Dr Funke's presentation explains the impact of substance misuse on a persons emotional well being. She addresses the current difficulties facing young people.

1. Emotional Wellbeing
and
Substance Misuse
Dr Funke Baffour-Awuah
November 29th 2014

2. Outline
• Emotional Wellbeing
– What is it?
– Positive emotional wellbeing
– Emotional wellbeing problems
– Risk Factors
• Substance Misuse
– Alcohol
– Drugs
– Warning Signs
• Collaborative approach

3. Emotional Wellbeing
Sometimes our sadness is hidden with a smile. Our smiles need to smile too!

4. I’m
BROKEN
Sometimes our OK means that we are feeling BROKEN.

5. Emotional Wellbeing
“to be yourself
in a world
that’s
constantly
trying to make
you something
else is one of
the difficult
hurdles in life”

6. What is Emotional Wellbeing?
• Ability to understand the value of your emotions
• Use them to move your life forward in a positive way
Emotional wellbeing can be achieved:
• By understanding and looking after our emotions
• developing our emotional skills to deal effectively with
any challenges that arise in our lives.

7. Positive Emotional Wellbeing
Someone who is emotionally healthy:
1. Understands and adapts to change
2. Copes with stress
3. Has a positive self-concept
4. Has the ability to love and care for others
5. Can act independently to meet his or her
own needs

8. Emotional Wellbeing Problems

9. Risk factors
• Trying to fit in
• Bullying
• Abuse (physical/emotional/sexual)
• Bereavement
• Expectations (Parents/teachers)
• Unhelpful comparison
Impacts on self-esteem and their ability
to learn.

10. How do teenagers deal with
emotional problems?
Unhealthy
• Withdraw
• Over/under eat
• Oversleep/lack of sleep
• Neglect their personal needs
• Engage in unhealthy
relationships
• Excessive use of computer
games
Healthy
•Talk to friends
•Exercise
•Listen to music
•Reading/writing
•Seek appropriate help
•Watch movie-Scandal

11. Substance Misuse

12. Substance Misuse
Drugs are any chemical substances that effect a
physical, mental, emotional, or behavioural
change in an individual.
Drug abuse is the use of any licit or illicit
chemical substance that results in physical,
mental, emotional, or behavioural impairment in
an individual.

14. Substances a person may misuse
Volatile substances (also
called inhalants)
– solvents, such as glue and
petrol
– gases, such as those found in
cigarette lighters
– aerosols, such as spray paint
– nitrites, such as those found in
room sprays.
– Shoemaker Polish/Glue

15. Substances a person may misuse
Cocaine
• powerfully addictive
stimulant drug made
from the leaves of the
coca plant native to
South America.

16. Substances a person may misuse
• Crack is a form of
cocaine that has been
processed to make a
rock crystal (also
called “freebase
cocaine”) that can be
smoked.
• Crystal is heated to
produce vapours that
are absorbed into the
blood-stream through
the lungs

17. Substances a person may misuse
Marijuana/cannabis
(gunja, yarndi, tawa)
Dried leaves, flowers,
stems, and seeds from
the hemp plant Cannabis
sativa, which contains a
psychoactive (mind
altering) chemical.

18. Substances a person may misuse
Heroin (smack)
Opioid drug that is synthesized
from morphine, a naturally
occurring substance extracted from
the seed pod of the Asian opium
poppy plant.
Appears as a white or brown
powder or as a black sticky
substance, known as “black tar
heroin.”

19. Substances a person may misuse
Ecstasy (E )
• Ecstasy today can
contain a wide mixture
of substances—from
LSD, cocaine, heroin,
amphetamine and
methamphetamine, to
rat poison, caffeine, dog
deworming substances

20. Substances a person may misuse
Alcohol
– Loss of control: the
inability to limit one’s
drinking on any given
occasion.
– Tolerance: the need to
drink greater amounts
of alcohol in order to
get high.

21. Drug Dealers
• Currently in Ghana
many give drugs for
free.
• Pure uncut cocaine
comes from parts
of South America.
• Candy (Crack)

22. Shisha
• Different scents
– Strawberry
– Vanilla
– Toffee
• Shisha pens-smoke it
• Sometimes contains
weed

23. Shisha
According to research carried out
by the World Health
Organisation (WHO), the volume
of smoke inhaled in an hour-long
shisha session is estimated to be
the equivalent of smoking
between 100 and 200 cigarettes.

24. Space Parties
• Space parties- laced
with weed
• Drinks
• Brownies
• Chicken (medicated
wings)
• Cakes
• Punch-laced with
alcohol
• Shitto

25. Why do young people abuse
substances?
• Stress relief
• To forget or escape problems
• Being a rebel and a risk-taker
• Relief of boredom/wanting to
have fun
• A feeling of being special
• Being part of a significant group
of people
• Addictive personality
• Curiosity
• Absence of parents (both
physical and emotional)

26. Effects of Substance Misuse

27. What are the warning signs?
Should not be mistaken
for the normal
transition -adolescents
to adulthood

28. What are the warning signs?
1. Change in personality: shifts in energy, mood, and
concentration as a result of everyday responsibilities
becoming secondary to the need for the drug.
2. Social withdrawal: withdrawal from family and friends.
3. Change in daily habits and appearance: decline in
personal hygiene; change in sleeping and eating habits;
constant cough, running nose and red, glazed eyes.

29. What are the warning signs?
4. Neglects responsibilities: neglect of household
chores and bills; calling in sick to school or work
more often.
5. Increased sensitivity: normal sights, sounds and
emotions becoming overly stimulating to the
person; hallucinations.
6. Defensiveness: becoming defensive and lashing
out in response to simple questions in an
attempt to hide a drug dependency, if users feel
their secret is being discovered.

31. Collaboration

32. What can parents do?
• Be connected with
your child-
Communication
• Inform Your Teen -
and Stay Informed
Yourself
• Set healthy
expectations and
boundaries
• Be familiar with the
company they keep

33. What can teachers do?
• Pseudo parents for
students
• Communicating
effectively with parents
and students
• Look out for the
warning signs.
• Set time to talk to
students or make
necessary referrals

34. What can students do?
• Be Responsible
• Understand how your own
behaviours can impact on
others
• Find effective ways of
dealing with emotions
• Talk to someone you trust
• Hold on to your values-avoid
peer pressure
• Be respectful of adults in
your life
Never suffer in silence

36. Movie to Watch
‘DRUG HER’ (Jackie Appiah)

37. The End
Thank you