Plan ahead and reduce your risk
How to reduce your risk
If you choose to drink alcohol, consume cannabis or other drugs, there are ways to help reduce the impact on your health and well-being.
All substances carry their own set of risks and potential harms, some unique to the substance. For example, cannabis poisoning in adults is not generally known to be fatal; however, using illegal drugs, like illegal opioids, is extremely risky and can lead to an overdose, and death. Understanding what those risks are will help you make informed decisions and safer choices.
Here are some tips and actions you can take to help to reduce some of the risks when consuming substances, but it’s important to remember that following these tips doesn’t eliminate the risk:
Eat food and drink water before you consume drugs or alcohol, this can make the effects more gradual.
Pace yourself: Start low and go slow.
Know your limits: Think about setting a limit for yourself and be aware of how much you are drinking or taking.
Stick to one substance at a time: Mixing substances can lead to higher-risk behaviours such as binge drinking, consuming more drugs than intended, losing control and harming yourself or others.
Have a charged phone in case you need to contact friends, family or call for help.
Have a plan to stay somewhere safe or to safely get home: Have a designated driver, call a friend or parent, or use a rideshare app or campus driving service.
Have friends around or use the buddy system to make sure one of you can call for help in case of an emergency or overdose.
If you are alone, tell someone you trust that you are consuming substances.
Talk to someone you trust if you could use some support. Reducing or stopping substance use can be difficult to do on your own.
