There are two types of Substance related disorders – Substance Use Disorders and Substance-Induced Disorders.
Substance Use Disorders:
Substance Abuse – the person will continue to use despite negative consequences.
Substance Dependance – the person will also be dealing with tolerance and withdrawal.
Withdrawal is a substance specific reaction that is caused when a person stops using a substance on which they have become dependent. Withdrawal symptoms motivate the person to relapse and start using the substance again to get relief.
Substance-Induced Disorders:
Substance-induced disorders include intoxication (caused by ingestion of or exposure to a substance), withdrawal and substance-induced mental disorders. Substance-induced mental disorders develop in association with substance use and cannot be better accounted for by another mental disorder. Depending upon the substance, the symptoms may resolve quickly, however, they may last longer, even after the substance is no longer in the person’s system.
Canada’s Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines and Tips:
If you decide to drink, please follow the following tips!
- Set limits for yourself and abide by them.
- Drink slowly. Have no more than two drinks in any three hours!
- For every drink of alcohol, have one non-alcoholic drink.
- Eat before and during drinking.
- Always consider your age, body weight, and any health problems that might suggest lower limits.
- While drinking may provide health benefits for certain groups of people, do not start to drink, or increase your drinking for health benefits!
Signs of Alcohol Poisoning:
In the event that someone you know has signs of Alcohol Poisoning, call 911 immediately!
- Smell of alcohol
- Mental Confusion, stupor, coma, or person cannot be roused.
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute)
- Irregular breathing (ten seconds or more between breaths)
- Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin colour, paleness.
Stages of Change Model:
The stages of Change Model is a tool that many professionals use to help someone with a substance-related problem.
Pre-Contemplation – The Person doesn’t recognize a need to change.
Contemplation – The person has thought of the pros and cons of their substance use, but is not sure about changing. They are not considering change within the next month.
Preparation – The person is ready to take action to change. They may be making small changes in order to “test the waters” or they could be planning on acting within a month.
Action – The person is attempting to change and is avoiding situations that might trigger their substance abuse.
Maintenance – The person has changed and is working to prevent themselves from relapsing back to substance misuse.
Relapse (recycling) – The person resumes old behaviours.
Each time you relapse you will learn new things to help you recover fully. (Tweet This). It is a long-term thing; chances of relapse drop to ten percent after five years!
Defying Shadows 