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Drugs, alcohol and mental health
People take drugs and drink alcohol for lots of different reasons, but they can affect you in ways you might not expect. Using drugs can trigger mental health problems, or make them worse. Long-term use can change the way people live, act and look.
Studies show that around half of all people with a mental illness have a drug or alcohol problem, but it’s difficult to know which happens first. A person with a mental illness might be more likely to abuse drugs to help ease their symptoms, while drug use can trigger the first symptoms of a mental illness.
Drug abuse, also known as substance abuse, takes its toll in other ways as well. It can affect personal relationships, cause financial stress and lead to homelessness and criminal behaviour.
People from all walks of life take drugs, and the type of drug they use can depend on socioeconomic factors such as their cultural background, where they live and what their income is.
Learn more about alcohol and other drugs such as ice (crystal meth), MDMA (ecstasy), marijuana (cannabis), cocaine, speed, ketamine, GHB, heroin and LSD, including how they might affect your mental health.
Find information about drugs, help and support services, and treatment options, on the Druginfo and National Drugs Campaign websites.
You can also visit Head to Health, an online gateway funded by the Australian Government that can help you find free and low-cost, trusted phone and online mental health resources, including information about drugs, alcohol, and other substance-related or addictive disorders.
If you are caring for someone with an addiction it is also just as important to continue to look after yourself, visit the Carer Gateway or call 1800 422 737 (Monday-Friday 8am-6pm) for more information.
Cocaine and mental health
Cocaine is a highly addictive drug which can have an adverse affect on the mental health of the user. Long-term use can cause depression, sleep disor...
GHB and mental health
GHB is a depressant drug that can feel like alcohol intoxication at first. Risk of overdose is very high. Not a lot is known about the long-term eff...
Heroin and mental health
Heroin users are likely to develop mental health problems. Heroin is highly addictive, but there are many treatment options available for heroin user...
Ice and mental health
Regular use of ice can lead to a condition known 'ice psychosis', making the user paranoid, aggressive and violent. It can be hard helping a friend o...
Ketamine and mental health
Ketamine is a medicine that is used illegally for its hallucinogenic effect. Regular users can develop serious mental health issues such as depressio...
LSD (acid) and mental health
LSD is a powerful drug, people who take LSD do not know if they are going to have a good trip or a bad one, or how intense the trip will be. This is ...
Marijuana and mental health
Long-term marijuana users can become reliant on the drug. If they do try to stop, they may feel anxious, irritable and angry. Long-term users are mo...
MDMA (ecstasy) and mental health
There are mental health implications for regular users of MDMA. Coming down on MDMA leaves users feeling depressed and anxious and the hangover effec...
Speed and mental health
Speed can increase your confidence and energy, but high doses and long-term use can cause mental health problems similar to paranoid schizophrenia.
Need more information?
These trusted information partners have more on this topic.
Top results
Drugs, alcohol and mental health
Drugs and alcohol change the way your brain and body work. They change the balance of chemicals that help your brain to think, feel, create and make decisions.
Read more on beyondblue website
Effects of drugs & alcohol
Different drugs affect people in different ways. Each drug can be grouped into three main types: 'downers', 'uppers', 'sideways'.
Read more on NSW Health website
Eating disorders, drug & alcohol addiction
The relationship between eating disorders and drug and alcohol addiction remains a subject of interest among many academics and health professionals. There appears to be a link between eating disorders and substance abuse, with studies revealing people experiencing an eating disorder are at a higher risk of developing substance abuse problems, and vice versa.
Read more on Eating Disorders Victoria website
Prescription Drugs - Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre
Read more on Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website
Alcohol :: SA Health
An introduction to the section on alcohol including information for people with alcohol problems, community members and health professionals
Read more on SA Health website
QLives: The Hardest Day (Drug & Alcohol) - YouTube
This QLives film is the story of Jaxxon, who talks about his experiences with coming out as a trans man and how this place was arrived at through 'The Hardes...
Read more on QLife website
Problems with alcohol and drug use
People take different types of drugs and drink alcohol for many different reasons - to relax, to help them focus, to fit in, because they’re bored or curious, to escape their problems or to help them cope with overwhelming emotions.
Read more on Project Air Strategy for Personality Disorders website
Drug and alcohol services :: SA Health
Information about alcohol and other drug services available in South Australia.
Read more on SA Health website
Alcohol - ADF - Alcohol & Drug Foundation
Alcohol is a depressant drug, which means it slows down the messages travelling between the brain and the body. Booze, grog, piss, liquor, charge, nip.
Read more on Alcohol and Drug Foundation website
Barkly fights FASD | Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre
A searchable, comprehensive database of publications relating to alcohol, tobacco and drug use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (formerly called the Bibliography). Here you will find information about reports, journal articles, books, electronic sources, audiovisual material and conference presentations.
