Alcohol Awareness Week is a week of fun, education and raising awareness about alcohol usage plus giving students strategies to help reduce any harmful impacts. At the SU we want you to have a great time with your friends and enjoy our bars and LCR, but we know sometimes it can be easy to feel pressure to drink more than you want to or you can find that alcohol is getting in the way of your relationships or studies.

Drugs and You

We understand that sometimes people will experiment with substances and no amount of disparagement will stop this entirely; at which point, our primary focus is your wellbeing and making sure that you are safe. Taking drugs always carries a risk and can potentially be harmful.

If you choose to take drugs please bear in mind the following points:

• Start low, go slow - Start with a small dose & wait until you’ve been feeling the effects for at least 2 hours before redosing. Remember drugs are becoming more & more potent & are not instantaneous, so resist the urge to re-dose too quickly.
• Avoid mixing drugs - Avoid mixing different drugs, especially with alcohol. Drugs could react together in a bad way & produce long-term health consequences. This is also a way to overdose.
• Stay hydrated with non-alcoholic drinks - Remember to sip non-alcohol drinks throughout the evening, but don’t drink more than a pint an hour.
• There are NO set doses - Age, weight, gender, ethnic background & even how tired you are, all play a part in drug metabolism. Your friend’s dose may not be the right one for you.
• Avoid using drugs when depressed or anxious - Taking drugs can make these feelings worse, either during the drug taking itself or as an effect of the comedown.
• Don't be afraid to seek help - Do seek help from staff or emergency services and be honest about what drugs you have taken. If your friend is unwell, stay with them until help comes.

You can find all this information in the document below: