I think I may have a problem with drugs or alcohol, what should I do?
Over the last few years it has become clear that drink or drug problems come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. Where we used to think that you had to be dependent on a substance to have a problem with it people now realise that you can also have a problem with something if you binge on it or if you behave in a particular way after consuming it. Add to this the number of different substances that exist and it becomes obvious that there are lots of types of problems caused by substance misuse.
Because we want to be able to offer help as widely as we can that is why in RCT we have quite a lot of different sorts of substance misuse services. What we have put down here are the main services that you may want to think about approaching if you feel that your drink or drug use is causing you problems. All of these places deal with both alcohol and illegal drugs.
If you are an adult (18 and over)
The Drug Interventions Programme provides support for class A drug users who have come in to contact with the police and criminal justice system. DIP provides a range of support including psychosocial interventions, advice, overdose and harm minimisation advice, relapse prevention, and if appropriate, substitute prescribing. The DIP service offer a 28 week package of care focusing on your recovery and goals for the future. We have no waiting list for treatment. To refer to DIP please contact 01443 494150
TEDS is one of the bigger substance misuse agencies in RCTand for a lot of people will be their first port of call. They offer a range of services mainly around support advice and counselling. They will tend to use an approach which helps their clients to achieve what they want to while reducing the risks that they run from their drinking or using. (Click here for more info TEDS)
Drugaid is another substance misuse agency in RCT that offer a range of services mainly around support, advice and structured counselling. Like TEDS they will tend to use an approach which helps their service users to achieve what they want whilst reducing the risks from their drug or alcohol use (Click here for more info on Drugaid)"
Another agency which a lot of people use and which is easy to access is the RCT Substance Misuse Team (Click here). This team has the advantage of being part of the local authority so are particularly good at putting together packages of care for their clients which will help them to deal with their substance misuse problems.
If you have a problem which requires medical supervision (particularly if you are physically dependent on drugs or alcohol) then CDAT (in Taff Ely and Cynon) or RISMS in the Rhondda will be the best places for you to go. In the past there have been waiting lists to get treatment in these places but waiting times are now a maximum of 3 weeks. Phone numbers are CDAT 01443 443060 or RISMS 01443 443443 Ext 5757.
Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are both fellowships of men and women who share their experiences and gain strength through group meetings in order to recover from their condition. To find out where the nearest meeting is to you go to one of these websites and click on 'meetings' - www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk or www.ukna.org
If you are a young person (under 18)
A lot of young people may feel as though they would prefer in the first place to talk to someone they know about drugs and alcohol. If you go to the Talk to Frank website (click here) you should be able to find info and be able to read some sound advice. A good next step would be to choose someone you trust to discuss it - this could include youth workers, teachers or parents. You may find that the person you talk to may suggest seeing someone who works particularly with drugs and alcohol. If you're worried about that feel free to ask someone to go with you or for you to phone up first and ask what you want to set your mind at rest.
Most of the time your first port of call will be TEDS. They have people there who are friendly and will treat you well - if you want to talk to them about what they do their phone number is 01685 880090.
If a young persons drug problems are very complicated and if they need to have a doctor involved the Young People's Drug and Alcohol Service 01443 443013 is the place that you may be asked to go to. TEDS or your doctor can arrange for you to go there or if you are a pregnant young woman you can phone them up yourself.
Turnaround project is a specific full-time programme which targets young people at risk of harm due to their substance misuse and who express a wish to change.
For more info phone 01443 486404 or go to www.cfbt.com Turnaround Office, 2 Court House St, Pontypridd.
If you are a Parent
If you are a parent who drinks or uses and it may be effecting your children(whether you're an adult or a young person) then the people who you need to contact are Families First (01443 827000) or click here for more info.
You can also contact Drugaid who provide family support for parents, partners, carers, family members and concerned others. (Drugaid 01443 443443 ext 5757 or click here for more information)
How can I reduce the harm I am doing to myself?
It's a pretty obvious point to say that the safest way to ensure that drink and drugs won't harm someone is if they don't use them at all - but if it was as easy as that then it wouldn't be the problem that it obviously is. Because of this most agencies in RCT work to reduce the harm that substances are causing the individual. This means that, if you have a problem, while the agency may think it's a good idea for you to stop in the long run they will look to help reduce the damage you may be doing to yourself now.
So whatever your use it is worth contacting the agencies for advice on how to stay as healthy as you can for as long as you can.
Where can young people go to socialise that is not centred around drinking?
One of the answers locally has been the Blue Light Discos. The venue is the Michael Sobell Sports Centre function room, Aberdare, every fortnight on a Friday for 12-16 year olds. Phone the venue for further details.
The following dates are confirmed till April:
Jan 9th, Jan 23rd, Feb 6th, Feb 20th, Mar 6th and March 20th .
They have also been taking place at Club Fusion at Ynyshir.
As these are run locally, if you are involved in running these and you would like to post details on this website, email us at contact@substancemisuserct.co.uk but remember to leave contact details.
| Chief medical officers guidance - the chief medical officer for England and Wales have produced a guideline on the age at which young people can drink without threatening their health - the headline in the document is that children should have an alcohol-free childhood up to the age of fifteen. For the other recommendations click here. |
What are the safe drinking limits?
You can get more information about how to drink safely at this website:
What are your safe drinking limits? The NHS Direct calculator - click here
or visit Down your Drink - click here
| Audit questionnaire - a simple way of seeing if you have an alcohol problem. We know that it is easy to drink more than the safe government limits - but if you do would you say that your drinking has become a 'problem' for you. This is an easy to use questionnaire which may help you with the answer. |  (pdf 303k) click here... |