Think before you take

As part of our Drug Awareness, we want to inform you about the importance of knowing how drugs work and the dangers. 

We want to remind you that this isn't to scare you or, on the other end of it, to promote drugs. It's more about how to stay safe around drugs, having a positive relationship with them, and focusing on harm reduction.

When you get to university, you're going to be interacting with a lot of different people during that first week. Many of those might have had experience with drugs before, and many will have had no experience with them. So it's important to be aware of what they are and how they can affect you and others. 

Common Substances

• Alcohol (depressant) - Lowers consciousness, weakens judgement, slows reaction times and at high doses can cause blackouts, vomiting, or even stop your breathing.
• Cannabis - Often viewed as "low risk", but long-term it can affect memory, focus, and motivation. Strong strains (high THC) can trigger paranoia or anxiety.
• Stimulants (cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines) - Increase energy, confidence, and alertness, but they put pressure on your heart and body temperature. They can cause comedowns of anxiety or panic attacks.
• Depressants (benzodiazepines, GHB) - Create a relaxed feeling, but can easily lead to blackouts and dangerous breathing suppression, especially if mixed with alcohol.
• Hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin mushrooms) - Distort perception of reality. They can be positive in safe settings but may cause panic, confusion, or unsafe decisions in stressful environments.
• Ketamine & Nitrous Oxide - Create dissociation (feeling detached from reality). They can cause accidents, memory gaps, and long-term issues like bladder damage.

It's easy to underestimate a drug because 'everyone' seems to be using it. Alcohol is a great example of this, because it's legal and a big part of British culture, people don't take it as seriously as others (when in fact it can be just as dangerous).

What happens if you mix them?

You may have already had experience with taking a drug, and you may think it's manageable on its own. But mixing them changes how your body reacts. Here are a few examples:

Alcohol + Cocaine = forms cocathylene, a chemical more toxic than either drug alone, putting a huge strain on your heart and liver.

Alcohol + Ketamine = both slow down your body, risking unconsciousness and dangerously slow breathing.

Alcohol + MDMA = reduces the positive effects of MDMA but increases the risk of dehydration and overheating.

Prescription meds + recreational drugs = SSRIs (antidepressants) with MDMA can trigger serotonin syndrome, which is life-threatening.

The risk ladder

It's important to know that not all behaviours carry the same level of risk. 

Thinking about where your actions sit on the risk ladder can help you assess situations in real time, which is important to reducing harm to yourself and others.

• Low risk: A pint at dinner.
• Medium risk: Occasional cannabis use at home with trusted friends.
• High risk: Combining shots and MDMA in a hot, crowded club.

Tolerance

Your body builds tolerance when you use drugs regularly. But tolerance isn't permanent, and it fades quickly when you take a break.

If you take a break from taking drugs and return one night with the same dose you're used to taking, you could overwhelm your system and end up in the hospital. Often, students will go home over the summer or winter break, lose their tolerance and then find themselves in a dangerous situation when they take the same amount as they did before the break.

This kind of situation is considered an overdose, not because of excessive use, but because students are misjudging their low tolerance. It's a very important distinction to make. Overdosing is dangerous and can occur even with small amounts.

Again, alcohol is a good example of this when people claim to know their limit, without ever considering how long it's been since they last drank. Never judge your tolerance based on how many drinks you've had. Base it on how you're feeling/how conscious you are.

If you were to look back on the last time you went on a night out or took any kind of drug, where would you sit on the risk ladder? It's so important to start thinking about this beforehand, so you can make smarter decisions and find yourself in less harmful situations.