Support and Advice

At UWE Bristol and The Students' Union we do not support or condone illegal and dangerous drug and alcohol use, but recognise that some of our student population may engage in these behaviours.

Therefore we take a harm reduction approach when it comes to drugs including alcohol, to better support healthier student outcomes. This means we make every effort to support them to reduce the risks associated with these behaviours, and prioritise student welfare.

For some of our students, drugs & alcohol will already be a familiar experience – but for others this may be completely outside of their social or cultural norms.
Many students don’t use any substances because of their beliefs, previous problematic use or just not enjoying the experience.

There are a variety of reasons why people use drugs including alcohol and everyone has an individual relationship with, and response to them.

If you do choose to use drugs including alcohol, consider your own reasons for doing so, if the impact of your use is positive or negative for you and the people around you - and if you still feel are in control.

Drugs including alcohol can have both positive and negative impacts on:

• Your social life
• Your relationships
• Your academic success
• Your work
• Your finances
• Your other interests
• Your physical or mental health

GETTING SUPPORT
 

If you feel that you are no longer happy with your use or if the negative impacts are outweighing the positives, you can get support to make changes.

• Drugs Meter offers personalised anonymous feedback on your current drug use.
• Check out The Students’ Union Drugs Harm Reduction page to keep up to date and informed on harm reduction advice and information. 
• Check out The Students’ Union Alcohol Harm Reduction page to keep up to date and informed on harm reduction advice and information. 
• Read harm reduction advice from Bristol Drugs Project.
• Wedinos is a harm reduction project which provides an anonymous and free postal drug testing service and publishes sample results on their website.
• If you’re concerned about Spiking, please read this blog from The Students’ Union at UWE: Let’s Talk About Spiking
• Combining different drugs creates new compounds, some are more risky than others. Drugs + Me offers an interactive guide around drug combinations.
• If you’re worried about spiking, please read this resource.

If you’d like to speak to someone about reducing the risks and the harms of drug and alcohol use, you can:

• Self-refer to the Bristol Drugs Project.