Substance misuse

Your GP is a good place to start. They can discuss your problems with you and get you into treatment. They may offer you treatment at the practice or refer you to your local drug service. If you're not comfortable talking to your GP, you can approach your local drug treatment service yourself.

Visit the Frank website to find local drug treatment services:

Frank website

If you're having trouble finding the right sort of help, call the Frank drugs helpline on 0300 123 6600. They can talk you through all your options.

Charity and private drugs treatment

As well as the NHS, there are charities and private drug and alcohol treatment organisations that can help you. Visit the Adfam website to see a list of useful organisations. Private drug treatment can be very expensive, but sometimes people get referrals through their local NHS.

Adfam website

If you're concerned about your drinking or someone else's, a good first step is to see a GP. They'll be able to discuss the services and treatments available to you. 

Your alcohol intake may be assessed using tests, such as the:

• Alcohol use disorders identification test – a widely used screening test that can help determine whether you need to change your drinking habits
• Alcohol use disorders identification test consumption – a simpler test to check whether your drinking has reached dangerous levels

As well as the NHS, there are a number of charities and support groups across the UK that provide support and advice for people with an alcohol misuse problem. For example, you may want to contact:

• Drinkline national alcohol helpline on 0300 123 1110
• Alcohol Change UK on 0300 123 1110
• Alcoholics Anonymous helpline on 0800 9177 650
• Al-Anon Family Groups helpline on 020 7403 0888

See a full list of alcohol charities and support groups

Drugs and alcohol abuse will probably be affecting you at work and may put yours and others' health and safety at risk. We would encourage you to speak to your manager about your problems so as they can offer support and guidance, but also assess your risk in the work place. Please see the Occupational Health policy on substance misuse.

Substance misuse policy

We would encourage your manager to make a referral to Occupational Health so we can offer advice and guidance to them as to how to support you. You can also refer yourself to Occupational Health for guidance.

Referrals to Occupational Health