HealthyLife Articles

Tag: Substance Use & Abuse

Smart Tips For Business Drinking

Substance Use & Abuse

Sloshing down three martinis at a business lunch went out with wide ties and bell-bottom pants. As one investment banker quipped, “No one’s going to trust you to handle their money, services, or products if you get smashed over lunch.”

Keep in mind that business is business. Others’ impressions of you can make or break a deal-or a career. Alcohol is served at many business functions, yet more and more people are choosing not to drink.

If you choose to drink, here’s what you can do to manage your alcohol intake and its effects.

* Don’t feel you have to “keep up” with associates who drink.

* Drinking isn’t the main purpose of the get-together. Keep your underlying mission in mind and stay clear headed.

* If you’re nervous about the meeting, it might be better to avoid alcohol altogether, since you may drink too fast or too much and end up fuzzier than usual because of your anxiety.

If you attend a business dinner:

* Have only one pre-dinner drink, if any.

* If champagne is served, sip it very slowly.

* Drink water with the meal.

* Avoid finishing each drink.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Teach Your Kids Not To Drink

Substance Use & Abuse

Underage drinking is a growing problem. All too often, teenage drinking leads to:

* Traffic accidents (many of them fatal).

* Destruction of property.

* Violent or antisocial behavior.

* Poor academic performance.

* Disciplinary problems.

* Withdrawal from social activities.

* Problems coping with stress.

If you suspect (or know) your teenager drinks, don’t ignore it. To discourage or prevent underage drinking:

* Be a good role model. The best example you can set is to not drink. But if you choose to drink, drink responsibly. Children of alcoholics are four times as likely to develop a drinking problem as children of nonalcoholic parents.

* Show your children that you love them. Be affectionate, and show them you care and are interested in them.

* Make an effort to organize family activities. It may be hard to compete with your son’s or daughter’s peers for their attention at times, but make the effort anyway. Shared hobbies and sports can create bonds and strengthen a teen’s resistance to outside influences.

* Discuss the potential risks and consequences of alcohol use before it becomes a problem. Answer questions honestly and let your children know how you feel about them drinking before the situation arises.

* Tell your children to never get into a car with a drunk driver. Promise you’ll pick them up anytime, anywhere, no questions asked, if they call you instead of putting themselves at risk.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Use Caution With Sleeping Pills

Medication

Used improperly, prescription sleeping pills (called sedative-hypnotics) can be as addictive as alcohol and can produce unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if stopped abruptly.

You can develop a tolerance to sleeping pills in as little as two weeks of frequent use. In other words, you need higher and higher amounts to fall asleep. Older people should be especially cautious about taking sleeping pills, since their tolerance for medication is usually lower than middle-aged or younger adults.

If you or someone you’re close to takes prescription sleeping pills, possible signs of misuse include:

* Taking sleeping pills nightly for more than two weeks.

* Needing to take higher doses to fall asleep.

* Increasing the dosage without consulting the doctor.

If you’ve become dependent on sleeping pills, don’t quit cold turkey-you’re apt to suffer confusion, slurred speech, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, relentless insomnia, and possibly death. So contact your doctor for instructions on how to wean yourself off the drug.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Importance Of A Drug-Free Workplace

WORK LIFE

Keeping the workplace drug-free is essential for everyone’s health and safety.

Unhealthy use of any type of drug or substance

These can include:

* Illegal or prescription drugs

* Alcohol

* Tobacco

* Marijuana

Risks with substance abuse

* Dependence or addiction

* Poor decision making

* Damaged relationships

* Declining physical health

Workplace impacts

* Missed days of work

* Higher cost of healthcare

* Legal issues

* Poor productivity

* Safety concerns

Seeking help for substance abuse: If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, seek help. Talk to your doctor about your concerns. Usefindtreatment.govto find treatment options in your area.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
What To Know About Rainbow Fentanyl

WELL-BEING

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid, 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Doctors prescribe pharmaceutical fentanyl to treat severe pain. However, illegal fentanyl is often mixed with other illicit drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.

Rainbow fentanyl is an illegally manufactured drug dyed in bright colors and shaped to mimic legitimate medication. It only takes a small amount of fentanyl to overdose.

* It’s impossible to know how much fentanyl may be present in a rainbow fentanyl pill.

* Fentanyl-laced drugs are among the most common drugs implicated in overdose deaths.

* The bright colors of rainbow fentanyl may increase the appeal among teens and young adults.

* Rainbow fentanyl is extremely dangerous. All it takes is one to be at risk for overdose.

* Signs of an overdose include pinpoint pupils, limp body, choking or gurgling sounds, loss of consciousness, and slow or weak breathing.

* Call 911 at the first sign of overdose.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
5 Reasons To Limit Alcohol

Substance Use & Abuse

Limit alcohol to lower your risk for:

1. Injuries from falling and operating machines

2. Liver and heart diseases, stroke, and high blood pressure

3. Cancers of the breast, mouth, throat, colon, and liver

4. Depression, sleep disorders, unsafe sex, alcohol abuse, and harmful alcohol and drug interactions

5. Motor vehicle crashes. As little as 2 drinks can impair some people’s ability to drive safely.

Take Action: Be Social Without Alcohol

* Focus more on the people you are with than alcoholic drinks.

* Keep drinks without alcohol in your house to offer guests.

* Plan activities with others that do not include alcohol.

* Drink water. This helps you save money, too.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Drink Responsibly

Substance Use & Abuse

Limit alcohol to one to two drinks a day.

