Drugs & Alcohol

Whakapōauau & Waipiro

Drinking and drugs are often connected with fun, having a great time and one way to blow off some steam. However, regular use of alcohol and/or drugs can lead to a number of problems, particularly if you are under 18 years of age. No matter what your age, it is important that you consider what you are drinking/using, who you are with and how to keep yourself safe while drinking/using. We know that alcohol and drugs are around a lot. According to the Youth ’12 Survey, a study of high school teens conducted by the University of Auckland: 57% of students have tried alcohol, 45% of students currently use alcohol, 8% of students drink on a weekly basis, 23% of students report binge drinking and 23% of students have used drugs before. Keep reading for ways to keep yourself and those around you as safe as you can.

How to keep safe around alcohol/drugs

Why are you drinking/using?

Alcohol/drugs can effect our bodies in different ways. We can feel happy, energetic, social and more confident. We can also feel tired, frustrated, angry and sad. One of the first things to ask yourself is why am I drinking/using? This is an important question to ask in general but also each time you pick up a drink/drug. If your answer includes that you are drinking or using to feel better, to change how you are feeling, to avoid something that is going on in your life or to not feel if may be that you need some help. If you notice that you answer in this way, try to avoid drinking/using that night. If this does not feel possible, let your mates know how you are feeling so they can look out for you and try and limit how much you drink/use.

What are you drinking?

What a person chooses to drink can have an impact on how they feel when drinking and how much alcohol they consume. If a person is drinking beer or wine, they are not going to be consuming as much alcohol as someone who is drinking an equal amount of spirits. Learn about what how much alcohol is included in the different types of alcohol and how much of each type of alcohol is considered one standard drink. Read more about standard drinks and 'drinking normal' here.

How are you drinking?

How we drink can also significantly influence the kind of night we have when alcohol is involved. Make sure you pace yourself and try not to binge drink. Binge drinking refers to drinking 4 or more standard drinks in one session - remember that most drinks are much bigger than one standard drink so you may be binge drinking and not even realise it. Think about how much you are drinking and how fast you are drinking. Also consider whether you are drinking alone. Try and include food and water throughout the night to limit how much alcohol you consume.

Drug use

The safest level of drug use is no drug use. Having said this, if you are going to use, consider the following to make your use as safe as possible: know what you are taking, avoid mixing, chose the safest method of using, only take as much as you need to get the effect you want, use with other people who can look out for you and consider whether you are living the life you want to be living regarding drug use. If you would like some help to make changes with your drug use, use the Make an Appointment button at the bottom of the page or consider joining Kick It - see below for more info about Kick It at HPSS.

Who are you drinking/using with?

If you are going out for a night that includes alcohol or drugs, think about where you are going and who you are drinking/using with. Do you know and trust everyone who will be there? Even if you do, it can really help to have one person in your group agree to stay sober for the night and look out for everyone. Rotate this responsibility so everyone has a chance to have fun and stay safe at the same time. Tell your whanau where you will be and who will be there too - you don't want to be stranded somewhere and no one know where you are.

How are you getting home?

Make sure you plan how you are going to get home BEFORE you head out. Driving drunk/drugged or getting into a car with a driver who is drunk/drugged can not only result in legal prosecution but it can also be fatal. Take turns being the sober driver or arrange to be picked up by someone who has not been drinking. Don't be afraid to call a friend or family member to pick you up if the person who agreed to stay sober starts drinking/using and you have no other way home. Your whanau/friends would much rather pick you up than get a phone call no one ever wants to receive.

Consent & alcohol/drugs

It is important to consider the impact of drugs and alcohol on hooking up. People can't consent to sex if they are too drunk/high. Alcohol and drugs influence the way we communicate and think about sex. If you want to hook up and are unsure if someone is too drunk /high then it is best to wait until you are both sober. It is always the responsibility of the person initiating sex to make sure you are both sober. When you are out, make sure you keep an eye on your friends too in case they find themselves in a difficult situation that involves alcohol/drugs and sex. If you are not sure what it going on, don't be afraid to ask your friend if they need help.

Navigating peer pressure

Sometimes you can find yourself in a situation where your mates are pressuring you to try, drink or take something you don't want to. Saying No, especially the first time can be really hard. It does get easier to say No, after this first time. Know your own limits with drugs/alcohol, listen to your gut and if you need to, you can leave the situation. If you see a mate being peer pressured, give them some support to stick with their No too.

What if I don't feel safe?

Feeling safe is one of the best ways to have fun when you are around drugs/alcohol. If you ever get into a space where you do not feel safe, the first and best thing to do is leave. Go and find you friends and let them know that you are not feeling safe. If you can't find them, think about calling your whanau. Even if they don't know where you are, they do always want you to be safe. In an emergency you can also call 111 and ask for help.

No alcohol/drugs is OK too

Although there may be people around you enjoying drinking/using, it is ALWAYS OK to say No thanks. There can be many reasons why a person does not drink/use. These can include being on medication, needing to get up early the next day for work, being the sober driver, you react badly to alcohol/drugs, you suffer from a medical condition, you are doing Dry-July (or whatever month it is) or you simply do not want to drink/use. Stick with what feels right for you.

Smoking cigarettes

Did you know that 80% of cigarette smokers wish they had never started smoking? Why? Because when you inhale cigarette smoke you are inhaling over 4000 chemicals. These chemicals get into your bloodstream and cause damage to your lungs, brain and muscles. Smoking cigarettes can also lead to cancer and heart problems. Aside from all of this, smoking is EXPENSIVE! Think of all the other things you could buy if you were not buying cigarettes! Exercise would be easier, your lungs would start to recover, your sense of taste and smell would improve and your mouth would not taste like an ashtray when someone kisses you! Keen to look into cutting down on the number of cigarettes you smoke? Or want to start your quitting journey, come down and see Marie, our school nurse. You can also check out Quitline - do it today!

Vaping

Vaping has increased in popularity significantly over recent years. Vaping first arrived on the scene as a way to help people stop smoking. Since then, vaping has definitely taken on a life of it's own. With flavours like vanilla custard, jelly donut and butterscotch, vaping can smell delicious. However the reality is, breathing anything other than oxygen into your lungs is not great. We do not know enough about the long-term effects of vaping because.... it has not been around long enough for us to test this properly! We also do not know what is included in all vaping e-liquids and whether these ingredients should be inhaled. In short, if you are not a cigarette smoker who is using vaping for a short time to give up smoking cigarettes, do not start vaping. You can find out more about vaping here.

Worried about someone else's drinking/using?

Being around someone you care about who is drinking/using in ways that are causing problems for themselves and others can be really hard. Don't be afraid to bring this up with them directly and share what you have noticed. If you feel up to it, offer to help them look into support. Remember that you can't force someone to make changes with their drinking/drug use. The choice is up to them. Make sure you get some support for yourself too as supporting someone you care about with drug/alcohol use can be challenging.

I want to make some changes with drinking/drug use

Kick It at HPSS

HPSS has an awesome programme for students wanting to make changes with their alcohol/drug use. There are two ways to gain access to Kick It. The first is to self-refer - please use the appointment link at the bottom of this page, to join the Kick it programme. If you self-refer, your involvement in Kick It will be kept confidential and what you share will remain within the group sessions. You are welcome to come along by yourself or you can bring some friends with you to the sessions. The second way to gain access to Kick It is via referral from a staff member or a member of SLT following an incident involving drugs or alcohol at school. Attending Kick It sessions may be part of what is agreed once you return to school following this incident. What you share during sessions remains confidential but your whanau may know you are in the program due to this being a condition of your return to school.