Read more on Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website
Top results
Two at a time
Alcohol and other drug use by young people with a mental illness
Read more on Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health website
Anticonvulsants for alcohol dependence | Cochrane
This review looked at evidence on the efficacy and acceptability of anticonvulsants alone or in combination with another medication or a psychosocial intervention for the treatment of alcohol dependence.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate for treating symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal and preventing relapses for people who are dependent on alcohol | Cochrane
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate for treating symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal and preventing relapses for people who are dependent on alcohol
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Alcohol and drug screening for preventing injury among people whose job involves driving | Cochrane
Alcohol and drug abuse are serious public health problems worldwide. Workplace alcohol and drug testing is a common intervention, especially in developed nations, but it is costly and its use is controversial. This systematic review aimed to assess the effects of alcohol and drug screening among occupational drivers for preventing injury.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Mentoring adolescents to prevent drug or alcohol use | Cochrane
There are high rates of alcohol and drug use by many adolescents. Four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were identified. All four RCTs were in the US and with adolescents described as deprived, and most were minority group adolescents. Two RCTs tested the "Across Ages" mentoring programme, one the Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentoring programme, and one an intervention with adolescents whose parents were HIV+. Two RCTs found that mentoring reduced rates of initiation of use of alcohol, and one reduced initiation of use of drugs. No adverse effects were identified. The relative youth of three of the samples made it unlikely that the interventions would be effective due to low baseline rates of usage. The studies assessed formal programmes, and as most mentors are informal their work remains un assessed.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Safety and effectiveness of medications for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome | Cochrane
Alcohol abuse and dependence can cause serious health problems as well as interpersonal, social, interpersonal and legal consequences. Dependence on alcohol is evident by reduced control over drinking, tolerance to alcohol and withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome develops after stopping or reducing heavy and prolonged alcohol use. The most common symptoms include sweating, a fast pulse rate, tremor, insomnia, nausea or vomiting, transient hallucinations or illusions, agitation, anxiety and seizures. These are the result of changes in the central nervous system in an attempt to maintain normal function with alcohol consumption. Different types of medications are used to safely reduce the severity of withdrawal and the abuse of alcohol.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Magnesium for the prevention or treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in adults | Cochrane
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a set of symptoms experienced when one reduces or stops alcohol consumption after prolonged periods of alcohol intake. Some studies show that AWS coincides with low levels of magnesium in the blood. Since magnesium may play a role in dampening the excitability of the central nervous system, some researchers believe that low levels of magnesium may make the central nervous system 'hyper-excitable' and may cause AWS symptoms, which include sleeplessness, tremors, anxiety, headache, excessive sweating and reduced appetite. Many AWS treatment protocols therefore recommend magnesium supplementation.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Acamprosate for alcohol dependent patients | Cochrane
Alcohol dependence is an important health risk factor that can lead to disability and death for people in developed and developing countries. Alcohol consumption is potentially avoidable, which emphasizes the need for effective strategies to help people who are dependent on alcohol to reduce excessive drinking and maintain abstinence following detoxification. Psychosocial programs have limited success in preventing relapse after detoxification programs. The addition of a pharmacological agent could provide support in achieving or maintaining abstinence or to cut down alcohol consumption. The synthetic glutamate antagonist acamprosate and naltrexone, which is an opioid antagonist, are used for this purpose.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Which talking therapies (counselling) work for drug users with alcohol problems? | Cochrane
We wanted to determine whether talking therapies have an impact on alcohol problems in adult users of illicit drugs (mainly opiates and stimulants) and whether one type of therapy is more effective than another.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Psychosocial interventions for women enrolled in alcohol treatment during pregnancy | Cochrane
Pregnancy can be seen as a window of opportunity where women may seek treatment for their addictions out of concern for their unborn child. Worldwide estimates of alcohol usage report that a large proportion of women continue to drink during their pregnancy. Light alcohol consumption has not been associated with adverse effects on a woman's baby, while excessive consumption of alcohol has been shown to cause a number of birth defects as well as foetal alcohol syndrome. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is the most widely recognized cause of severe mental and developmental delay in the baby. Therefore pregnancy is an important point in time to treat women for their alcohol dependence. This review sought to find all trials which compared any psychosocial intervention to other treatment or no treatment for pregnant or postpartum women in alcohol treatment. No articles were found which fit our inclusion criteria; most trials assessed psychosocial interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in pregnant or reproductive age women, not pregnant or post-partum women in alcohol treatment. We defined alcohol treatment as when the authors stated the women were in alcohol treatment or any validated psychosocial intervention for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Control trials need to be performed on this population of women to determine the most effective therapy for pregnant women seeking treatment for their alcohol dependence.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
