What's going on in my local area to support me/help me?
» Cardiff Alcohol and Drug Team
Providing practical help, guidance, counseling and community care for people with drug and alcohol problems, and their families.
» Community Addictions Unit
Providing multi-disciplinary service including medical advice, in-patient and outpatient detox, advice and support, drop-in needle exchange.
» Inroads
A registered charity which provides a free and confidential service, offering advice, information and support to anyone whose lives have been affected by their own, or someone else's drug use.
Addiction... Misuse... Dependency... What does it all mean?
Drug addiction is when you become dependent on a drug, and it forms a central part of your life.
Drug misuse is when you take illegal drugs, or when you take medicines in a way not recommended by your doctor or the manufacturer. Taking medicines in very large quantities that are dangerous to your health is also an example of drug misuse. Misusing drugs can lead to physical dependency, or psychological dependency.
Physical dependency means that your body has become so used to a drug that you get physical withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it. This means that you have to keep taking the drug to stop yourself feeling ill. Psychological dependency means that you take the drug because it has formed a large part of your life, and you take it to make yourself feel good. You may feel that you cannot stop taking the drug, even though you are not physically dependant. Some drugs can make you both physically and psychologically dependent. As you take more of a drug, your body becomes tolerant to it so it does not have such a strong effect. This means that you need to take larger amounts to get the same effect as when you started taking it.
Concerned about your own drug use? Concerned about someone else's drug use?
Drug use is a frightening subject and you may be worried about your own use, or worry about the well being of a loved one.
Drug use can have a number of negative consequences. The types of consequences will depend on the kind of drug being used. Some of these consequences can be:
Mood swings and aggression
Mental health problems such as depression or psychosis
Physical health problems such as chest problems, heart problems or abscesses from injecting
You are entitled to review your medications with your local pharmacist free of charge.
A healthy balanced diet, taking more exercise and losing weight if necessary may delay the onset of diabetes.
Young people aged 13-25 years can access free, confidential sexual health advice and condoms from the Cardiff Condom-Card (C-Card) Scheme.
A reduction in dietary salt intake from 9g to 6g could reduce blood pressure.
In England and Wales, alcohol misuse leads to some 33,000 hospital admissions each year for alcohol-related liver disease.
Improving your diet could prevent an estimated third of cancers.
Over 40% of 5 year olds in Cardiff have one or more decayed teeth.
Currently, over half of the population of Cardiff are reported to be overweight or obese.
If you drive at twice the legal alcohol limit you are at least 30 times more likely to cause a road crash, than a driver who hasn't been drinking.
A healthy balance diet, physical activity and maintaining a healthy body weight have been shown to be effective in the prevention and treatment of hypertension.
Obesity is associated with a reduction in life expectancy of approximately 9 years.
Regular exercise can really help if you're feeling depressed, stressed or anxious.
A diet rich in fruit and vegetables decreases the risk of coronary heart disease.
Of the people alive today, 650 million will eventually be killed by tobacco.
An extra portion of fruit and vegetables per day could decrease the risk of coronary heart disease by 4% and stroke by 6%.
If you are regularly physically active, you are 50% less likely of becoming obese.
Nearly £2000 a year could be saved by quitting smoking 20 cigarettes per day.
If you are regularly physically active, you are approximately 50% less likely to develop coronary health disease than those who do not exercise.
By taking regular physical activity you are at reduced risk of developing osteoporosis.
Smoking during pregnancy has been identified as a cause of cot death.
In Wales, the total cost of physical inactivity to the health service and the economy as a whole is estimated at around £650 million per year.
6,000 deaths from coronary heart disease in men each year are directly due to alcohol.
Only 26% of adults in Cardiff undertake the recommended 5 x 30 minutes exercise per week.
