA can contribute to overheating, but excessive water intake can also be dangerous because MDMA can affect the body's ability to regulate fluids.
Which of these can increase the risk of having a negative experience with a substance?
A. Mixing substances
B. Being in an unfamiliar environment
C. Using when emotionally overwhelmed
D. All of the above
D all of the above
Put these situations in order from least concerning → most concerning:
1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5.
Your friend has been drinking and suddenly becomes extremely sleepy and difficult to wake up. They tell you, "Just let me sleep it off." What should you do?
Treat it as a potentially serious medical situation and get an adult/emergency medical help rather than simply leaving them to sleep.
Someone notices that they are increasingly using cannabis when they're anxious because it helps them stop thinking about things
Question: What's the actual concern here, the frequency, the reason they're using, or both?
potentially both, but the shift toward using it to regulate emotions is an important warning sign.
If someone uses a substance because it makes them feel amazing, but then experiences a significant emotional crash afterward, what might happen if they start wanting to use again to escape that crash?
We can start to create a cycle: People may experience low mood, anxiety, sleep difficulties, or other unpleasant effects after MDMA, and some sources describe these effects lasting beyond the immediate intoxication
Spot the Difference
Person A: "I drink at parties because everyone else is drinking."
Person B: "I've had a terrible week and drinking is the only thing that makes me stop thinking about it."
You've been using socially for a while. Lately:
Question: What are three yellow/red flags in this scenario, and what would be a reasonable next step?
Increasing preoccupation, coping use, solitary use, giving up activities, minimizing consequences. A reasonable next step could be talking honestly with a trusted adult/professional, taking a break, examining triggers, and developing alternative coping strategies.
You're talking to someone who says, "I don't think my drinking is a problem because I only drink on weekends." Give three questions you could ask to understand whether their relationship with alcohol might be becoming risky.
Someone says, "I don't use cannabis every day, so there's no way it could be a problem." What's missing from that statement?
Frequency isn't the only thing that matters. You also want to consider why they're using, whether they can choose not to, consequences, changes in functioning, and whether use is becoming difficult to control.
Why might someone describe MDMA as making them feel unusually connected or emotionally open?
It significantly affects serotonin and other neurotransmitter systems like dopamine, and norepinephrine that are involved in mood, reward, and social experiences.
Imagine you've been using a substance socially for several months. What are three changes you might notice in yourself that would make you think, "I should probably take a closer look at my relationship with this"?
Increasing frequency, using alone, thinking about it more often, using to cope, difficulty saying no, consequences at school/home, continuing despite negative consequences, needing more to get the same effect, etc.
Your friend says: Nothing bad has happened yet, so I don't see why I should worry.”
What's missing from this way of thinking about risk?
The absence of consequences so far doesn't guarantee that the pattern is low-risk. Looking at changes in motivation, frequency, control, consequences, and reliance on the substance can help identify concerns earlier.