Get Help with a Drug or Alcohol Problem

What services are available to help me with my addiction issues?

Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services offer open access to all and therefore receive referrals from a wide range of services but also welcome self-referrals, either through drop in or by telephone. They provide a range of care and treatment options for people living in Glasgow affected by drugs and/or alcohol. These services include:

• Alcohol support and treatment, including community detoxification and protective medications
• Drug support and treatment, including opiate replacement therapy
• Support with a range of social issues
• Support to young people affected by alcohol and/or drug issues
• Support and treatment services to parents affected by alcohol and/or drug problems
• Support and treatment services to those involved in offending and affected by alcohol and/or drug problems
• Harm reduction advice and interventions
• Needle replacement
• Blood Bourne Virus testing and treatment
• Access to alcohol and drug Tier 4 services - psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy and hospital services (specialist in-patient, outpatient and day services)
• Access to residential rehabilitation services
• Access to Drug Crisis Centre and Link up
• Access to community Recovery Hubs
• Signposting to a range of support services and recovery communities

How do I get a service?

By contacting your local Drug & Alcohol Recovery Service. If the service is for your own addiction issues then an assessment of need will be carried out. You can also get help from:

• North East Glasgow Recovery Community
• North West Glasgow Recovery Community
• South Glasgow Recovery Community.

What do I do if I need help urgently?

If you have a life threatening emergency then call 999.

If you just need help with your addiction then within office hours, you can contact your local Drug & Alcohol Recovery Service where you will be given an urgent appointment.

Outwith office hours if the service is open, we will try to accommodate you. If we cannot and you have a drug problem, please phone Glasgow Drug Crisis Centre on: 0141 420 6969.

If you have an alcohol problem, please contact your own GP or out of hours service. You can also access information and advice from Drinkline on: 0800 917 8282 or Glasgow and Partners Emergency Social Work Service on: 0300 343 1505.

You can also contact NHS 24 on: 08454 242424. 

How to access Residential Services in Glasgow City

Anyone in Glasgow City needing support with an alcohol or drug problem can access a wide range of Residential options which best support their individual recovery journey through the Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services (GADRS). You can self-refer to GADRS via phone or in-person.

• North West ADRS, Woodside Health & Care Centre, 891 Garscube Road, G5 9AB. Phone 0141 201 5500
• North East ADRS, 871 Springfield Road, G31 4HZ. Phone 0141 565 0200
• South ADRS, Gorbals Health Centre. 2 Sandiefield Road G5 9AB. Phone 0141 420 8100

" How to access Residential Services in Glasgow City [115kb]" provides further information on support available.

What is Naloxone?

Naloxone is used to reverse opioid overdoses.   Find a Pharmacy where you can get Naloxone [35kb]

Naloxone is a medicine that temporarily reverses the effects of opioids such as heroin, methadone and codeine. If someone is in an opioid overdose, this medicine can save their life, buying time for the emergency services to arrive. Any member of the public can complete training and carry naloxone to administer to anyone in an emergency and save their life. 

 Read the latest blog about Naloxone [23kb].

Support during the COVID-19 Outbreak

For more information / help on alcohol or drug use during the COVID-19 outbreak, you can find information at:

• alcohol support / advice

• drug Support / advice

Alcohol and Drug Strategy

The Scottish Government request a new strategic plan from the ADP every three years - this is the  Glasgow City ADP Strategy 2020-2023 [197kb].

The vision of our strategy is for the individuals, families and communities of Glasgow to live free from the harms of alcohol and drugs, to be treated with dignity and respect, able to easily access the support and recovery they seek.

The delivery of the strategic priorities is monitored through an evolving delivery plan.

Blog - Elevate Glasgow celebrates 7 years of achievement with graduation ceremony

Almost 100 awards will be given to participants in this week's graduation ceremony for qualifications, training and personal development programmes completed by individuals in recovery from drug and/or alcohol misuse.

Elevate-Glasgow is a service supporting individuals in recovery from problematic drug and/or alcohol misuse by delivering a variety of employability services including personal development, training and volunteering experiences, either directly through Elevate or through their partner organisations.

Ahead of their graduation event this week, we spoke to 2018 Elevate Graduate Jonathan to hear about his experience. 

How did you first learn about Elevate?

I first learned about Elevate through a friend in recovery in the summer of 2017. She invited me along to an open day, in Maryhill, that was for people in recovery who were looking to get into employment. There were various recovery organisations present, none of whom I had heard of, having been relatively new in recovery at the time.

Elevate was present at the event and their worker at the time, Jacqui, had a wonderful, positive energy. I joined the queue out of curiosity and that's when she explained what Elevate does and how they support people in recovery looking to move onto employment or education.

What was your first impression of the project?

When I found Elevate I was in quite a difficult predicament. I had just returned from Poland (where I had been living for 2 and a half years) and found myself unemployed for the first time in my life. I had been told by the Job Centre that I was not entitled to any benefits for six months - due to having lived overseas - and had no source of income.

 When Jacqui explained that Elevate offered courses and placements for people in recovery who were unemployed, I felt a great sense of relief. All I wanted to do was get back to work, but my time with Elevate offered me so much more than that. I was given an opportunity to study, gain qualifications and complete a paid work placement - all of which have taken me to where I am today. 

Do you have a standout moment from your experience?

It's difficult to say, because there were so many fantastic experiences. Being able to get a place on the COSCA course was one of the most invaluable experiences; I use so much of what I learned on this course in both my work and interpersonal life to this day.

Another highlight was getting a paid placement with an organisation that then offered me full time employment at the end of my placement. In this role I got to meet people from all over the world and take part in an array of cross-cultural events. Which is something I could have never envisioned doing a when I first signed up with Elevate.

The job also helped me get on my feet financially and achieve my dream of spending a year in Canada - which I did after 18 months in the role.

Why do you think celebration events like these are an important part of the process?

"I can only speak for myself, but as a person in recovery I found there to be number a of barriers in integrating into mainstream educational and working environments in Scotland. With Elevate my previous employment gaps or unfinished courses did not matter - which is unfortunately not the case in many environments. What did matter was that I was a person in recovery who wanted to be a better version of myself. 

Elevate is a person-centred service which takes into account the range of challenges people in recovery may face when endeavouring to move on with their lives. The staff work together with the individual to identify their goals, and what it takes to get them there. For each person the journey is entirely unique and the sense of accomplishment - whatever their goals may be - is uniquely theirs to cherish.

Before Elevate I had never graduated in anything, but in the years since I have gone on to complete two HNCs and am in the final year of my HND in Journalism. Next year I hope to continue in the same vain - with various conditional offers for 3rd year University courses in the pipeline. Without Elevate, and all of their wonderful staff who helped me along the way, I could never have imagined returning to full-time higher education. 

Graduating from their courses, and getting my certificate at Glasgow City Chambers, gave me the belief to take the next steps to get to where I am today. A decade of addiction had eroded my sense of self. Bereft of confidence and self-worth, and utterly directionless, I had no idea how to turn the tide. Elevate offered me the helping hand and nurturing that I needed to pull me out the of mire. 

As our COSCA tutor Neil said to us: "Small goals create a spirit of success." For anyone who has been lost in addiction, these words hold great pertinence. Finding out who you are and what you want in life, and then endeavouring to follow a path, in a structure which is not built for you, takes tremendous courage. I believe everyone who does so deserves recognition. I believe they deserve their very own personal graduation."

Jonathan is a 2018 Elevate graduate. He currently studies Journalism and works part-time for the NHS. He has a keen interest in helping people in recovery to tell their stories, and endeavours to use his voice to challenge stigma and dispel myths around addiction.