A plan that outlines warning signs that indicate you might be at increased risk of harm, either from others or yourself, and details the steps you can take to prevent that harm.
How could it be helpful?
As you make changes to your drug use, you may experience big changes in your emotions, mood, and mental health. It’s helpful to identify potential warning signs, what you could do, and what support could help. An example of a simple safety plan could be: "When I feel my mood become really low, I start to get suicidal thoughts. When this happens, I will tell my partner and get them to remove any sharp objects from the area."
Sometimes when you’re making changes you might be at risk of harm from people around you. Try not to handle these situations on your own.
Health and social services are skilled at helping you create a safety plan. They can also help you to get more support.
How to access?
There are many different guides that can help you write this. It can be done guided by a health professional or you can look up your own plans online and create one. Here is a booklet you can use and an app you can download.
Real experiences
“Thankfully I’m not in that place mentally anymore, but there was a time where I was having suicidal thoughts often. Having a safety plan helped make sure that thoughts never turned into actions and helped me feel comfortable that I wouldn’t do something on impulse that I could never take back.”
- Anon