A Working Checklist for Finding Substance Use Treatment

How to find help for a drug or alcohol problem, from your doctor and the SAMHSA National Helpline to treatment programs. Knowing where to start removes one of the biggest barriers to getting help.

Key takeaways

• SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357), free and confidential, 24 hours a day, every day
• Languages: the helpline offers service in English and Spanish
• Most useful single change: Start with your primary care provider, who can assess and refer you.
• Commonest mistake: Programs that promise a quick cure or guaranteed results.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

Do

• Start with your primary care provider, who can assess and refer you
• Ask programs whether they offer medicines for opioid or alcohol use disorder
• Check what your insurance or Medicaid covers before choosing a program
• Ask about support for co-occurring mental health conditions

Do not

• Programs that promise a quick cure or guaranteed results
• Waiting until things get worse before reaching out
• Detoxing alone from alcohol, benzodiazepines or opioids without medical advice

The numbers behind the list

Here are the figures the checklist is drawn from.

If you change one thing

Start with your primary care provider, who can assess and refer you. Start there. The rest of the list keeps.

Related topics

• The Evidence on Talk Therapy, Without the Hype (Mental Health)
• Sexual Health Services: What Published Guidance Supports (Sexual Health)
• Choosing the Right Care: What Published Guidance Supports (Preventive Care)
• Finding a Primary Care Doctor: What the Evidence Actually Says (Using Health Services)

Where to go next

• Finding Substance Use Treatment in Five Minutes
• Finding Substance Use Treatment: What Published Guidance Supports
• Finding Substance Use Treatment — the reference entry
• Substance Use: The Complete Guide
• Supporting a Family Member With Addiction: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
• The Evidence on Safe Disposal of Medicines, Without the Hype

When to speak to a doctor

If you are thinking about suicide or are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call 911 for an overdose, seizures or someone who cannot be woken.

Where this comes from

• SAMHSA — National Helpline
• SAMHSA — FindTreatment.gov
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Get Help

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.