Alcohol and Other Drugs
Did you know that University students who binge drink at least twice a fortnight have significantly lower grades than those who don't? Drug and excessive alcohol use affect our physical and psychological health, as well as our overall wellbeing.
Get the facts:
The following statistics marked with * are from the 2010 National Drug Strategy Household survey.
- About 2 in 5 (39.7%) people aged 14 years or older drank (at least once in the last 12 months) in a pattern that placed them at risk of an alcohol-related injury from a single drinking occasion*
- Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia*
- Alcohol is the most widely used drug in Australia
- In Australia, marijuana has been used at least once by 35.4% of people aged over 14 year or older*
- Marijuana can lead to lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and a host of mental health problems. It has also been linked to poor education performance
Check yourself:
- Know your limits – check out this education drinking quiz (opens in a new window)
Get help:
- Students can talk to a Western Sydney University Counsellor who can help you explore treatment options for cannabis and alcohol use and refer you to other services
- Staff can contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) on 1800 818 728 (24 hours)
- Call the Alcohol and Drug Information Services Helpline (ADIS) anytime for support, information, advice, crisis counselling and referrals to services (NSW 1800 422 599 or Sydney 02 9361 8000)
- Family Drug Support (opens in a new window) - 1300 368 186 (24 hours)
Find out what it's really doing to your body:
- Don't turn a night out into a nightmare (opens in a new window) – Australian Federal Government
- ReachOut Australia (opens in a new window) – the Inspire Foundation
- Your room (alcohol and drug information) (opens in a new window) – NSW Health and Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS)
- National Drug campaign (opens in a new window) – Australian Federal Government
- Australian Drug Foundation (opens in a new window)
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