Understanding Substance Use
Health is a state of total well-being—physical, mental and social—helping us both survive and thrive in our everyday lives.
Learn About Alcohol
Alcohol is a psychoactive (mind-altering) drug that affects the way we think and behave. It is a depressant that slows down our heart rate, breathing, thoughts and actions. There are many different types of alcoholic beverages made from fermented or distilled grains, fruits or vegetables. These beverages are available in our local liquor stores as beers, which usually contain 5% alcohol, wines with 12%, and spirits with 40%.
Can We Cork the Wine Memes for Good?
Reprinted from the Supporting Parents issue of Visions Journal, 2021, 17 (1), pp. 20-21
Recovery
I am sitting in a university dorm room. It’s 2011. I’m surrounded by whirring machines, computers that are my portal to life outside this room. I can no longer physically leave this space; I’m trapped in a self-imposed isolation.
The Language We Use to Talk About Mental Health and Substance Use
Words matter. They impact the assumptions we make about others, the way we understand someone else’s experiences, and the value we place on others.
Writing Through Loneliness
By Grade 8, Tabitha found that drinking and drug use made it a lot easier to fit in, and drugs became part of her life. When her father and then her best friend died of a heroin overdose, Tabitha tried to change her own substance use, but social connections were challenging because drug use was everywhere in her community, and Tabitha found herself drowning in grief…alone. Now sober, she reflects on her path to accept her past, find new connections and reconnect with all parts of her story.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a psychoactive (mind-altering) drug that affects the way you think and behave. It is a depressant that slows down your heart rate, breathing, thoughts and actions. Alcohol can be a way to celebrate, socialize, or relax, but drinking too much, too often, or in unsafe situations can cause problems.
