Recreational drugs and alcohol

Explains the mental health effects of recreational drugs, what might happen if you use recreational drugs and also have a mental health problem, and suggestions for where to find support.

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How can recreational drugs affect mental health?

All drugs have some kind of effect on your mental health. They affect the way you see things, your mood and your behaviour.

These effects may:

be pleasant or unpleasant
be short-lived or longer-lasting
be similar to those you experience as part of a mental health problem
go away once the drug has worn off
continue once the drug has worn off

For some people, taking drugs can lead to long-term mental health problems, such as depression or schizophrenia.

You may already have a mental health diagnosis, and use illegal drugs to help yourself cope.

Dual diagnosis

If you have mental health problems and also have problems with drug or alcohol use, you will probably be described as having 'dual diagnosis'.

This may cause a large number of problems, and you may need help with many different parts of your life – see support for dual diagnosis.

There is no standardised treatment for dual diagnosis. Treatment involves both mental health services and drug and alcohol services.

How drugs may affect you

It is difficult to predict how you will react to a drug. You may react differently to the same drug at different times or in different situations.

This may differ depending on:

the type of drug
whether the drug has been mixed with other substances, and what these other substances are
the amount you take
the environment or social situation in which you take it
how often you take it
your previous experience of it
what you want and expect to happen
your mental state at the time

If you have a history of poor mental health, you may be more likely to experience negative effects with illegal drugs.

If you have previously had no mental health problems, you may still develop symptoms of a mental health problem from using these drugs.

Regular use

If you use drugs a lot, or become dependent on them, this can have a negative impact on your day-to-day life. For example, it could lead to problems with:

money
education and employment
relationships
housing
low self-esteem
finding it hard to maintain commitments, including appointments related to your drug use or mental health
crime – either in possessing an illegal substance or to finance a habit, leading to a criminal record
imprisonment

If you take drugs, remember:

you don’t always know what is in them
it can be difficult to predict how you will react
they could contain additional harmful substances
they may not contain any of the substance you are expecting
even if you have taken something before, it could have different ingredients or be a different dose

This is more likely to be the case with illegal highs.