Alcohol is a depressant and the most widely used legal drug in the United States. About one in 13 adults are alcoholics or alcohol abusers. Alcohol is a leading cause of traffic-related deaths for 15 to 24 year olds and a trigger for one in four suicides and about 50 percent of spousal abuse.

Enough is enough.

Two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and persons age 65 and older is enough to release tension. Drinking too much can slur your speech, decrease your ability to think clearly, and put you at greater risk of having a traffic accident, if driving.

One drink equals 1-1/2 ounces of 80-proof hard liquor, 12 ounces of beer, or 4-5 ounces of wine.

Use alcohol wisely:

* Alcohol and some prescribed drugs don’t mix and can sometimes be fatal. Read labels and ask your doctor before combining the two.

* Know your drinking limit and stick to it.

* Drink slowly.

* After you have one to two drinks with alcohol, drink something alcohol-free.

* Don’t drink and drive.

* Always designate a driver who will not be drinking.

Don’t drink alcohol if:

* You are pregnant.

* You are under the legal drinking age.

* You are driving a car, a boat, a plane or operating machines.

* You are alcohol or drug dependent.

* You have hepatitis.

Action Step

If you order alcohol when you eat out, ask to have it served with, not before, the meal. Alternate sips of alcohol and water. Designate a sober driver. Buzzed driving is drunk driving.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Driving Yourself To Drink

Substance Use & Abuse

Take this test to see if you are out of control.

You may think you are a social drinker, when others see you as a problem drinker. If you have any doubts, or just want to prove your friends and family wrong, take this test developed by Alcoholics Anonymous.

Answer Yes or No:

1. Have you ever decided to stop drinking for a week or more, but lasted only a few days?

2. Do you wish people would mind their own business about your drinking and stop telling you what to do?

3. Have you ever switched from one kind of drink to another in the hope that this would keep you from getting drunk?

4. Have you had a drink in the morning during the past year?

5. Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble?

6. Have you had problems connected with drinking during the past year?

7. Has your drinking caused troubles at home?

8. Do you ever try to get extra drinks at a party because you are not served enough?

9. Do you tell yourself you can stop drinking any time you want, even though you keep getting drunk when you didn’t mean to?

10. Have you missed days of work because of drinking?

11. Do you have blackouts?

12. Have you ever felt your life would be better if you did not drink?

Score Yourself: If you answered yes to four or more questions, chances are you have a drinking problem and need to seek professional help.

Action Step

If your drinking is tied to emotional issues that you are trying to drown, seek counseling. Coming to terms with your triggers and learning to manage those triggers will help put you back in control of your life.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Drug Addiction Triggers

Substance Use & Abuse

Are some people more at risk than others?

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. It causes compulsive drug seeking and using, despite the harm it costs. Over time, brain changes occur that destroy a person’s ability for self-control. Even if a person wants to quit, willpower is not enough to fight the urges.

The brain on drugs

Drugs contain chemicals that disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Over time, changed brain cells reduce the user’s ability to enjoy the drug’s effect without higher dosages. Long-term abuse also alters other brain chemicals and circuits. This impairs areas of the brain that are critical for judgment, decision-making, learning, memory, and behavior control.

Why do people relapse?

Addiction is a chronic disease that can be managed, but relapse is common. Treatment helps counter the addiction’s powerful effects. This includes medications and behavioral therapy. A relapse should not be viewed as failure. It is a sign that the treatment should be adjusted.

Why me?

The risk for drug addiction is due to a mix of:

* Genetics – The risk is higher if other family members have addiction issues.

* Environment – Finances, peer pressure, abuse, stress, and the quality of parenting play roles. Having family and friends who abuse drugs is also a factor. So is age. The younger a person is when drug use starts, the greater the risk for addiction.

Tips to deal with triggers:

* Try to avoid situations that involve alcohol and/or drugs.

* Do things you know and do well to build confidence.

* Attend self-help groups for drug users. These include:

– Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

– Cocaine Anonymous (CA)

– Narcotics Anonymous (NA)

Action Step

If you or someone you love has a problem with drugs, seek professional help.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Face Up To Your Drinking Habits

Substance Use & Abuse

Are you a social drinker or a problem drinker? If you have any doubts, you probably have a problem or are developing one. Alcoholics Anonymous has developed the following quiz to help you determine if you have a drinking problem.

1. Have you ever decided to stop drinking for a week or so, but lasted only a few days? Yes ____ No ____

2. Do you wish people would mind their own business about your drinking and stop telling you what to do? Yes ____ No ____

3. Have you ever switched from one kind of drink to another in the hope that this would keep you from getting drunk? Yes ____ No ____

4. Have you had a drink in the morning during the past year? Yes ____No ____

5. Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble? Yes ____ No ____

6. Had problems connected with drinking during the past year? Yes ____ No ____

7. Has your drinking caused trouble at home? Yes ____ No ____

8. Do you ever try to get extra drinks at a party because you’re not served enough?

Yes ____ No ____

9. Do you tell yourself you can stop drinking any time you want, even though you keep getting drunk when you don’t mean to? Yes ____ No ____

10. Have you missed days of work because of drinking? Yes ____ No ____

11. Do you have blackouts? Yes ____ No ____

12. Have you ever felt your life would be better if you did not drink? Yes ____ No ____

How to score: If you answer yes to four questions or more, chances are you have a problem and should seek professional help.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026