Page 73 - Vision Manual

Drug or Alcohol Abuse Problems
If you are experiencing problems with alcohol, drugs, or over-the-counter medications, you are not alone. These problems are called “substance abuse” and are very common, affecting people from all walks of life. It’s especially common for people who have mental health concerns to have problems with alcohol and drug use. If someone has both mental illness and a substance abuse problem, the two disorders are often referred to as “dual disorders” or “dual diagnoses”.
Drugs and alcohol can make the symptoms of mental illness worse and can interfere with the benefits of prescribed medications. In certain cases they can create dangerous health effects when combined with some medication. To stay well, therefore, it is very important to address any problems you might have with drugs and alcohol.
The coping strategies described below can be very helpful, but it is important to keep in mind that most people need additional help to overcome drug and alcohol problems. Programs that integrate treatment for mental illness have the most positive results. Some programs such as AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), NA (Narcotics Anonymous), Dual Recovery and Double Trouble are also extremely helpful.
Whether or not you are participating in an integrated treatment program or a group like AA/Na, it is important to develop strategies you can use for dealing with drug or alcohol problems. Some strategies are discussed below.
 Educate yourself about the scientific facts about drugs and alcohol. For example, it is helpful to know that although alcohol can be relaxing, it can also cause depression and make it worse. Also, people with mental illnesses are more sensitive to the effects of drugs and alcohol, resulting in problems associated with using even small or moderate amounts of drugs or alcohol.
 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of using drugs or alcohol. What are the things that you like about using drugs or alcohol? What are the things you don’t like about it?
 Be realistic about how using drugs and alcohol has affected your life. For some people, the effects can be relatively minor, like having less spending money. For others the effects are more extensive, like losing friends, having legal problems, being unable to keep a job.
 Develop alternatives to using drugs or alcohol. What are other ways of getting some of the positive effects that you look for when using drugs or alcohol? What are some other ways of getting your needs met? For example, some people report the following alternatives “I signed up for a class in photography so I would have something else to do with my time” and “Doing some kind of exercise makes me feel less depressed, and without the hangover”.
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