Substance Facts
What drug causes the most deaths every year and causes long term negative health outcomes?
Alcohol
Define harm reduction.
Actions taken by a person choosing to engage in substance use that reduce the overall harm of use.
What is a coping skill?
Conscious strategies to manage or reduce uncomfortable emotions. Often, coping skills also help by increasing access to positive emotions.
What are the effects of marijuana use? Ie what can a person expect to experience if they utilized marijuana
altered senses, altered sense of time, changes in mood, changes in problem solving/thinking, impaired memory, hallucinations (high doses), relaxation, paranoia, lower inhibitions
Where can we go in Boulder if we are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis?
Walk in Clinic--3180 Airport Rd
Withdrawal Management--3180 Airport Rd
What is the difference between a physical and a psychological withdrawal from a drug?
Psychological withdrawal--uncomfortable at the mental and emotional level but unlikely to result in death
On a spectrum of harm, which drug is more dangerous and why?
A. Marijuana
B. Fentanyl
C. LSD
D. Peyote
Fentanyl.
What helps a coping skill be more effective across time?
What are the effects of alcohol use?
What can we use to prevent a crisis?
Coping skills
What substances cause physical withdrawal?
Alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines
Examples of harm reduction.
Needle exchange, using condoms, fentanyl test strips, don't use alone line, safe injection sites, drinking and driving laws, MAT (methadone, vivitrol)
Why do people sometimes turn to drugs and alcohol when they are struggling emotionally?
Drugs and alcohol create a physiological change which can improve emotions (temporarily).
Can "numb" feelings we don't want to feel but in doing so, numbs all feelings
Can be a way to cope with unprocessed trauma
What are the effects of psychedelic use?
lowered inhibitions, altered senses, increased empathic response, anxiety, spiritual connection, psychosis (sometimes), hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD).
How does ongoing therapy and other supports help us to reduce the likelihood of crisis?
Increased emotional regulation
Increased support
Help with problem solving and planning
What are the symptoms of alcohol poisoning?
Vomiting, confusion, low body temperature, blue or pale skin, unresponsiveness
What diseases does needle exchange attempt to prevent the spread of?
HIV, Hepatitis
Define Recovery.
A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.
What are the effects of benzodiazepine and barbiturate use?
lowered anxiety, sleepiness, euphoria (sometimes), respiratory depression (when mixed with other substances), rebound anxiety, reduced likelihood of seizures
Define crisis.
A person becomes overwhelmed with their current circumstances and goes into fight/flight/freeze mode. While in fight/flight/freeze, a person no longer has access to the prefrontal cortex which allows us to engage in problem solving. We are in emotion mind when we are in crisis.
Definition of addiction
Cravings
Loss of control over frequency of use
Attempts to cut back fail
Continued use despite negative consequences
Spending a significant amount of time trying to procure the substance
The more you know, the more able you are to make informed decisions, and to understand when we might need to ask for help.
What are the effects of opioid use?
pinpoint pupils, euphoria, itching, relaxation, feeling of well being, respiratory depression (risk), overdose (risk)
Why does chronic substance use increase a person's risk of being in crisis?
Withdrawal, the chronic nature of needing to seek out the drug to be well, numbing of emotions, decreased emotional regulation