[THREAD] let’s talk about substance use from a mental health perspective. This isn’t going to be a pro or anti drug stance. However, there are certain ways in which drugs affect our mental health. Drugs are very common and chances we have used a few in our life. Caffeine is the

most widely used alcohol in the world, followed by alcohol. For the most part, using drugs in moderation does not lead to any negative consequences. But in some cases, it can. For example, caffeine is a stimulant mensing it gives you energy. For someone who has anxiety, that

could mean an increase in their symptoms and a stronger anxiety reaction. Alcohol is a widely used drug but it is the opposite of caffeine. Alcohol is a depressant meaning it decreases the response of the nervous system. However, in people who are depressed, it can make the

symptoms of depression much worse. Combining stimulants and depressants is not a good idea because the nervous system doesn’t know how to react to two opposing drugs and can lead to heart and other complications. Let’s turn to marijuana. A recreational drug that is more and more

used around the world. Marijuana is not as physically addictive as other drugs but we can become psychologically dependent on it. For people who are under 24 years old and predisposed to psychosis, it can also trigger their first episode. What is the sign that our consumption is

problematic? For the most part, it is when we start to use substances to cope. If we start using them to forget or because we can’t handle our symptoms, it becomes problematic because we become dependent on them. That means that once we quit them, the symptoms come back with a

vengeance, and we start experiencing strong withdrawal symptoms. There is also the issue of tolerance, where we need increasing amounts of the drug in order to feel the same effects as we did before. This is because our bodies slowly start to build up tolerance.

The main questions we need to ask ourselves is, am I starting to use these drugs to escape my world and my reality and is my consumption too high? If we answer yes to these questions, then it is time to seek other treatments that can be helpful in mitigating the symptoms so that

we are no longer dependent on the substances. I am writing this thread now because I have noticed that more and more people are using substances to cope with the lockdown and the psychological struggles that come with the pandemic. That can be a slippery slope to addiction.

Hope this little thread was informative. I am open to any questions if you have any. Lots of love