Stress Management: What You Should Know About Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs..When You Are Feeling Stressed

STRESSED OUT?
Is alcohol, tobacco and another drug one of your tools to help calm things down?
Rethink…are you helping or increasing your stress?
Office of Health Education and Promotion, Health Services
University of New Hampshire
www.unh.edu/health-services
Facebook/Twitter: UNHHealth

Tobacco & Stress

I feel clamer when I smoke or chew tobacco.
FACT:
Nicotine is a stimulant. Instead of calming you down it is actually speeding up bodily functions.
Sometimes when people are dependant on nicotine, smoking or
chewing does seem to calm them down, but really the feelings of
stress are being caused by withdrawal. As nicotine leaves the body,
withdrawal kicks in, increasing stress and anxiety. Then the person
uses nicotine products to relax. It seems that nicotine helped but
really the feelings of withdrawal are subsided for the time being.
Unfortunately, those feelings will be back and the person will need
more nicotine.

Nocotine can also impact ….
sleep patterns, which can increase
stress.
and
immune systems which can increase a
person’s chances of getting sick.

Other Drugs & Stress

I know misuing drugs may be harmful but it really does seem to relieve stress.
FACT:
Some drugs affect the brain the same way stress does. Long-term drug use makes the users more sensitive to everyday stress than non-users.

I use drugs occassionally when I am stressed out – it is not like I use all the time. How bad can that be?
FACT:
There are several reasons why using drugs to handle stress can lead to problems.
Drugs can often have the reverse effect than expected, therefore increasing stress levels.
Drugs can affect sleep and eating patterns which can actually increase overall stress.
Stress can put people at risk for substance abuse, especially if using drugs to off set the stress.

Alcohol & Stress

I find having a few drinks relaxing.
FACT:
Alcohol relaxes people due to its depressant qualities.
Women and men can have 1 – 2 drinks, per day and not be negatively impacted physically by that amount. Some may actually see a health benefit.
But when people drink over these quantities, they risk a variety of impairment problems and unwanted consequences and also increase their stress levels.

About High-Risk Drinking
One night of high-risk
drinking may make the
stress seem better in the
moment, but the
causes of stress will
remain and may be
worse the next day.
High-risk drinking can
cause physical stress to
the body. It can take
up to 72 hours for the
body to repair itself
from a night of high-risk
drinking. In the
meantime, the causes
of stress may continue.

About High-Risk Drinking
Drinking may help you
fall asleep but it will
disrupt impair
sleep which can
increase stress the next
day.
High- risk drinking can
decrease the immune
system, making it more
likely that you will get
sick.
Research has shown that when one is experiencing highly stressful events (a death, sickness, breakup) this can influence their use of alcohol. When alcohol is used in these situations the more likely it may be that people will develop patterns of drinking that can be difficult to change later on.

All About Stress

All stress is bad for you.
FACT:
Stress can help you deal with tough situations. It can also be used as a motivator to finish projects, a paper, or study for an exam.
Stress can also be associated with positive changes such as starting school, a new job or deciding to study abroad.

Build Your Stress Toolbox
Learn how to manage stress and leave alcohol, tobacco and other drugs out!
Take a nap
Listen to relaxing music
Call a friend
Get out and move! Ride a bike, go for a walk, hit the gym…
Draw, color or do a craft that you find relaxing
Read a book
Take a bath
Get a massage at Health Services (862-3823)
Learn stress management techniques with a Wellness Educator/Counselor at Health Services (862-3823)
Or use any other tool you find relaxing and that will put you in the right frame of mind to tackle your next task.

The Office of Health Education and Promotion, Health
Services offers the following services to help you manage
stress:
- Stress management education/counseling
- Alcohol, tobacco and other drug education/counseling
- Individual and group meditation sessions
- Biofeedback
- Massage therapy
- Check out books, videos and CDs on a variety of
wellness topics from the Resource Library
- And more…!
(603) 862-3823
www.unh.edu/health-services
Resources at UNH

Stress Management: What You Should Know About Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs..When You Are Feeling Stressed

by University of New Hampshire Health Services

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

2 Embeds 7

Statistics

Stress Management: What You Should Know About Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs..When You Are Feeling Stressed Presentation Transcript

http://www.slideshare.net	4
http://paper.li	3