Alcohol and other drugs

Some drugs, such as alcohol, nicotine and prescription medication, are legal and some, including cannabis, ecstasy and heroin, are illegal – but the common link between them is that they can cause physical and/or psychological changes in the user. People use drugs for a variety of reasons – to relax, have fun, be part of a group, because of curiosity or to escape from physical and/or psychological pain.

What do you know about substance use in men?

Of Australians over 14 years, men are generally twice as likely to drink daily as women across all ages and stages of life (AIHW, 2008)
Males are generally more likely to be daily smokers than females (AIHW, 2008)
According to the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, males (41.4%) were more likely than females (34.8%) to have used an illicit drug in their lifetime
While illicit drug use is higher for males than females by approximately 7%, there is a considerable difference in the number of females seeking treatment compared to the number of males. For example, in the 2008–09 period, 95,852 males sought treatment compared with 47,733 females (AIHW, 2010)

Why are older people more at risk from alcohol?

The body’s tolerance for alcohol decreases with age. The total volume of water in our bodies decreases with age so alcohol can produce a higher blood alcohol concentration with lower levels of alcohol consumed.
The risk of accidents, especially falls, is increased as the central nervous system may find it harder to tolerate alcohol with age. If a fracture occurs in a fall heavy alcohol consumption affects bone regrowth and regeneration.
Alcohol greatly increases the likelihood of driving accidents. In older people this risk is also heightened as it may be in combination with deteriorating vision or slowed reaction time, common features of ageing.
Alcohol can interact with regular medication to cause unpleasant or dangerous side effects. As older people often take regular medications it is important to consider this interaction of substances.
There is some evidence to say that low risk drinking can have health benefits. While this might be true, the benefit can be obtained from as little as one standard drink every two days.

Dr Karl’s discusses the dehydrating effects of alcohol on ABC online.

So how much should you drink?

While the guidelines suggest that a healthy man should have no more than two standard drinks on any day, as this reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, it is suggested that drinking less than this is will reduce the lifetime risk of alcohol related disease or injury.

Drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion. But, in older people, particularly those who are frail or unsteady, four drinks is likely to create unacceptable risk for that person.

Adapted from Australian Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Alcohol Guidelines Fact Sheets.

What problems can alcohol and other drug use cause?

How alcohol or other drugs affect you depends on the type of alcohol or drug, how much and how often it is used, your body type and whether you use multiple drugs at the same time. The situation in which a drug, including alcohol, is used is also relevant. What affects you one day can change the next.

The problems that can develop due to alcohol or other drug use impact not only on your physical health, but also your general well-being. Some of the problems that can develop include family and relationship issues, deterioration in work performance, and legal and financial difficulties. Alcohol and other drug use can also increase the risk of accidents and injuries.

Do alcohol or other drugs have a hold on you?

People can become dependent both physically and/or psychologically on alcohol and other drugs. None are instantly addictive and the length of time it takes before use becomes a dependency varies. The level of dependency can also vary from mild to compulsive or addictive.

One indication of whether you are becoming dependent on alcohol, nicotine, prescription medication or any other drug is how your body reacts to not having it. If not having a particular drug leaves you feeling anxious, irritable, on edge or physically ill, then you might be becoming dependent on it.

Smoking is a dependency we know a lot about and can easily recognise, but is your drinking putting you at risk? Check out The Right Mix website which has a questionnaire you can fill out to assess your drinking habits.

Breaking the dependency

Giving up a habit is never easy. We have heard plenty about quitting smoking, but when it comes to other drug use, how hard or easy it is depends on what you use, how often and what support is available to you.

If you have identified that your alcohol and other drug use is causing problems, then there are two options – to stop completely or begin to control your use. It can be difficult to break a habit so stopping completely might be unrealistic for some people while for others, limiting their alcohol or other drug use might seem impossible and therefore stopping completely would be the only effective option.

Like many life changes, having a plan on how you will change your alcohol or other drug use is important. Setting personal goals, identifying triggers to your alcohol or other drug use and contingency planning for when cravings arise can help to improve your chances of success. Other things you can do include avoiding situations in which you know you will be more likely to use, distracting yourself when cravings occur and importantly, asking for help from friends, family and people who are trained and experienced in dealing with dependencies.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their alcohol or other drug use, there is help available. Your doctor can provide information and a referral to a treatment service. Alternatively, the Australian Drug Foundation website has a list of national and state counselling services that can provide support and advice, and you can contact many of these directly.

Want to know more?

To help you find out more about alcohol and other drugs, how they affect your body and where to get help if they become a problem, we have put together some relevant alcohol and other drugs links and resources.

This article is based on information from the Australian Drug Foundation, therightmix.org.au, and Australian Department of Health and Ageing.