Where to get help

What are my AOD service options?

Harm reduction services: they provide a range of support to people who use AOD. While all AOD services provide harm reduction as part of their client work (eg new equipment, advice on safer using), a harm reduction service is a specialist service whose core focus is to increase a person’s safety and wellbeing.

Medication assisted treatment: this is clinically supervised replacement of a substance of dependence with a medicine that is administered to reduce or eliminate withdrawal symptoms and cravings. This includes alcohol and nicotine pharmacotherapy and opioid dependence treatment programs.

Psychosocial interventions: these involve employing a range of evidence informed treatment approaches (eg cognitive behaviour therapy, motivational interviewing), integrated with social support and can be delivered in various settings.

Rehabilitation – Residential treatment: this is an intensive treatment program conducted in a residential setting typically offering a mixture of one on one, group work, peer support, and team/community building processes. This includes therapeutic communities which use the ‘community as method’ approach.

Rehabilitation – Day program: this is an intensive treatment program that typically involves a mixture of activities similar to those that would be conducted in a residential treatment setting. Day programs provide an option for people who are unable to attend a live-in residential service (eg due to work or family commitments) but can attend intensive treatment programs in a nonresidential setting.

Withdrawal management: this is the provision of support (that can include medically assisted care) for clients experiencing withdrawal symptoms and can be delivered in a bed based (eg hospital, community residential treatment) or non-bed based (eg outpatient, outreach) setting.

Alcohol and Drug Information Service

You can call the Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) for support, information, advice, crisis counseling and referral to services in Qld. ADIS advisors understand the difficulties of finding appropriate drug and alcohol treatment and use their knowledge and experience to assist you. ADIS are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on freecall 1800 177 833. Have a look and the video below for more information or you can check out more videos about ADIS here. You can also head over to their website.

Family Drug Support (FDS)

Parents/Carers and family members can call Family Drug Support for information, referral, counselling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the national free call number: 1300 368 186.

Counselling online

Counselling Online provide free, confidential, 24/7 text-based alcohol and drug counselling services nation-wide. They have a number of alcohol and drug resources on their website.

Counselling Online’s online peer support forums (http://forum.counsellingonline.org.au) are a place to connect with others affected by their own or a significant other’s alcohol and other drug use. Share strategies, empowerment and connection in a safe, non-judgemental community which promotes social connectedness and healing. This service is suitable for anyone seeking to make or maintain change.

Get the effects by txt! 

Get the effects by txt! is an addition to the Australian Drug Foundation’s (ADF) DrugInfo phone line, and can provide drug information direct to mobile phones, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People can text any drug name to 0439 TELL ME (0439 835 563) and receive an instant health and safety message in return. The message lists a number of the drug’s effects and provides links for further information on the ADF’s DrugInfo website, as well as the phone number of a 24/7 free and confidential counselling service.

Overdose Lifesavers

This website contains lots of information about signs of overdose and how to respond, as well as about naloxone and where and how to access take-home naloxone in Australia. It sheds light on the stories of people affected by overdose and explores the different ways people who consume drugs manage overdose. It aims to  inform the public about overdose and what can be done about it and support people affected by opioid overdose and thinking about using take-home naloxone.

Needle and Syringe Program

The Queensland Needle and Syringe Program (QNSP) aims to provide sterile injecting equipment and facilitate safe disposal of used equipment in over 150 service sites and 700 community pharmacies in Queensland. This program helps to reduce the incidence of blood-borne viruses and injection-related injuries and disease as well as to improve access and referrals to drug treatment programs and other health and social services.

To find a service, please click here to check the Pharmacy Guild’s list of services or click here to download a list of service sites for your area. You can also download the free mobile phone app to search for public and pharmacy NSPs across Queensland.