Awareness of Alcohol and Substance Misuse

This e-learning course, Awareness of Alcohol and Substance Misuse, is broken down into four easy-to-follow units - an introduction and three study units. It will help learners to identify the signs that service users are using illegal drugs or misusing legal drugs such as alcohol. The course will enable learners to provide people in their care with more effective guidance and non-judgmental advice about ways of tackling their issues.

Unit Titles

> How to Use the Course
> Types of drug and their effects
> Why people use drugs and how to identify the signs
> Awareness at work 

Unit 2: this unit explores how different drugs affect brain chemistry and the reasons why people take them. Learners look at how they are categorised and learn about the short- and long-term risks they pose for users. The unit covers legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine as well as illegal forms such as cannabis and cocaine.

Unit 3: in this unit learners identify the reasons why people take drugs and examine their own attitude to drug users. The unit explores patterns of behaviour, types of addiction and how to spot the signs of misuse and the symptoms of withdrawal. Throughout this unit, misuse refers to the use of illegal drugs and the misuse of substances such as alcohol, solvents and prescribed drugs.

Unit 4: encourages learners to apply what they have learned in the course so far to their work. This unit helps identify the effects of combining substances with medication and describes the importance of offering non-judgemental support when necessary. It goes on to explain how risk assessments play a part in supporting service users and provides guidance on advising people about minimising the risks of misuse. The unit concludes by providing information and guidance about the implications of service users misusing substances, and how to access support and advisory services on behalf of people in your care.

Learning Objectives: on completion of this course learners will be able to:

> define the word ‘drug’
> list the main types of drug
> explain the basics of how drugs affect brain chemistry
> describe some of the commonly used drugs and their effects
> understand the risks involved in taking different drugs
> identify the effects of combining ‘social’ drugs with medication
> describe ways of providing helpful non-judgmental support
> explain why risk assessments are helpful and important
> advise service users on how to minimise the risks of misusing drugs
> understand the legal implications of drug use
> access the appropriate support services users might need
> clarify their own attitudes regarding people who use drugs or misuse alcohol
> identify patterns of drug use and be able to differentiate between them
> understand the reasons why people use drugs
> describe the signs to look out for if they suspect a service user is either misusing or withdrawing from drugs.