In a previous blog post titled “Illicit Drugs Are No Way to Manage Mental Health,” we wrote about stimulants (like meth or cocaine), barbiturates (like so-called “blue heavens” or “rainbows”), and club drugs (like ketamine and ecstasy). Our point was straightforward: It might be tempting to turn to these sorts of drugs to “self-medicate” a mental health disorder, but that is a terrible idea that can lead to horrifying consequences.
Maybe that seems pretty obvious. What might be less obvious, however, is the fact that legal substances—like nicotine, marijuana, and alcohol—are also not good choices for addressing a mental health difficulty.
Let’s take a look at each of these legal substances.
Cigarettes and Mental Health Disorders are Often Linked
In a 2011 publication titled “A Hidden Epidemic: Tobacco Use and Mental Illness,” the authors write:
Smoking rates are significantly higher in people with mental illnesses than in the general population. People with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and depression are smoking at shocking levels. It is a hidden epidemic with serious consequences for the physical, psychological, and financial health of this already vulnerable population.
While the publication is somewhat dated and the language is a little overwrought, the points made are important. Smokers are, of course, susceptible to a whole range of physical ailments, including lung cancer, emphysema, COPD, heart disease, strokes, and more. Diminished physical health tends to lead to more mental health disorder symptoms, and so a smoker is likely to develop problems across the measures of overall well-being.
If you are a smoker, we strongly recommend that you do the hard work of giving up cigarettes.
Marijuana Can Lead to Bigger Problems Than the Munchies
Marijuana possession and use are legal in Colorado, and there are likely many recreational users who would tell you that the drug helps them relax. Relaxation is, of course, important to a person’s mental wellness, and so it might be easy to conclude that marijuana use boosts a person’s mental health.
But the reality is that marijuana use can lead to the development of a substance use disorder—and withdrawal from the drug can lead to a range of difficulties that can undermine your mental health. These difficulties include:
- Difficulty sleeping (quality sleep is essential to mental health)
- Mood changes—including increased irritability
- An increase in symptoms of depression
Of course, a substance use disorder centered on marijuana can also lead to challenging physical symptoms. Those symptoms (like headaches, cravings, stomach issues, and more) can also have a negative impact on your mental health.
Alcohol is at the Center of Many Social Occasions—and Many Struggles
As with marijuana, alcohol is often used as a way to relax. And drinking alcohol is at the center of many parts of American culture—from wine at dinner to a beer at the ballpark to a hard cider at a backyard barbeque. Because alcohol is so prevalent, it can be easy to ignore the dark side of drinking.
But, of course, that darker side is no secret. Alcohol use can lead to the development of a substance use disorder as well as to serious outcomes like car accidents caused by driving under the influence.
Drinking can also be a kind of slippery slope—meaning that the occasional drink with friends or family can morph, for some people, into drinking as a strategy for dulling negative emotions. As we have noted throughout this entry, legal substances—including alcohol—are not good choices for dealing with mental health difficulties.
For further reading: Here is a list of signs you may have a problem with alcohol.
Making Better Mental Health Choices
If you are struggling with a mental health disorder like depression, anxiety, or an issue grounded in a traumatic experience, there are good ways and bad ways to address that disorder. Smoking cigarettes, using marijuana, or drinking alcohol are all bad ways to try to improve your mental health.
Good ways include taking medications, participating in therapy, or—ideally—both. Rather than trying to manage a mental health disorder with legal but problematic drugs, you should talk to your doctor or therapist about ways to move toward good mental health outcomes.
Peak View Behavioral Health Can Help
At Peak View Behavioral Health—located in Colorado Springs, Colorado—we create personalized treatment plans to help individuals improve their mental health and maintain those improvements over time. We are committed to evidence-based practices supported by our high levels of training, expertise, and experience. And we are devoted to a spirit of empathy that informs everything we do.
From assessment to diagnosis and from rapid stabilization to ongoing care and support, Peak View Behavioral Health can help you embrace hope as we work together to support your mental well-being.
