Where to start when you want treatment for drinking or drug use

Wanting treatment can arrive before you know what treatment involves. You may know you want something to change while feeling unsure about which office to contact. Begin with a service that can help you find care. A search result, a book, and a medical assessment each have a different job.

Start with a free source of information

The SAMHSA National Helpline is available at 1-800-662-4357. It provides free, confidential treatment referral and information for people and families facing mental health or substance use concerns. It operates 24 hours a day, every day, in English and Spanish.

You can call when you are looking for treatment information for yourself. A family member can also use the service. The conversation gives you a way to find possible next contacts when the names and types of programs are unfamiliar.

SAMHSA also directs people to FindTreatment.gov. You can use the government treatment locator to begin a search for services. Searching is free. A listed treatment service may have charges, so ask about free care, public funding, and arrangements for someone who cannot pay before agreeing to attend.

Give the search a manageable size

You do not need to choose every part of a recovery plan during the first search. The immediate task is finding someone qualified to discuss your circumstances and the care available. A referral can lead to a further conversation or an assessment.

Use the information service when you are unsure where to begin. Use a clinician for questions about your health, withdrawal, medicines, and treatment choices. Tell the clinician what you have been using and ask how to approach any change safely. Seek emergency assistance by calling 911 if you are in immediate danger or have a medical emergency.

For emotional distress or a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988. You can use that support while a separate treatment search is still unfinished. An appointment next week does not prevent you from seeking help with a crisis today.

If you have limited phone access, tell the referral service while you are connected. Ask how you can obtain the information you need to follow up. If you need language support or another communication arrangement, raise that as well. The service can explain what it offers and how to reach the next contact.

Read something intended for the first hours

Don't Panic: The First Hours After You Stop, by Stephen Deason, is Book 1 of The Mile Marker Library. Its subtitle is What to Do When You Stop Drinking or Using. Alder Creek Editions provides the complete printable PDF free.

The library places this book on its Right Now shelf. You can begin there without reading a whole series. The free edition gives you a reading starting point while you seek support for your own circumstances.

For the practical steps connected with the first hours, use the Journal article Make the next hour smaller. It covers medical safety, asking another person for a specific kind of help, and keeping the next action visible. Follow that existing guide rather than trying to build another plan from scattered search results.

Keep appointment preparation for the appointment

Once you have an appointment, a different set of questions becomes useful. You may want to understand treatment choices, medicines, follow-up, and how care will fit around daily responsibilities. Those questions deserve time with the person providing care.

The Journal's Questions to bring to an addiction treatment appointment provides that preparation. Read it when you are ready for the appointment conversation. Take questions from it that fit your situation and let the clinician explain the options available to you.

If a family member offers help, choose the part of the process you want them involved in. You can ask for company during the search or help reaching an appointment. You can also ask them to wait while you speak privately with a clinician.

Go to I need help, use the treatment contact, and ask where you can receive an assessment with free or publicly funded care.