If you feel that your alcohol consumption or substance use is impacting your life, ability to stay well or enjoyment of social situations, or if you'd just like more information about what's healthy, there's support available to you.

UEA Student Services please link “UEA Student Services” to this external webpage https://my.uea.ac.uk/divisions/student-services can help you manage different aspects of student life that might be affected by substance use or high alcohol consumption, such as managing your studies, attendance and finances. They can also support with your wellbeing and help you explore external support services, including the Norfolk Alcohol and Drug Behaviour Change Service.

More information about the Drug & Alcohol support is available through Student Services.

If you're looking for local support, the Matthew Project please link “the Matthew Project” to this external webpage https://www.matthewproject.org offers a range of services, and if you're under 25 years of age, MAP has guidance and resources.

For more information on common drug and alcohol myths, check out this SOS UK guide.

We understand that sometimes people experiment with substances and no amount of condemnation will stop this entirely. 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 do 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 can 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 a helpful guide.

Alcohol and Relationships

Drinking alcohol affects the brain, reducing the ability to think straight, act rationally and causing lower inhibitions. This can temporarily make us feel more confident and assume we’re fun, but these lower inhibitions can make a person say or do something which they later come to regret. These regrets will not only affect the person drinking but those who they interact with.

Alcohol can often be used as an excuse for negative behaviour, and exacerbate arguments, especially in romantic relationships and friendships. Frequent arguments can take a toll on any form of relationship, leading to breakups and upsetting situations. If alcohol is affecting your relationship or friendship with someone then the best time to talk about it is when everyone involved is sober.

Tips on how to stop alcohol affecting your relationships:

• Go Alcohol Free: the best nights out, or evenings in, don’t have to include alcohol. You can bond over a romantic film or try alcohol-free cocktails.
• Stay within the low risk guidelines: if you do decide to drink alcohol, stay within the UK chief medical officers’ (CMO) low risk drinking guidelines by not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week and having several drink-free days.
• Eat a meal: food slows down the rate your body absorbs alcohol, so if you do choose to drink, eat before and while you are drinking
• Talk it out sober: if something is worrying you, don’t wait until you’ve had too much to drink to talk about it. Instead, discuss any problems with your partner when you’re both sober
• Alternate your alcohol drinks – swap between rounds with a soft drink or water to help you drink less alcohol in a session

Alcohol has been described as ‘the UK’s favourite coping mechanism’ with many of us drinking to help manage our stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health issues.

The immediate feeling of calm or relaxation that people feel after drinking fades with time, and it’s possible that they will feel worse than before. Overuse of alcohol can worsen the symptoms of many mental health problems, and relying on the temporary ‘stress relief’ of drinking can allow underlying issues to continue unaddressed.

If you’re concerned about your alcohol intake or how to manage your mental health, Student Services can help.

A ‘welcome ritual’ or initiation is an event or ceremony in which the new members of a group are pressured to perform tasks as a means of gaining credibility, status or entry.

Typical activities include:

• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Substance misuse
• Bullying, harassment or power inequality
• Risky behaviours designed to humiliate
• Sexualised behaviour

There are hundreds of cases across the UK of students being harmed during initiations, and we take incidents of initiation extremely seriously. Groups found to be carrying out welcome rituals will be investigated through our Code of Conduct process.