Alcohol and drug use has a deep impact on families and relationships. The damage caused by alcohol and drug use can be minimized through early intervention. Healtheminds is launching a series of webinars to create awareness about mental health related issues.
The first in the series is a free webinar for understanding addiction to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and helping family and friends who might be vulnerable to it.
Consumption and use of alcohol and drugs can have adverse health effects. These include the toxic effects of excessive intake or drug overdoses, accidental injuries or violence occurring in a state of intoxication and the development of dependence or addiction.
Experimentation with alcohol, tobacco and other addictive substances is on the rise. According to a UN report on global drug use, an estimated 208 million people all over the world consume illegal drugs, and illegal drug use causes up to 250,000 deaths per year. Alcohol consumption alone accounts for 3.3 million deaths each year. In its effort to contribute towards raising awareness about mental health issues, Healtheminds is launching a webinar which will enable clearer understanding of the use-dependence-addiction continuum and encourage friends and family to detect early signs of addiction in loved ones. It will be useful for anyone with a family member or friend struggling with drug and alcohol use, and help them take concrete steps before the problem becomes severe.
Through this webinar, participants will learn about how drug use can develop into dependence and addiction, what it looks like, what is the impact it has on relationships, why it can be so difficult to give up and what are the available resources for coping with it. It will also highlight the need for timely intervention and acquaint participants with available resources for support.
Healtheminds aims to reach as many participants as possible by organizing the webinar at various times throughout the month of April. This is the start of an on-going effort to build greater awareness among, and educate the general population about various mental health and wellbeing issues.
You can access this webinar at the following times:
- Saturday 11th April 2015 6:00PM IST
- Wednesday 15th April 2015 11:30AM IST
- Sunday, 26th April 2015 7:00PM IST
- Thursday 30th April 2015 9:00PM IST
Contact us at [email protected] to register.
REFERENCES:
World Drug Report 2014 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48138#.VRkkWPyUdjk
Foundation for a Drug Free World http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/the-truth-about-drugs.html
Live Science http://www.livescience.com/36068-worldwide-illegal-drug-deaths.html