Getting help

Drug and alcohol related emergency

If you can’t wake someone up or you are concerned that they may have sustained a head injury from a drug or alcohol related fall – call an ambulance immediately – dial Triple Zero (000).

If the person has been mixing drugs with alcohol or other drugs, tell the NSW Ambulance paramedic exactly what they have taken.

Paramedics are there to help. Generally paramedics don’t involve the police unless there is danger to themselves or other people/children, someone dies, or a crime (such as violence or theft) has been committed.

NSW Health

Visit Your Room to find information about the treatment and support services available in NSW.

Each NSW Health local health district has a local central intake telephone line to connect people with alcohol and other drug services in that region. Note that some local intake lines operate during business hours only. To access a local public drug and alcohol service, please contact your local health district.

Find a NSW Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) outlet.

Public drug warnings for illicit drugs circulating in NSW linked to serious harm and illness are published by NSW Health.

Naloxone is a medicine that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. The Take home naloxone program is free to people at risk of witnessing or experiencing opioid overdose.

Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) NSW 

ADIS operates 24 hours, 7 days a week to provide education, information, referral, crisis counselling and support. This service is for people affected by drugs, as well as their family, friends and professionals. 

ADIS also has a range of telephone lines offering specialised drug and alcohol information and support to particular groups.

Call 1800 250 015.

ADIS web chat is a free, anonymous and confidential online chat service for people who have concerns about alcohol or other drug use. Available Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5pm (including public holidays).

The ADIS Stimulant Treatment Line provides 24/7 advice, support, referral and counselling for people concerned about stimulants or for information on the Stimulant Treatment Program. Call (02) 9361 8088 or 1800 101 188.

The Opioid Treatment Line (OTL) is a helpline providing opiate pharmacotherapy information (including methadone and buprenorphine), referrals, and advice. Call 1800 642 428.

Other phone support and information

Counselling Online is a free online alcohol and drug counselling service providing support for alcohol and other drug users, and others affected by alcohol and drug use in the community, including family members, relatives and friends. Call DirectLine on 1800 888 236

Family Drug Support provides 24/7 telephone support to families in crisis due to drug and alcohol issues. Call the helpline on 1300 368 186 or visit www.fds.org.au

Family Drug Support Online is a free interactive resource designed specifically to support families struggling to deal with drug and alcohol problems. Visit www.fdsonline.org.au

Lifeline operates 24 hours, 7 days a week and provides counselling and information, suicide prevention, crisis support and mental health services. Call 13 11 14

Quitline 13 QUIT (13 7848) is a confidential telephone based service designed to help smokers quit smoking, funded by the Cancer Institute NSW. Staff can also provide assistance to the family and friends of smokers and others requesting information about smoking.

Parent Line is a telephone counselling, information and referral service for parents and carers of children ages 0 to 18 in New South Wales. Call 1300 1300 52 or visit www.parentline.org.au

Reach Out is the most accessed online mental health service for young people and their parents in Australia, visit www.au.reachout.com

Kids Helpline is a free, 24 hour counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25 years. Counselling is offered via the Kids Helpline website www.kidshelpline.com.au or email or call 1800 55 1800.

Youth Law Australia is a community legal service dedicated to helping children and young people in Australia and their supporters find a legal solution to their problems. They provide free and confidential legal advice, assistance and referrals to young people and their advocates. Find information or contact their online service.

Your Service Hub  is an online directory of health and welfare services. You can use Your Service Hub to find alcohol and other drug services if you need support for your own or someone else's substance use. Visit the Service Hub website. 

ACON's M3THOD webpage features a self-assessment tool allowing people to understand whether their drug use is impacting on other areas of their lives, ow who are looking to make a change in relation to their drug use. It includes a free chat service accessible to people either in person or via video call. Visit the M3thod webpage.

Treatment and support

If drugs or alcohol are negatively impacting on your health, family, relationships, work, school or other social situations, you may need to seek help. Support services are available for you, your family and friends.

Cannabis clinics provide assessment and counselling for individuals about their cannabis use, offer education, support and brief counselling to concerned family members and provide specialised treatment for people with co-existing cannabis and mental health issues. Contact ADIS (02) 9361 8000 (Sydney metro) or 1800 250 015 (regional NSW) for your local clinic.

The Stimulant Treatment Program provides treatment for stimulant users. The clinics offer outpatient services to people 16 years and older seeking to stop or reduce their use of amphetamines, methamphetamines, cocaine or ecstasy. Contact the Stimulant Treatment Line (02) 9361 8088 (Sydney) or 1800 101 188 (regional NSW) for information about the program.

Eheadspace provides mental and health wellbeing support, information and services to young people (aged 12 to 25) and their families and friends. Visit eheadspace.org.au 

Specialist services

Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council provides links to Aboriginal community controlled health services across NSW. Visit www.ahmrc.org.au for information about AHMRC members including a regional map, information and links to members websites.

Odyssey Multicultural Programs provides services for people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Contact MCP on (02) 8608 2611 or 1800 397 739 for counselling and support services for CALD communities. Visit their website for more information.

Self help organisations

Smart Recovery is a voluntary self-help group that assists people in recovering from alcohol, drug use and other addictive behaviours. Visit www.smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a self help organisation for people with alcohol problems. Phone the national helpline number 1300 22 22 22 and your call will be connected to your nearest local AA in your state or visit: www.aa.org.au

Narcotics Anonymous Australia, is a non profit fellowship or society of recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean via a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. Call ADIS for the nearest Narcotics Anonymous (NA)-Anon or visit www.na.org.au  

Videos in community languages

How do you get help when drug and alcohol use become a problem? The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District has produced a series of videos in community languages that provide information on where and how to get help for yourself or for someone you care about.

The Where can I get help when alcohol or drugs are a problem? videos are available in Arabic, Assyrian, Burmese, Cantonese, Chaldean, English, Farsi, Hazaragi, Hindi, Karenni, Kirundi, Mandarin Nepali, Swahili, Tigrinya and Vietnamese.