Does drinking and smoking help with stress? #MTVRiseAbove

So you’re feeling a touch of student stress AKA exams to revise for and friends to see and family to see and coursework to finish and maybe even a job and *pulls hair* it’s too much!!! If this sounds like you then you’re probably wondering how to not let school stress you out – because sometimes college or high school is stressful!

Rise Above went to MTV Crashes Plymouth, and while the festival-goers were taking a break from seeing a seriously good line-up of artists (Foxes, Tinie Tempah and Kodaline anyone..?) we asked them whether smoking and drinking were good ways of managing exam stress. The answer? NO. There might be a lot of young people and smoking around you at school – and you might well ask what is smoking even for if it’s not to de-stress? You just need to do the quickest of searches online to find out about nicotine addiction, so we won’t go into that here, but trust us – and the festival fabulous crowd! – when we say smoking will only make you feel worse. And drinking? Again, thinking “I want to drink” is a reasonable reaction if you have friends drinking too, but it’s not gonna help your situation because it doesn’t make you your best self!

You need to take care of yourself if you’re stressed – and that means eating healthily, sleeping regularly and talking openly. Sounds basic – and it is! It’s about maintaining your body and mind, and keeping it stable. Smoking and drinking are only gonna de-stabilise, trust.