Mental Health and Addiction

Mental health is not just about the mind but also about a person’s social and emotional wellbeing. It includes a person’s connection to land, to culture, spirituality, family, and community. When these connections are lost or put under stress it affects people’s mental and physical health. Some people may turn to alcohol and other drugs to make them feel better when they feel stressed. Over time, people may start using alcohol and drugs a lot to cope with emotional distress which can result in addiction (dependence). Dependence on alcohol or other drugs can mean a person develops a craving for the substance, has withdrawal symptoms and starts to behave in unexpected ways that make it difficult for the family or community to manage [50883].

Alcohol

Alcohol can have many different effects on people’s mental health.

Watch the Menzies School of Health Research’s The grog brain story animation to hear about how drinking alcohol can affect mental health and wellbeing.

There are people and programs that can help support individuals or families who are affected by harms from alcohol dependence. Contacting your local Aboriginal health service or talking to your doctor is a good first step [50883].

Ice

Ice affects people differently and may cause more problems for some people than others, especially if they have a history of mental health conditions. Read about the effects of ice on mental health here.

Recovery from ice use is possible. These resources from Cra cks in the Ice provide information on what ice is, what you can do if someone you care about is using ice and tips on how to create a community support group if you are worried about ice in your community.

Cannabis

Using cannabis (gunja, yarndi) can affect people’s mental health in different ways. Using cannabis may trigger mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and psychosis in some people, especially if they are already vulnerable to developing a mental health condition [43145]. Cannabis can also cause people to be more tired and less motivated to do things, which may lead to isolation from friends, family and community [35968]. Learn more about addressing cannabis in the community and the effects cannabis can have on mental health in this video and factsheet.

Tobacco

While smoking tobacco may appear to temporarily help control feelings of worry (anxiety), it can make anxiety worse by activating the body’s stress response [42325]. In addition smoking can make some medicines not work as well, including some medicines that are used for stress and anxiety [40465][40467].

It is never too late for people to give up smoking. Giving up smoking is good for mental health and wellbeing. Quitting has been found to improve people’s mood and reduce depression, anxiety, and stress compared to if people keep smoking [40466]. The Aboriginal Quitline has more information to assist with helping people to quit.